Five Chiefs offensive players who must step up in Super Bowl LVII

4. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Wide Receiver

The Chiefs were down Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Kadarius Toney for much of the game against the Bengals. That left Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the #1 wide receiver in the most important moment of the season. He responded by racking up six catches for 116 receiving yards and a touchdown. One of the reasons that I put him on this list is that he’s the highest-ranked wide receiver on the depth chart without an injury concern. He’s also the best deep threat on the team and if the Chiefs want to take a shot to the end zone, MVS will likely have his number called. Kansas City also has Travis Kelce as a security blanket for Mahomes and even JuJu Smith-Schuster, though he’s dealing with his own injury concerns, as another reliable weapon. If Valdes-Scantling can step up and play well again against the Eagles, the Chiefs will be in a good spot offensively.

5. Isiah Pacheco, Running Back

One of the things the Chiefs will need to do on Sunday is run the football effectively. Jerick McKinnon could see a more significant role since he’s the receiving and blocking back on the team but Isiah Pacheco will also play a key role. If he can continue to run angrily through a middling Eagles run defense, that will force Philadelphia to adjust and give Patrick Mahomes better looks in the passing game. Also, if he does play passing snaps, he needs to be an effective pass blocker for Mahomes, pick up blitzes, and run crisp routes out of the backfield. If he can have a complete performance in Super Bowl LVII, that will just make the Kansas City offense much more difficult to defend.