Super Bowl LIX is right around the corner and for the second time in two years it'll be the Kansas City Chiefs pitted against the Philadelpha Eagles. The Chiefs bested the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII two years ago but these teams look different since that match-up.
One player who wasn't in the league for the last Chiefs/Eagles Super Bowl was Jalen Carter, who the Eagles took ninth overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Carter has given the Eagles even more "oomph" to their already terrifying defensive line and the Chiefs offensive line will certainly have their work cut out for them when it comes to protecting Patrick Mahomes on Sunday.
When asked how Carter and the rest of the Eagles defense planned to stop Mahomes from carving them up like a Jack-o-lantern this weekend, Carter gave a simple response: "One thing is to sack him.” Carter added that sacking Mahomes and/or getting him "off his game" was the key to success for the Eagles if they want to win their first Super Bowl since 2018.
Jalen Carter explains how the Eagles are going to rile up Patrick Mahomes
A defensive tackle saying that his plan to slow a quarterback down is to sack him isn't groundbreaking. Getting Mahomes off his game is something that all defenses try to do and even when it works, he still finds a way more often than not.
In Mahomes' first Super Bowl, it's interesting because he didn't play all that well and for the majority of the game, it could be argued that he was hurting the team. In his second Super Bowl, his offensive line couldn't protect him but he still played pretty well despite the Chiefs getting blown out.
In Mahomes' third Super Bowl, he got hurt in the first half but then came back in for the second half and balled out. In the fourth Super Bowl, the offense struggled as it had during the regular season but Mahomes made it count when it mattered the most.
It's truly been a mix as to what to expect from Mahomes during his previous four Super Bowl appearances. Carter wasn't on the Eagles the last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl but Vic Fangio and the Philadelphia defense are going to throw everything they can to slow Mahomes down. Chiefs fans hope that he can once again rise above it and ascend to the top in the most critical moments of the game.