3 positions that will make or break Super Bowl LVIII for the Kansas City Chiefs

1. The Chiefs offensive tackles

Every last fan of the Chiefs trusts Patrick Mahomes to win this game. The one time we saw Mahomes unable to overcome things in the Super Bowl was when he was constantly running for his life against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During this regular season, costly penalties became another reason for stalled drives. It just so happens that the team's offensive tackles were guilty of several of those penalties.

Much like the linebackers, who do not need to be elite for the defense to thrive, K.C. doesn't need their offensive tackles to play like All-Pros. They just need them to not be a major problem in this game. Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor have actually played better than their reputation this season when it comes to pass protection. If they can simply continue to pass protect like they have thus far in the playoffs, Mahomes should be able to execute the offense effectively.

The bigger question is probably if they can keep from committing costly penalties that ruin drives. The 49ers have already begun a public campaign to draw attention to the Chiefs' tackles. My guess is they want NFL officials to go into the game with extra attention on KC's tackles when it comes to holding. We've already seen Taylor draw an unusual amount of attention from refs, both for where he lines up and how he times his start. While Taylor is responsible for adjusting, it is fair to say that he was getting watched closer and flagged more often than other tackles.

The Chiefs' tackles, especially Taylor, have gotten a lot of attention and criticism at times this season. Some of that was fair and some seemed to be a little unfair. As long as the tackles can avoid having a bad day, the Chiefs offense should be fine, but no position group has the potential to derail the Chiefs' offense more than the tackles do. I think the 49ers know this and they are trying to get in the OT's heads (and the officials' heads as well) before the game even starts. The Chiefs have responded well to trash talk, challenges, and mind games thus far. Let's hope that continues with the play of the tackles this Sunday.

So there you have it Chiefs fans. Those are my three position groups that could make or break this Super Bowl for Kansas City. If all three groups just have average days I trust the rest of the team and their coaching staff to bring home a win. If all three groups struggle on Sunday it could be too much for even the great Patrick Mahomes to overcome. Then again, Mahomes never ceases to amaze me, but I'd still prefer he didn't have that big of a hurdle to overcome. So here's to hoping these groups step up and help the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, and Andy Reid secure a true dynasty and rightful place amongst the greatest in NFL history.