Special teams could steal the spotlight in Super Bowl LIX between Chiefs and Eagles

Special teams becomes more magnified in the postseason. For the most part, both the Chiefs and the Eagles are as superb as anyone in that department going into the Super Bowl clash.

Kansas City Chiefs v Pittsburgh Steelers
Kansas City Chiefs v Pittsburgh Steelers | Justin K. Aller/GettyImages

Special teams are not going to make the main headlines going into most NFL contests. That is even more true when it comes to how fans view playoff games. But at this point of the season, that third phase of the game is what becomes even more important.

Going into Super Bowl LIX, both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have been as sharp as anyone in that area, for the most part. And with many stars on each roster, it is the role players who could shine bright on special teams.

Going back to Super Bowl LVII between these two teams, there was a huge spark in the second half because of Kansas City's special teams' excellence. Kadarius Toney produced the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. He was stopped just short of the end zone, helping set up the Chiefs for a touchdown that put them up by eight points in the fourth quarter.

Will we see another game-changing play from either of these special teams units in Super Bowl LIX? Anything is possible with the Chiefs and the Eagles.

Return game prowess

Looking at how returners ranked this season, you will see your fair share of Eagles and Chiefs posted at the top of the leaderboards. Starting with Philadelphia, Cooper DeJean had a tremendous season as a rookie on defense. Special teams and his return ability were a major part of what made him a top draft prospect last April coming out of Iowa, however. DeJean finished 12th in the NFL in punt return yards (211) during the regular season. Only 98 yards separated the gap between him and fifth place.

While he is out with an injury right now, Mecole Hardman of the Chiefs finished right behind DeJean in punt return yards (203) for the regular season. Those two proved that they could flip the field in an instant as punt returners. Because of his injury, Nikko Remigio took over late in the regular season and has lit it up. He had a huge punt return last week in the AFC title game and started things off hot with the opening kick return the week before. For this current postseason, Remigio ranks first in the league in punt return yards. The aforementioned DeJean sits fourth in that category.

In the kick return game, three players from the Chiefs and Eagles combined to tally nearly 1,000 yards (970) as kick returners in the regular season. In terms of where players from these two teams rank for kick return yards in the postseason, Remigio is first, Kenneth Gainwell is third, Isaiah Rodgers fifth, and Will Shipley sits in eighth.

How will Chiefs and Eagles choose to kick?

It is safe to say that each side will have their hands full as coverage units in this one. Will Philadelphia and Kansas City still look to kick it short on kickoffs? Or, does it seem safest to boot it through the end zone for a touchback? Given what each of these offenses displayed in the conference championship games, it may be easiest to go with a touchback.

Another item to note for coverage teams is the punting situation. While most people may not see the significance, each team has a different punter than the last time they met in the Super Bowl. It was Tommy Townsend and Arryn Siposs for Super Bowl LVII. Now two years later, Matt Araiza and Braden Mann have assumed those roles. For what it is worth, this will be the first Super Bowl for both punters. That could impact some special teams' strategy as well.

Chiefs-Eagles feature accomplished kickers

The pair of kickers in this contest are two of the more accomplished postseason kickers in recent NFL playoff history. For Philadelphia, Jake Elliott has only missed one of his 23 career playoff field goal attempts. That came in the latest outing in the NFC Championship Game from over 50 yards.

Elliott has also missed five extra point attempts in his playoff career. Most notably, the Eagles kicker has already missed three extra points in this current postseason. Can he avoid a hiccup in the biggest game of the season?

As for Harrison Butker of Kansas City, he has combined to make 36 of his 40 career playoff field goal attempts. If you look at the postseason runs the last two years, Butker has been perfect on all 15 field goal kicks. Like Elliott, he does have a few missed extra points in his playoff career, with three misses across 70 career extra points in the playoffs. Once again, the last three years have been perfect, though, making all 23 extra points in that span.

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