Super Bowl LVII includes some pretty huge matchups between the AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs and NFC victors in that of the Philadelphia Eagles.
It obviously starts with Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes making history at the quarterback position.
Even then, there’s a ton of other one-on-one matchups we must pay attention to heading into Sunday’s game in Arizona.
Who on Philadelphia’s defense is going to be tasked with containing Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce? Can Kansas City’s young secondary go tit-for-tat with Eagles star receiver tandem of DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown?
Pass rush will also be key in Super Bowl LVII with Kansas City’s offensive line being tasked to protect a hobbled Mahomes in the face of an unrelenting Eagles pass rush. Below, we look at the top-five matchups for Super Bowl LVII.
Related: Top storylines for Super Bowl LVII
Travis Kelce vs C.J. Gardner-Johnson
We’re fully expecting Philadelphia to rely on Darius Slay and James Bradberry in man coverage on the outside come Super Bowl Sunday. They represented the best cornerback duo in the NFL during the regular season with Slay yielding an 83.9 QB rating when targeted and Bradberry earning Second-Team All-Pro honors.
It will be needed with record-breaking Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on the other side. Patrick Mahomes posted a 117.2 QB rating when targeting Kelce during the regular season. Meanwhile, the future Hall of Fame tight end has been on an absolute tear during his playoff career.
- Travis Kelce stats (past 8 playoff games): 75 receptions, 825 yards, 9 touchdowns
There’s no expectation that Philadelphia’s linebacker duo of T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White will be able to handle Kelce in coverage. That’s where C.J. Gardner-Johnson comes into play. The safety was acquired from New Orleans ahead of the 2022 season for pennies on the dollar. All he did during the regular season was register six interceptions and yield a 78.4 QB rating when targeted. As for Super Bowl LVII matchups, this is about as good as it gets.
Related: Bold predictions for Super Bowl LVII
DeVonta Smith vs Jaylen Watson
A lot has been made about A.J. Brown’s ascension to stardom after Philadelphia acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans during the 2022 NFL Draft. With that said, Smith was stellar during the regular season. The former Alabama standout hauled in 70% of his passes from Jalen Hurts with the quarterback boasting a 111.0 QB when targeting the former first-round pick.
- DeVonta Smith stats (2022): 95 receptions, 1,196 yards, 7 TD
As for the Chiefs’ secondary, their youth reminds us a ton of the San Francisco 49ers’ first Super Bowl title more than 40 years earlier. It has three rookies in cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as well as safety Bryan Cook playing big-time snaps.
In particular, Kansas City has relied a lot on Watson — a seventh-round rookie from Washington State. Starting in Week 2 with a pick-six of Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, he’s been more than up to the task. Watson recorded an interception in each of the Chiefs’ two AFC Playoff games leading up to Super Bowl LVII. During the regular season, he yielded a 103.9 QB rating when targeted. Which version of Watson shows up against Smith will be telling come Sunday in Arizona.
Related: Top 10 players of Super Bowl LVII
Lane Johnson vs George Karlaftis
Lane Johnson did not allow a single sack during the regular season en route to earning First-Team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career. Dealing with a torn adductor in the groin, he yielded a mere two total pressures in Philadelphia’s two NFC Playoff games. The dude is absolutely legit.
While Philadelphia will have to deal with interior lineman Chris Jones, providing protection on the outside to let Jalen Hurts cook will be big once Super Bowl LVII comes calling. He’ll be tasked with going up against another Chiefs rookie in that of George Karlaftis one-on-one. That’s magnified with struggling left tackle Jordan Mailata set to take on Frank Clark and likely in need of additional help.
The first-round pick from Purdue was stellar during the regular season, recording 11 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, seven passes defended and six sacks. Per Pro Football Focus, Karlaftis was third among rookies with a 13.2% pass-rush win rate. Kansas City will need to see some of that from the young man in one of the best Super Bowl LVII matchups come Sunday.
Related: Super Bowl LVII matchups, Chiefs defensive line vs Eagles offensive line
Andrew Wylie vs Haason Reddick
Speaking of Super Bowl LVII matchups, Philadelphia clearly has the advantage in this one. An underrated free agent signing last offseason, Reddick was absolutely brilliant in his first regular year as a member of the Eagles. The former first-round pick from Temple was one of four members of this defense to record double-digit sacks, leading the group with 16.
In Philly’s two playoff wins over the Giants and 49ers, Reddick recorded a combined four quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks. Dating back to Week 13, he’s tallied 18 quarterback hits and 11.5 sacks in eight games. The dude has been a man on a mission.
Unfortunately for injured Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Wylie is at a major disadvantage. Pro Football Focus graded him out as the 85th-best starting offensive tackle during the regular season. He gave up 45 QB pressures. Whether it’s sending double teams against Reddick or Wylie stepping up, this is a huge matchup for the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes vs Jalen Hurts
Top storylines for Super Bowl LVII have included two Black quarterbacks going up against one another for the first time in the history of the game. It’s been a long time coming. Now, the focus turns to who has the advantage between Mahomes and Hurts. Both were legitimate NFL MVP candidate until Hurts went down with a season-ending injury. Mahomes now seems to have that award on lock.
| QBR | PFF | QB Rating | Completion Rate | Total Yards | Total TDs | |
| Jalen Hurts | 66.3 | 85.9 | 101.6 | 66.5% | 4,461 | 35 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 77.5 | 91.3 | 105.2 | 67.1% | 5,608 | 45 |
While Mahomes has the advantage from both a statistical and experience standpoint, this evens out a bit with the Chiefs’ star hampered by a high-ankle sprain he suffered in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Set to take on an elite Eagles pass rush, this could come into play big time. Whoever performs better under center come Sunday will likely lead his team to victory in this one.