Super Bowl 2023: As great as P...

PHOENIX — The Philadelphia Eagles understand the threat.

Patrick Mahomes, who is only 25 years old and playing in his third Super Bowl, can burn them deep, perform off-platform throws, scramble outside the pocket (despite with that high ankle injury), and even launch a left-handed pass anytime he wants. The quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs poses a threat with his arm, legs, and brains.

However, as coaches plan for Mahomes and defenders prepare for the quarterback who, according to defensive end Brandon Graham, has earned the title of "GOAT," Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox warns that their eye discipline must go beyond simply sifting through the misdirection that Mahomes and company cause. Eagles defenders must keep an eye on the Chiefs' run game. Or they risk falling victim to a surprise strike.

"We know he's going to make some very good plays," Cox said from the Eagles' team hotel on Tuesday afternoon. "However, we know they like to run the football.

"What if we get caught up in them passing the ball? They run the ball really well if you really turn the tape on. And they do an excellent job, with a pair of strong backs that run hard." Cox believes that big plays and run defense will make or break the game. A casual examination of Kansas City's season appears to muddle this hypothesis.

Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round rookie running back, led Kansas City's rushing assault with 830 yards and five touchdowns on 170 regular-season attempts. Pacheco was #1 in efficiency among running backs with at least 100 runs, according to Football Outsiders' "success" rate, which compares yardage gained to yards required for a first down.

Pacheco ripped the Jacksonville Jaguars for 95 yards in a 27-20 divisional playoff win before being restricted to 26 yards on 10 touches against the Bengals. The Eagles' defensive front will attempt to restrict the ground attack by rotating between four- and five-man rushes while remaining focused on the ultimate goal of each team winning their one-on-one battles.

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a 2020 first-round draft pick, was activated Monday after more than two months on injured reserve while battling a high-ankle sprain. He’d tracked 302 yards and three touchdowns in 10 active games, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

And the escape artist Mahomes ripped off 5.9 yards per attempt during a regular season with 358 yards and four touchdowns by ground, 25 times earning a first down with his legs. He has moved the chains twice more on six playoff carries, also extending plays in which he ultimately dumped a ball or unfurled a pass to a teammate.