Super Bowl LVII: What Would a Combined Eagles-Chiefs Defense Look Like?

The Eagles have had a historically good defense and could make more history on Sunday. They are five sacks away from producing the most sacks in a single season ever (combined regular season and postseason) while having the number-one-ranked pass defense. The Chiefs have some studs on their end, but the clear talent advantage on Philly’s side shows as we create our combined Super Bowl defense.EDGE: Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat

The Eagles’ defensive line was the most exceptional defensive fronts we’ve seen in recent history. They recorded 70 sacks, with four players in double-digits. Unreal production. Frank Clark is an excellent player of the edge for KC, but Haason Reddick has been a wrecking machine with 19.5 sacks combined, with Josh Sweat turning in 12 sacks. Kansas City’s tackles will have their work cut out for them Sunday.

We can assert that Chris Jones has surpassed Aaron Donald as the best defensive tackle in football. He can do it all, rush the passer, produce sacks, stop the run, and all at an elite level. The Eagles would be playing the Bengals in Arizona if it were not for the impact he had on that game. We’ll put Javon Hargrave alongside him as Hargrave flies criminally under the radar in the elite defensive tackle discussion. He ranked third among defensive tackles in sacks during the regular season with 11 while being stout against the run. 

Nick Bolton is a tackling machine at only 22 years old. He ranked second in the league in tackles with 180 during the regular season and consistently made his presence known all over the field. I’m excited to see what defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo works up with Bolton to limit the threat of Jalen Hurts’s legs. T.J. Edwards was Philly’s leading tackler this season, ranking in the top ten in the league. The former undrafted free agent wasn’t the most productive over the past two playoff games, but we’re confident he’ll make an impact on Sunday.

Darius Slay and James Bradberry are two of the best cornerbacks in football, and both played at an All-Pro caliber this season. They produced the league’s best defense against the pass during the regular season and were in pure shutdown mode during the playoffs. Going from Daniel Jones, Brock Purdy, and Josh Johnson to Patrick Mahomes matters, but if there were a tandem of cornerbacks you would want in your secondary against Mahomes in the biggest game, it’s these two.

Kansas City will have cornerback L’Jarius Sneed back from a concussion on Sunday, but as the third cornerback, we can’t put him over Avonte Maddox as our third corner. Operating out of the nickel, Maddox is arguably the most underrated player on the Eagles. He is sort of the glue that keeps the train going and is remarkable in his role. Look for the Eagles to hopefully utilize him immensely to ideally slow down Travis Kelce. 

C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a lock for this spot. Coming over from New Orleans after the preseason in an absolute fleece of a trade, Gardner-Johnson is tied for the league lead in interceptions during the regular season despite only playing 12 games. He’s got the ability to drop down in the box and play some corner, like he was asked to when Maddox went down, but he’s best when roaming and looking to make plays. The Chiefs safety duo of Juan Thornhill and Justin Reid had a shot at this second safety spot, but we’re going to ride out the continuity and the more productive player in Marcus Epps. Serving as the team’s third-leading tackler during the regular season, Epps again is a physical hitter who doesn’t get mentioned much because he plays consistent, mistake-free football. Exactly what you need with Mahomes slinging it.