When the Kansas City Chief dense lines up for the first snap of Super Bowl 59, all eyes will be locked on one man—Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
Barkley has been nothing short of unstoppable this postseason, sitting just under 40 yards away from breaking the all-time rushing record for a single playoff run. Through just three games, he has amassed 442 yards and five touchdowns on 66 carries, averaging a staggering 6.7 yards per carry.
If the Chiefs want any chance of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, slowing down Philadelphia’s superstar back is priority No. 1. But stacking the box to stop Barkley comes with serious consequences—because Jalen Hurts is more than capable of torching Kansas City’s defense if given the opportunity
This means that while opposing defenses have applied pressure, Hurts has refused to beat himself—a crucial factor heading into a Super Bowl showdown against Patrick Mahomes.
If Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo follows the same strategy as the Los Angeles Rams did in the Divisional Round, where they loaded the box to stop Barkley, Hurts will have ample opportunities to find open receivers downfield and exploit the Chiefs’ 18th-ranked pass defense.
“When you load the box, it’s a beautiful thing, because it’s hard to run,” Barkley admitted. “But I feel like myself as that back, being patient and having that home run speed—if we get through it, there’s really no one back there.”
If the Chiefs commit too many defenders to stopping Barkley, expect Hurts to pick apart their secondary with easy passing looks. But if Kansas City backs off, they risk watching Barkley gash them for game-changing runs
“I feel like coaches put us in a great position, we have a great scheme around that, and then most importantly, the guys up front, tight ends, even the wide receivers blocking downfield do a really good job,” Barkley explained.
“We never lose hope. There have been games where we don’t get things popping until the third quarter, but it’s just a belief that we have in each other that, at some point, it’s gonna happen
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