This Sunday sees Super Bowl VII contested in Glendale, Arizona. The Kansas City Chiefs of the AFC and the NFC’s Philadelphia Eagles will battle it out to lift the famous Vince Lombardi trophy at the end of the game.
With Rihanna providing the half-time show, it should be a spectacular evening of football to enjoy between the two number one seeds in each conference, who shared the best regular season record in the NFL at 14-3.
Bet365 Sport will of course be offering In Play betting while the game is in progress, but you can also enjoy extensive pre-match betting now on many different aspects of the game, such as First Touchdown scorer, who wins and by what score and similar.
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So to celebrate the big game on Sunday, we are going to look at ten of the best and most key players that are likely to influence Sunday’s big game and why.
The veteran center is the undoubted leader of the Philadelphia Eagles offensive line, arguably the best front five in the NFL at present and he is still the best center in the game. He’ll face his brother Travis on the opposing team but it will be hoe Jason Kelce keeps the Chiefs pass rush at bay and allows his quarterback the time to make the decisions he needs to in order to pick apart the Chiefs that will be key here.
The last time the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the big meaty paws of Frank Clark were key in achieving that. The big defensive end has not been as disruptive this past season compared to then but there is no doubt that he is still a major factor in that Chiefs defense and one player that the Eagles O-Line will be very keen to minimise the impact of.
The Eagles are blessed with two top ten receivers and while DeVonta Smith doesn’t quite reach this top ten list, A.J.Brown certainly does. The former Titan, acquired in a shrewd trade during the draft this past year, has been an integral part of the Eagles offense offering a tangible threat over short, middle- and long-distance passes and it is going to be interesting to see how the Chiefs match him up against their corners.
In truth, I probably could have picked out any of the Eagles front four on the defensive line in this position and probably, the entire unit deserves to be here as they are often the decisive factor on defense. The pass rush generated, the number of QB sacks and hurries they have generated this year is phenomenal and Josh Sweat is arguably the most dynamic of the four on that defensive line and his battle with Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr will be intriguing.
Jones has been the catalyst for all the positives that have happened for the Chiefs on defense this season. He landed 15.5 sacks in the regular season (plus two more in the off-season) and his size and power make him incredibly difficult to block for too long. Expect to see plenty of double teams on Jones, especially early on in the game with the Eagles center and guard combination seeking to negate Jones destructive effect in the backfield.
What makes the Eagles offense so daunting is not only that they have a very dangerous passing attack, but that it is accompanied by a devastating run game. Miles Sanders is the go-to back for the Eagles and he has been especially productive in the post-season with three touchdowns thus far. He will be the Eagles main back, with spells also given to Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott, plus of course Jalen Hurts is another that can rush. But the Chiefs will have to find a way to stop Sanders if they are to have any chance in this game I feel.
There is no doubt that Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL. He is Patrick Mahomes first choice target when the Chiefs are in the red zone (and they are there a lot) and the combination of size, speed and catching ability, allied to his great physicality in the blocking game, make him a nightmare for teams to scheme against. He’ll be up against brother Jason on the offensive line for the Eagles and that adds an extra layer of spice in what is already an intriguing contest.
One of the contenders for MVP in the NFL this season, Jalen Hurts has silenced his doubters in the best way possible – by playing lights-out football for the Eagles this season. He has been a true duel-threat quarterback, picking apart teams with precision pocket passing, as well as using his legs and the running game effectively to break teams down on the ground too. Perhaps the most underrated aspect of Hurts game is how quickly he reads the defense and can adjust to make a blown play a positive one, either with a pass, or using his feet.
Mahomes is without doubt the best quarterback in the NFL right now and after leading the Chiefs to the post-season in each of the five full-seasons he has been at quarterback, and a Super Bowl in three of them, his importance to the Chiefs is unmistakable. He is highly accurate, unflustered and, when fully fit, able to turn a blown play into a gain, or even a touchdown. Simply put, at his best, Mahomes is as good as it gets and he will be a huge test for the Eagles defense. The key is whether the high ankle sprain he suffered in the game with Jacksonville will hamper him here. If it does, then that could be a worry for the Chiefs as Mahomes mobility is key for them on offense.
For me, the X-Factor in this game is going to be the Eagles main pass rush weapon Haason Reddick. Reddick is in absolutely sensational form at the present moment and he was the MVP in their Conference Championship win over the 49ers. At his best, Reddick is as close to unblockable as it comes, as the top ranked 49ers defense found out. With Mahomes perhaps not as mobile as he would like to be, you can bet the Eagles defensive scheme will focus on getting Reddick as fast to the quarterback as possible and if Reddick can continue to do that, then this may be the deciding factor that decides the winner of the Super Bowl on Sunday.
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