When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, the talk is always about Patrick Mahomes and his unmatched abilities.

And while Mahomes was named Super Bowl LVII's Most Valuable Player, one can make an argument that another facet of the Chiefs was just as effective in the win: the ground game.

"You can't make it all about yourself," Mahomes said after the game. "You have to rely on those guys that you go to battle with every single week and those guys responded."

The Chiefs demolished the Philadelphia Eagles on the ground to the tune of 158-yards and a touchdown on 26 carries Sunday night, which was good for 6.1 yards per carry. Granted, Patrick Mahomes accounted for 44-yards and six carries, but even then, the Chiefs running backs amassed 114 yards and said touchdown on 20 carries, which is good for 5.7 yards per carry.

"We knew we could run the ball on them all night and that was our plan coming in," Chiefs center Creed Humphrey told reporters after the game. "And we did it well. [I'm] proud of how we ran the ball [and] proud of how we protected Pat [Mahomes], too."

It's quite the ironic twist. Jalen Hurts and co. finished 2022 as the fifth-best rushing team in the NFL. Per Football Outsiders, the Eagles finished as the No. 1 team in rushing DVOA.

In other words: The Eagles know how to run the damn ball.

But it was the Chiefs running game -the 20th-ranked running game, by the way- that stole the show. And, it was a key catalyst behind the franchise's second Super Bowl in the last four seasons.

It was a multi-pronged attack that featured key contributions from all over the roster. Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco led the way with 76-yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Mahomes tossed in the aforementioned stats that included his 26-yard run in the fourth quarter that set up the game-winning field goal. Running back Jerrick McKinnon had 34-yards on four carries, which included a 14-yard scamper on a 3rd and 1 and the smart decision to slide at the 2 instead of taking the touchdown at the end of the game. And, finally, rookie Skyy Moore added four yards on an end-around.

The skill guys made plays. There's no doubt about that. But they wouldn't been as near as effective if the Chiefs offensive line didn't ball out like it did.

Which makes the win even more ironic when looking at it through the Eagles' collective lens. Hell, even the Chiefs' lens, too.

"They [the Eagles] had one of the greatest d-lines of all-time and they have one of the greatest offensive lines of all-time," said Mahomes. "We respect that and I give them their kudos.

"But we believe we have a great offensive line, as well, and I think those guys got caught with getting asked every single week what they were gonna do against this defensive line. And they took it as a challenge and they responded."

"… We knew we could control the line of scrimmage tonight," said Humphrey. "We've been hearing all week about how storied the [Eagles] d-line is and things like that and we felt like we weren't getting the respect we deserved. We wanted to go out there and make a statement.

"We knew what we could do against these guys… we were ready to get after them and show what we can do."

Sure enough, the Chiefs did just that. On a night when they were considered inferior, they eventually proved to be superior.

And the best part for the Chiefs and their fans? They beat the Eagles at their own game: in the trenches and on the ground.

We haven't even talked about how they held one of the NFL's best pass rushes of all-time to zero sacks, either. Go ahead and toss that in the equation, too.

"The offensive line, how they played in the second half, that's the reason we won this game," said Mahomes. "… I said if y'all play great, we will win, and that's what they did."

Featured image via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports