Chiefs fail to make obvious and necessary halftime adjustment after being routed by Eagles in first half of Super Bowl LIX
The Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half of Super Bowl LIX, leaving Patrick Mahomes looking shell-shocked in the pocket. After the first half that resulted in three sacks on Mahomes, a pick-six, an interception in the red zone, 14 total yards on offense, and the team going 0-for-6 on third […]
The Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half of Super Bowl LIX, leaving Patrick Mahomes looking shell-shocked in the pocket.
After the first half that resulted in three sacks on Mahomes, a pick-six, an interception in the red zone, 14 total yards on offense, and the team going 0-for-6 on third downs, the signal to the Chiefs should have been clear. They'd been rolling with a combination of Joe Thuney at left tackle and Mike Caliendo at left guard, playing Thuney out of his natural position at left guard.
In their moment of need, desperate for a spark on offense, Kansas City opted to stick with the combination of Thuney and Caliendo. They have a veteran left tackle on the roster in D.J. Humphries, but Andy Reid didn't make the switch out of halftime, which would move Thuney back to his natural position.
Eagles DTs Jalen Carter and Milton Williams were a big concern heading into this game. As a result, the Chiefs provided Caliendo and Trey Smith with some extra help during the first half. They had been leaving their offensive tackles on an island and it really hadn't worked out with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's pass-rush plan.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid has been unafraid when it comes to making changes on the offensive line during the season, even briefly benching starting RT Jawaan Taylor at times when he's struggled. He made changes with rookie OL Kingsley Suamataia and second-year OT Wanya Morris, but obviously the gravity of Super Bowl LIX is a bit different when it comes to decision-making.
The decision to not go to Humphries out of halftime might be the move that lost them the opportunity to make a comeback in this one. The Chiefs couldn't get anything going in their opening drive of the second half, mainly because Mahomes was sacked twice. Even if they make the change on their next possession, much of the third quarter will have elapsed, leaving them less time to make a comeback.
The sad thing about this is, the Chiefs had nothing to lose from making the change at halftime given the fact they were down 24-0 on the scoreboard. At worst, the results are the same. At best, you settle Mahomes down and give him a few more seconds to find an open receiver.
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