Super Bowl opening night is a wrap and with the most intense media responsibility now completed, both teams can begin on-field preparation for Sunday night.
The matchup will pit the best against the best as the Eagles’ defense ranks first in pass defense DVOA, and the Chiefs’ offense rank first in pass offense DVOA.
Philadelphia will look to insert a defensive game plan that slows Patrick Mahomes down while unleashing quarterback Jalen Hurts onto a Kansas City defense that allows big plays on the backend.
With kickoff fast approaching, we’re ranking the 15 most important Eagles players for Sunday’s historic matchup.
1
Lane Johnson, Right Tackle
Jalen Hurts may be the MVP and most valuable player on Sunday, but the Eagles All-Pro right tackle is the most important player for Super Bowl LVII.
Johnson is playing with a groin injury that’ll require surgery and he still was able to shut down 49ers star pass rusher Nick Bosa.
2
Jalen Hurts
The MVP Candidate can beat you with his arms and legs while directing one of the NFL’s top offenses.
3
Haason Reddick
Reddick had 16+ sacks during the regular season and has logged 3.5 during the postseason run. His matchup against Chiefs right tackle Andrew Wylie.
4
Jason Kelce
The All-Pro center will have the game’s most intriguing matchup when he battles Chiefs’ All-Pro defensive tackle, Chris Jones.
5
Darius Slay
The Chiefs are banged up at the wide receiver position, but it’ll be on Slay to help limit Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the outside.
6
A.J. Brown
The Eagles can win when Brown has a quiet outing, but Philadelphia is almost unbeatable when the former Ole Miss star gets involved in explosive plays.
Kansas City has a young secondary and Brown will look to control the physicality on the outside.
7
C.J. Gardner-Johnson
A swiss army knife at safety, Gardner-Johnson is looking to get paid and he’ll have the game’s biggest matchup against Travis Kelce.
8
T.J. Edwards
Kansas City has a hard runner in Iasiah Pacheco and then they get dynamic with Jerick McKinnon as a dual threat out of the backfield, putting pressure on the opposition’s linebacker corps.
Edwards will play a critical role in limiting the Chiefs’ ball carriers, while also dropping into coverage to help contain Travis Kelce.
9
James Bradberry
Bradberry joined the Eagles on a one-year deal and played a huge role in the Birds amassing 70 sacks.
10
Jordan Mailata
The massive left tackle is dominant against the run, and has improved greatly in pass protection, but will have a key critical matchup against Frank Clark.
11
Dallas Goedert
The talented tight end was drafted by the Eagles two months after they won Super Bowl 52 and he’ll look to cement his status as a top-five tight end with Travis Kelce as the opposition.
12
DeVonta Smith
Philadelphia’s ‘Skinny Batman’ will likely make the game’s toughest catch on Sunday and he’ll play a key role against rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie.
13
Josh Sweat
The Eagles rush the passer in waves and Sweat is right behind Haason Reddick in efficiency off the edge.
14
Javon Hargrave
Hargrave logged 11+ sacks this season and he’ll look to dominate the interior line of scrimmage against the explosive Chiefs offense.
15
Kyzir White
An unrestricted free agent at the end of Sunday’s Super Bowl, the former safety turned weakside linebacker will also play a key role in containing Travis Kelce and Jerick McKinnon.
