WHAT TO WATCH 4
Key matchup
For almost three weeks, Patrick Mahomes’ right ankle has been the most talked-about body part in sports. After suffering a high ankle sprain against the Jaguars, the quarterback left the second-round playoff game, only to return and lead the Chiefs to victory. A week later, still clearly hobbled, Mahomes threw for 326 yards to beat the Bengals. His five-yard scramble with 17 seconds to play led to Joseph Ossai’s late-hit penalty and a game-winning field goal.
Mahomes said all week that his ankle was moving closer to 100%. The Eagles are sure to test that.
No team in the NFL finished with more sacks than the Eagles. When the regular season ended, they had four players ranked in the top 14 in the NFL in sacks.
Haason Reddick, who finished second to Nick Bosa with 16 sacks, has posted 3½ this postseason. Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat had 11 each during the regular season — and a combined 3½ in the playoffs.
“If he can stand upright, he can still throw the ball pretty well,” said defensive lineman Robert Quinn, whom the Bears traded to the Eagles in October. “Bad ankle or not, he’s got an arm that can win a game. We just got to make him uncomfortable up front, and we should be all right.”
The last time he played in the Super Bowl, Mahomes was hit nine times, sacked three times and ran for his life most of the time in a loss against the Buccaneers. Amazingly, he ran 497 yards before throwing the ball or being sacked in that game, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
That’s the same formula the league’s best defense will try to use Sunday.
Trending
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has started 17 games this season — and lost one. That makes for the sixth-highest winning percentage by any quarterback in a season during the Super Bowl era. Hurts missed two regular-season games after Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson tackled him in Week 15, spraining his throwing shoulder. The Eagles went 0-2 with Gardner Minshew under center before Hurts returned for the season finale.
Player to watch
In two playoff games, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has caught 21 passes on 25 targets for 176 yards and three touchdowns. At 33, Kelce just finished perhaps the greatest five-year run of any tight end in league history. He has 1,705 more receiving yards than the next-closest tight end since 2018. He trails only Jerry Rice in postseason catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
X-factor
Is the Eagles’ passing game dynamic enough to rally if they fall behind? Their offense is based on a run-pass balance, which is easier to do with a lead. The Eagles haven’t trailed for a second this postseason, winning two games by 55 points and leading at halftime by a combined 42. In those two wins, Hurts averaged only 137.5 passing yards.