If you looked at the box score of Super Bowl LIX, you would have no idea that Eagles DT Jalen Carter even played. He had no sacks, no tackles, no batted passes. However, he had a massive impact on the game, and was a big reason that the rest of the Birds’ defensive line dominated.
In the leadup to gameday, we detailed the Chiefs’ offensive line quite a bit, as it felt like a significant weakness. Their O-line looked like this:
LT LG C RG RT
Joe Thuney Mike Caliendo Creed Humphrey Trey Smith Jawaan Taylor
At RT, Taylor was a penalty machine all season who is susceptible to speed rushers.
LT was a problem spot for the Chiefs all season. They tried three different guys there, who all got benched, before moving Thuney from his normal LG spot out to LT. Thuney is a very good guard, but he is not a good LT, and is not built for the position.
And finally, Caliendo filled in for Thuney at LG. That was a major downgrade.
The Chiefs have two very good linemen in Humphrey at C and Smith at RG.
