Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Hurts #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles throws the ball during a game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. Norm Hall/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

  • The Philadelphia Eagles enter the second half with a 10-point lead
  • The Eagles need to get the ball to A.J. Brown more often while committing fewer penalties
  • The status of Patrick Mahomes' ankle is the biggest story for the Kansas City Chiefs

Super Bowl LVII currently has the Philadelphia Eagles leading the Kansas City Chiefs 24-14 and football fans all around the world are tuning in to see who comes out on top by the end of it all.

Below are two keys to victory for each squad.

Philadelphia Eagles

Feed A.J. Brown

The Eagles trading for fourth-year star receiver A.J. Brown during the 2022 NFL draft for the 18th and 101st overall picks and the trade is proving to be an instrumental one in Super Bowl LVII.

Racking up 1,496 receiving yards in the regular season over 88 targets and 11 touchdowns, quarterback Jalen Hurts has found him thrice on five targets this game with a 45-yard bomb for the first touchdown of the game–Brown's longest thus far in the game.

The Chiefs have since shut him down by way of double coverage and while this has forced Hurts to be creative and find other ways to score for Philadelphia, Brown is a target that the Chiefs will have to watch out for in the second half.

Limit Penalties

Through two quarters, the Eagles have logged three penalties, which have caused them to lose 19 yards and they can no longer afford to make such mistakes in the second half.

The Chiefs have had three penalties of their own in the first half, but they gave up five less yards.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni loves getting aggressive on offense, and them dominating the possession battle (21 minutes to the Chiefs' eight) is a good sign for them moving forward.

But with the penalties mainly coming from their offensive line, Sirianni and his coaching staff will need to remind their men in the trenches to keep a calm mind and not jump the gun.

Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders celebrates the second of two touchdowns in victory over the San Francisco 49ers
AFP

Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes' Ankle Holds Up

Entering Super Bowl LVII, the biggest question mark for the Chiefs has been whether Patrick Mahomes' ankle has healed enough to the point that it can allow him to be more mobile in the big game.

He was seen grimacing in pain on the sidelines late in the second quarter after being tackled and Chiefs fans are already worried about how bad it will affect him in the next half.

Mahomes walked back to the locker room under his own power which appears to be a good sign for both him and the Chiefs, but the uncertainty remains.

He has only converted on eight of his 13 passing attempts thus far with one touchdown to show for it and that troublesome ankle of his will dictate whether he can pull off the comeback.

Make Jalen Hurts Uncomfortable

The Chiefs have been burned multiple times throughout Super Bowl LVII thus far by Jalen Hurts' big-game performance and the defense needs to come alive quickly.

Hurts has already thrown 22 balls in the first half and has racked up 183 yards already with two rushing touchdowns and one passing touchdown.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has to find a way to get his men past the stout blocking of the Eagles and finally get to Hurts as no one has recorded a sack just yet.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambles out of the pocket against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of their NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes scrambles out of the pocket against the Dallas Cowboys in the second quarter of their NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / David Eulitt