• Patrick Mahomes is at his best in the playoffs: The star quarterback hasn't made a turnover-worthy play and has taken only two sacks this postseason.
• Travis Kelce is heating up: He averaged 2.97 yards per route or more in each of his past two games and has earned an 80.4 PFF grade during the playoffs.
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Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
The No. 3 seed Kansas City Chiefs had their share of doubters entering the playoffs, given how good the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills looked at the end of the regular season. They fended off their underdog status in their past two games and now find themselves one win away from securing a second straight Super Bowl.
Here are five things we’ve learned about them on their run to Super Bowl 58.
Patrick Mahomes makes few mistakes
The Chiefs quarterback is having a playoff run for the ages. While the big plays he can create get all of the attention, his ability to avoid negative plays has been the key to Kansas City navigating the playoffs. Mahomes hasn’t made a turnover-worthy play since a Week 16 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, when he had five, and has been sacked on just two of his 114 dropbacks in the playoffs.
Rumors of Travis Kelce’s demise have been greatly exaggerated
Some of what has been written about the tight end, in light of his high-profile relationship, has been beyond parody, but after a tough playoff game in the cold against the Miami Dolphins in which he dropped a pair of passes, he has turned it on. He averaged 3.26 and 2.97 yards per route run against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, racking up 191 yards and three touchdowns on 16 receptions in those outings.
Rookie Rashee Rice has stepped up
The Chiefs don’t need a No. 1 wide receiver, thanks to Travis Kelce, but rookie Rashee Rice has been a formidable second option in the passing game. Targeted 23 times over three playoff games, Rice has earned an 80.4 PFF receiving grade and averaged 2.21 yards per route run while recording 20 receptions for 223 yards.
Chiefs are tough to beat in coverage
The 49ers' skill-position players are lethal, but the Chiefs' defensive backs have impressed this season, too. L'Jarius Sneed has committed his share of penalties but is a playmaker in the secondary, with 13 combined pass breakups and interceptions in the regular season and playoffs. Meanwhile, young players like cornerback Trent McDuffie and safety Chamarri Conner lead the team with PFF coverage grades of 81.4 and 76.8, respectively.
A leaky run-defense unit may struggle in Super Bowl 58
If the Chiefs have a weakness the 49ers can exploit, it’s their run-stopping group. They weren’t tested enough in the AFC championship game by the Baltimore Ravens but allowed 182 yards on 39 carries against the Buffalo Bills. Including the playoffs, they have allowed positive expected points added on 42.6% of their plays against the run, the second-worst mark in the NFL this season.
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