Top Conference Championship Game Performers Playing in the Super Bowl

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Championship weekend came and went and we saw a multitude of great individual performances in each game. We’ve got 8 days to look ahead at the Super Bowl, but before we get to that, let’s take a moment to look at some of the best performances from Championship weekend and how it will shape the Super Bowl Matchup. In the spirit of keeping the ball moving forward, we’ll focus on performances from players on the winning teams. We’ll break down one player from each position group except the offensive line(sorry big uglies) that had a great Championship game performance and will be competing in Super Bowl LIX.
Top Offensive Performers
QB- Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia: Hurts put up a slightly better Threat Rating than even Patrick Mahomes in the Eagles win over the Commanders. The Eagles controlled the matchup scoring 28 points off of 4 Washington turnovers including 7 touchdowns on the ground, 3 of which went to Hurts. Hurts was efficient through the air completing 20/28 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown. It’s exactly the type of performance the Eagles will need from Hurts against the Chiefs if they’re going to win the Super Bowl. However, it’s unlikely the Chiefs will afford Philadelphia 4 extra possessions so Hurts better come ready to take advantage of every possession he gets and make sure not to give any freebies to the Chiefs from his end.
WR- Xavier Worthy, Kansas City: This was the game that Xavier Worthy was drafted for and ironically it came against the team that traded out of number 28 in the draft and gave the Chiefs a chance to draft him. Worthy led all receivers in Threat Rating in conference championship weekend catching 6 of 7 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. His contested catch late in the first half that led to a Chiefs touchdown was one of the big highlights of the game. Worthy’s late season ascent continues a trend of Chiefs’ rookie receivers peaking late in the season just in time to be big factors in a playoff run, much like Rashee Rice last season. The Chiefs offense is complex and predicated on timing so it’s not surprising that it can take a rookie some time to get their feet wet. Worthy is certainly peaking at the right time and he’ll need to perform favorably against fellow rookie Quinyon Mitchell in the Super Bowl in order for the Chiefs to take home the 3-peat.
TE- Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia: All of the talk leading into the Super Bowl will be about the Tight End on the other side, Travis Kelce, and more accurately about his girlfriend, but Goedert had the better performance of the two this past weekend. Goedert is leading the Eagles in receiving this postseason and capped their run through the NFC with a 7 reception, 85 yard game against the Commanders. Goedert is a key safety valve for Jalen Hurts and has been excellent after the catch in the postseason. Hurts has a tendency to hold onto the ball a touch too long and miss open receivers early in plays. If that happens in the Super Bowl, he just may need his tight end to bail him out and work his way open on scramble drills. Goedert could be a huge factor in this matchup.

RB- Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia: Barkley has been a monster all season long and the conference championship game was no exception. He only rushed for 118 yards on 15 carries, but it felt like he could have named his number. He set the tone for the game with a 60 yard touchdown scamper on the Eagles first play from scrimmage and added two more touchdowns as the game progressed. It is unlikely that the Chiefs will let Saquon run wild. He will have to be patient and continue to churn out yards even if the break away plays don’t come. The Chiefs have one of the best tackling secondaries in football, so it could be hard to bust the long one, but the Eagles will still rely on Barkley to control the game with the run setting up big plays through the passing game with Jalen Hurts. Even if Saquon doesn’t put up the numbers he’s accustomed to against the Chiefs, he’ll likely be the most important player on the Eagles in this matchup.
Top Defensive Performers

CB- Quinyon Mitchell, Philadelphia: Quinyon Mitchell is a finalist for defensive rookie of the year for a reason and he showed out again on Sunday leading all corners from both games in Havoc rating. As a matter of fact, the Eagles had the top 3 corners on Sunday with Cooper Dejean and Darius Slay trailing just behind Mitchell. Mitchell recorded 2 pass break ups and an interception in the contest and has been up to every challenge this season. He was targeted just 12.1 percent of the time in coverage on the season. The Eagles trio of cornerbacks will be a big factor in the Super Bowl. They’ll be counting on using them to give the rush time to get home against Mahomes. No doubt, the Chiefs will counter with quick strike options. It will be interesting to see how much the Eagles are willing to press up their corners in this contest.
S- Chamarri Conner, Kansas City: Chamarri Conner led all safeties in Havoc ratings on Sunday making 9 tackles and forcing a fumble, which was recovered by the Bills. In fact, the Bills recovered all 5 fumbles in the game (4 of their own and 1 by the Chiefs). The Chiefs trio of safeties will be tested against the Eagles in their big nickel package. They’ll have to be relied on to tackle Saquon Barkley in the open field, but also stop over the top plays from the Eagles offense. Conner will have plenty of opportunities on Devonta Smith and will be tasked with run fitting against the Eagles spread formations. He will be a key cog in the Chiefs game plan.
LB- Zack Baun, Philadelphia: Field Vision’s defensive player of the year came up big yet again in the NFC Championship game. He added another 12 tackles to his season total while also forcing a fumble and recovering one. He was involved in an early game forced fumble that tilted the contest in the Eagles favor for good. Baun has been elite in the Eagles scheme all year playing sideline to sideline and excelling in coverage and run stopping. With the Chiefs 2 tight end sets which include one of the scariest postseason weapons of all time in Travis Kelce, the Eagles linebackers will certainly be tested in coverage. Baun will have to be great as he has been all year to support the Eagles secondary.

ED- Mike Danna, Kansas City: Danna had 4 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble (again not recovered by the Chiefs) against the Bills on Sunday. Danna led all edges from both games in Havoc rating. Danna is quietly a consistent performer for the Chiefs defense playing despite being overshadowed by George Karlaftis, and at times, even Charles Omenihu. The Chiefs have depth at this position and it will be needed against a physical Eagles offensive line that can wear teams out. The Chiefs will rotate all 3 players mentioned as well as last season’s first round pick, Felix Anudike Uzomah in an effort to keep pressure on Jalen Hurts and fill run gaps against Saquon Barkley in the Eagles RPO attack. Philadelphia’s spread running attack will test the edges and all four of those guys will need to play well in the Super Bowl.
DT- Chris Jones, Kansas City: Chris Jones consistently faces more double teams than anyone this side of Aaron Donald(when he was still playing). His impact is hard to quantify with stats as could be seen when the Bills slid the protection to him on the now infamous 4 and 5 play that they failed to convert, freeing up the free rushers on the other side. There’s no doubt that the Eagles will have to account for Jones in their protections and their rushing attack in the Super Bowl. And even if he’s quiet the majority of the game, we’ve seen in the past that Jones tends to have an impact at the biggest moments. If the Eagles win this game, chances are it’s because they did a good job on Chris Jones on their key offensive plays.
As always, we look forward to the conversation, debate and your feedback. Hit us at @fieldvisionmi on X, @fieldvisionsports on Instagram, or on our website www.fieldvisionsports.com.
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