Leadership gives Chiefs Super Bowl edge says former KC quarterback
Chad Henne spent the final five seasons of his 13-year NFL career with Kansas City, making three trips to the Super Bowl before retiring following the Chiefs’ 38-35 win over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
The Wilson grad spent countless hours at practice and in meetings with Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Hall-of-Fame bound quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Henne, the quarterbacks coach at Wilson, remains close to the Chiefs and believes they’ll beat the Eagles Sunday in Super Bowl LIX to complete an unprecedented Three-Peat.
Like most, the former Wilson quarterback believes it’ll be a tight game between two evenly matched teams. Here are some key factors and Henne’s take on them:
Head coach
Andy Reid has already carved out his niche in Canton; Henne points to him as one of the biggest reasons the Chiefs will win Sunday.
He calls Reid “the ultimate leader” and says his poise and preparation are why the Chiefs consistently perform so well in the postseason.
Reid is in his sixth Super Bowl as a head coach, including one with the Eagles. He was an assistant coach with the Packers when they won it in 1997.
“It helps when you’ve been there five out of the last six years,” Henne said. “You understand the schedule. The first Super Bowl (a 31-20 win over the 49ers in 2020) we had it down to a ‘T.’ Every minute (was accounted for); it was planned out to seconds. There was no wasted energy. He hasn’t steered away from what we’ve done.
“He prepped us to understand that you’re going to have more emotions in this game than any other game and he made us feel comfortable.”
The Noise
The Chiefs came into the season as a rare back-to-back Super Bowl champ and with the chance to do something no other team has done: Win three straight Super Bowls.
That created an extreme amount of attention, especially with the game’s greatest quarterback, Mahomes, and its most successful coach, Reid, still in place.
“I’ve gotta imagine it’s pretty tough (to deal with all the scrutiny),” Henne said. “Patrick mentioned it (early in Super Bowl week) that’s it’s all about taking it one day at a time. The way you get great is being consistent on a daily basis.”
Despite their 15-2 regular season record many doubted the Chiefs because they had so many close games and had to pull out several in the final seconds.
“That’s one thing Coach Reid really preaches,” Henne said, “staying in the moment. Not letting any game get out of hand. (Establishing a) one-play-at-a-time mentality. That’s why they sustained such a great season.”
Patrick Mahomes
The Chiefs quarterback has had one of his worst statistical seasons yet has made it back to his fifth Super Bowl; only Tom Brady has started more. Mahomes has won three Super Bowls; only Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw have won more.
Mahomes lost his top wide receiver, Rashee Rice, to an injury early in the season. He played without top running back Isiah Pacheco for 10 weeks, due to a broken leg. His Hall-of-Fame tight end Travis Kelce, at age 35, is not the dominant force he once was.
Mahomes has played behind a makeshift offensive line and has been sacked more times than ever in his career. He doesn’t have elite skills players around him yet keeps the chains moving and the team winning.
Henne calls Andy Reid’s offensive system quarterback friendly and no one runs it like Mahomes, who has found ways to squeeze every last drop out of the players around him.
Jalen Hurts
The Eagles quarterback has taken criticism because he hasn’t consistently gotten the ball to his elite wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
While Henne says Hurts has “done a phenomenal job” running the Eagles offense he does point out that the fifth-year pro at times fails to read his progressions in the passing game.
“Sometimes he looks to one side, then he takes off and runs,” Henne said. “He doesn’t really get to (reads) three and four. He can get better at that.”
Saquon Barkley
Next to Mahomes the biggest focal point in the game will be the Eagles running back and how well the Chiefs contain him.
“Saquon’s gonna get his numbers, and they’re gonna have a decent day running the ball,” Henne said. “(The Chiefs will be alright) if they keep him in the 90- to 100-yard range. If they don’t, if he gets in the 150-, 180-yard range, their time of possession goes way up.”
Eagles defense
The key for the Chiefs, Henne said, will be slowing down Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who’s been a runaway freight train during the postseason.
The bulk of that job falls to guard Mike Caliendo, who didn’t make his first NFL start until late in the season.
“Carter will be a great match-up inside,” Henne said. “We’ll see if (Caliendo) can handle him.”
The Eagles secondary has been one of the toughest to pass against all season but it includes a pair of rookie cornerbacks, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, practically unheard of in the Super Bowl.
Mahomes will look to take advantage of that.
“They have a lot of young guys out there,” Henne said of the Eagles, “but they’re solid football players.”
Defensive coordinators
The Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo is regarded as one of the most aggressive defensive coordinators in the league but Barkley’s home run ability might force him to alter his blitz packages.
“If you get out of position on a blitz, the offensive line can swallow them up and create big gaps (in the running game),” Henne said. “You get those linebackers out of position and bad things can happen.”
Henne is concerned about the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, who as a former Broncos head coach knows the Chiefs well.
“He always played us well,” Henne said. “He understands Coach Reid.”