Super Bowl LVII will have many intriguing stories between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, arguably the top two teams in the NFL based on their win totals and the No. 1 seed in their respective conferences. . Philadelphia and Kansas City each led their respective conference in points per game, setting the stage for an offensive shootout.
The Eagles and Chiefs have both scored 546 points this season (regular season and playoffs), and each team has six All-Pros, including a Kelce brother and their quarterback. Philadelphia also has a historic passing rush with 78 sacks and allowed the fewest passing yards per game for the franchise in a season since 2001 – showcasing talent on both sides of the ball.
Philadelphia and Kansas City both have hefty rosters and plenty of players expected to become free agents after the Super Bowl — especially on the Eagles roster. These are the top free agents expected to hit the open market at the end of the Super Bowl.
Quinn hasn’t had the one-on-one impact with the Eagles that they thought he would have, but Philadelphia has 61 sacks in the 12 games he’s played on the roster. Quinn has just one sack and 24 pressures on the year, but still commands double teams when he’s in the game.
Wylie started at the right tackle for the Chiefs as the weakest link in the offensive line, allowing nine sacks and 42 pressures on the year. Wylie is better suited as a guard (he started 35 games there in his five seasons), but he’s versatile on the offensive line as he can play tackle.
Joseph was brought in by the Eagles to stop the rush, as the Eagles gave up 114.4 rushing yards per game in the 10 games he played on the roster – improving the team in that area on the inside . Joseph had just three pressures and 0.5 sacks with the Eagles and is clearly a rotation piece at this point in his career.
Dillard is a former first-round pick, but served as a backup left tackle on the Eagles this year for Jordan Mailata. He’s only played 34 snaps all season, but can be a quality starter at left tackle if given the chance.
17. DT Ndamukong Suh (Eagles)
Individual stats don’t tell the full story of Suh’s impact on defense, as Philadelphia has allowed just 114.4 rushing yards per game in the 10 games Suh has been on the roster (including playoffs). The passing rush has been on an absurd tear, registering 49 sacks in 10 games since acquiring Suh. The defense allowed just 19.1 points per game.
Suh has just one sack and nine pressures with the Eagles, but improved his playoff game with two quarterback hits. He is always valuable in a reserve role.
Epps won a starting job with the Eagles at safety and was the last piece in the No. 1 pass defense. Epps allowed a career-high 114.6 passer rating in 650 cover snaps five touchdowns with no interceptions. Another year as a starter with the Eagles could benefit Epps.
Dunlap, 33, had the lowest sack total of his career (four) while tying for the fewest quarterback hits of his career (12). He also had 32 pressures as a rotational piece on the Chiefs’ leading unit.
Featured Game | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Thornhill had arguably his best season since his rookie year, as he finished tied for a career high with three interceptions and allowed just a 55.8% completion rate when opposing quarterbacks l have targeted. The 63.0 passer rating allowed was also a career low. Thornhill will be one of the best recruits this offseason.
A Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro punter this year, Townsend averaged 50.4 yards per punt and 45.4 net yards per punt – ranking first in the league in the latter. category. Townsend, 26, will arguably be the best special teamer out there.
Hardman has been a bright spot for the Chiefs in 2022, despite only playing eight games (and will miss the Super Bowl). He has six touchdowns this season (four receiving, two rushing) and is an elite returner when used. Used primarily as a gimmick player, Hardman can be a deep ball receiver in an offense that needs it.
McKinnon revitalized his career with the Chiefs as a catching passer, having six consecutive games with a receiving touchdown (nine touchdowns during the streak). He finished with a career-high 56 catches for 512 yards with nine touchdowns on the season and offers value as a backfield pass blocker. McKinnon, 30, seems like the perfect person to stay in Kansas City.
Cox isn’t the dominating defensive tackle he once was, but he’s still good enough to start in this league. Cox has 37 pressures and 14 quarterback hits with seven sacks, despite being the forgotten passer in an elite unit. Cox has one sack and five pressures this postseason, showing just how valuable he is to the Eagles defensive line.
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One of the best guards available in free agency, the versatile Seumalo can play both guard, center and even started a game at right tackle in his career. He’s allowed just one sack and 17 pressures this year, even though his 2.6% pressure rate allowed is a career high. Seumalo is one of the best interior fitters in this class.
Smith-Schuster enjoyed his freshman year with the Chiefs, hauling in 78 catches for 933 yards in 16 games. Excellent from the slot, Smith-Schuster can be explosive at times but hasn’t been the same receiver he was early in his career with the Steelers, despite having his most receiving yards in one. season since 2018.
Graham had a comeback season at 34, scoring a career-high 11 sacks to go with 48 pressures, 16 quarterback hits and 11 tackles for loss. It will be difficult to replicate that productive season in the mid-30s for Graham, but he has backed it up this postseason with one sack and seven pressures.
Edwards cemented his free agency status with a monster season for the Eagles at center linebacker, totaling 159 tackles, two sacks and seven passes defended — all career highs. This follows a season of 130 tackles. The 99 solo tackles and 10 tackles for loss are also career highs.
A first-time Pro Bowler, Sanders finished fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,269) and averaged 5.0 yards per carry for his career. Although Sanders has shown he can be a threat in the passing game at times, it’s hard to ignore that he’s fifth among running backs in yards per touch (5.42) over the past four years. . Sanders is a valuable fullback for any offense. In the playoffs, Sanders has 28 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
The impact Gardner-Johnson has had since converting to safety in the Eagles defense is why he will be one of the most coveted defensive backs on the market. Gardner-Johnson tied for the league lead in steals (six) despite missing five games as opposing quarterbacks only have a 63.9 passer rating targeting him. Gardner-Johnson can line up in the slot and play it safe, so his versatility is extremely valuable.
Brown is one of the best free agent offensive tackles available, although there is some debate over whether he should be a left tackle or not. Brown has allowed four sacks and 39 pressures this season while playing on the franchise tag. A key part of Patrick Mahomes’ protection in Kansas City, Brown didn’t allow a sack despite giving up nine pressures and a 10.1% authorized pressure rate (compared to 5.4% in the regular season).
Hargrave will be one of the best defensive tackles out there, as he was one of four Eagles players to finish with 10+ sacks this season. He finished with 57 pressures and 11 sacks with a regular season pressure percentage of 13.2%. In the playoffs, Hargrave has seven pressures and one sack with a 20% pressure ratio. Hargrave is set for a big payday in a month.
Bradberry is the best free agent playing in this game and the best cornerback available this offseason. He leads the league in passers allowed this season (41.5, regular season and playoffs), while opposing quarterbacks have completed just 44.4% of their passes targeting him. Listed as the Eagles’ No. 2 cornerback, Bradberry is still a No. 1 corner.
