NEW ORLEANS -- Patrick Mahomes has thwarted Vic Fangio's defenses at every turn, entering Super Bowl LIX 8-0 versus the Eagles' defensive coordinator.
The back-to-back Super Bowl MVP, however, expects a different Fangio plan come Sunday.
"Every time I've played coach Fangio, there's been different change-ups and different things that he's thrown at us," Mahomes said Wednesday. "I think that's what makes him so great is he's not gonna just do exactly what you saw the last time. I'm sure there will be blitzes during the game, I'm sure there will be times where they play coverage. It's gonna be a chess match. But you want to go up against the best and he's one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. It'll be a great challenge for us as an offense and as a football team."
Mahomes went 6-0 versus Fangio when he was head coach of the Denver Broncos and added two more victories over Miami last year, where he worked as defensive coordinator. Only Peyton Manning (9-1) has more wins over a Fangio-led defense.
Philly, however, boasts a much stronger crew than anything Fangio has brought to a Mahomes matchup in the past.
The Eagles allowed 174.2 pass yards per game in 2024, the fewest in the NFL. Fangio's defense also ranks first in yards per play allowed (4.7) and total yards per game allowed (278.4). Philly ranks second in points per game allowed (17.8) and third in opponent passer rating (82.5).
With an excellent secondary, which includes dynamic rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and a dominant defensive tackle in Jalen Carter, Philly has more playmakers than the defense Kansas City faced two Super Bowls ago.
Mahomes, however, has a habit of still dicing up good Ds. Mahomes is 3-0 in his career in the playoffs against teams with the No. 1 pass defense in the regular season (including Super Bowl LIV versus the 49ers and Super Bowl LVII versus the Eagles). He's the only QB to face the No. 1 pass defense multiple times in the playoffs and be undefeated in such games (and the only QB to have three such wins: Tom Brady, 2-1; Peyton Manning, 1-1; Steve Young, 1-1; Len Dawson, 1-1).
The quick passing game (under 2.5 seconds) is how K.C. picked apart the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, with Mahomes going 13-of-13 for 72 yards with two TDs and a 129.3 passer rating on such throws. The Chiefs quarterback has a 109.9 passer rating (fourth in the NFL) on quick passes and a 60.6% success rate (first in the NFL) in 2024, including playoffs, per Next Gen Stats.
Fangio's Eagles have allowed a 93.7 passer rating versus quick passes in 2024, including playoffs (seventh lowest in NFL) and a 49.3% success rate (15th). The defensive coordinator noted this week that tackling will be vital when it comes to defending the Chiefs.
"They have good players, they're well coached," Fangio said of the Chiefs, via Pro Football Talk. "We've got to have a good tackling game. These guys run well after the catch, obviously Mahomes is elusive, (Isiah) Pacheco runs extremely hard. Tackling is going to be paramount."
