Why Chiefs injury replacement for Mecole Hardman won’t cut it vs. Eagles

While Mecole Hardman goes on IR for the Kansas City Chiefs, Clyde Edwards-Helaire comes off it.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a very interesting move heading into the Super Bowl with regard to their offense.

Kansas City put wide receiver Mecole Hardman on IR after he reaggravated his pelvis in the AFC Championship Game win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The corresponding transaction sees former first-round running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire coming back into the fold after he was placed on IR with a high ankle sprain weeks ago. This does not help them defeat the Philadelphia Eagles…

The Chiefs are the slight underdog to the Eagles on a neutral-site heading into Super Bowl 57.

Kansas City Chiefs IR moves won’t cut it vs. Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl

Can the Chiefs beat the Eagles on Sunday? Absolutely, but this roster move will make it all the more difficult for them. Edwards-Helaire may have been a first-round pick in 2020, but like Summertime Lover, he peaked in 2019. Besides, Kansas City already has a strong running back room with Jerick McKinnon and Isiah Pacheco. Running the ball is not going to beat the Eagles.

There are three reasons for this. One, Philadelphia features a ground-centric offense to head coach Nick Sirianni’s liking. This is the foundation of their offensive philosophy. Philadelphia may be able to put up points with the best of them, but the Birds prefer to play complementary football. They already do a fantastic job of shortening the game. Kansas City cannot play into this.

Two, for the Chiefs to have a great deal of success offensively, they need to spread the ball around and open up the field of play. This will put pressure on a strong Eagles defense to cover all parts of the field. Simply put, the threat of Hardman going over the top will no longer be available. Losing Tyreek Hill this offseason limited the Chiefs’ ability to score in a hurry. No Hardman exacerbates it.

And three, the Chiefs’ best chance at winning the Super Bowl is to have the ball in the best player on the field’s hands more often than not. Jalen Hurts is a great player in his own right, but he is not Patrick Mahomes. With one less target to throw the ball to, this could mean more Mahomes throws will give way to more Edwards-Helaire carries. Does this sound like a good idea to anyone?

Admittedly, the Chiefs have a great chance of winning this game because they still have Mahomes. However, he is banged up, too. His mobility could be further compromised if the Eagles’ pass-rush can take advantage of a depleted Chiefs secondary. Getting Edwards-Helaire back helps the offense, in theory, but probably not in the way the Kansas City offense was definitely hoping for.

The Chiefs can definitely beat the Eagles, but it might be impossible should Mahomes play poorly.