{"id":31488,"date":"2025-02-06T20:38:48","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=31488"},"modified":"2025-02-06T20:38:48","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:38:48","slug":"news-chiefs-db-coach-dave-merritt-reveals-how-the-defensive-mindset-will-be-against-the-eagles-in-super-bowl-lix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=31488","title":{"rendered":"NEWS: Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt reveals how the defensive mindset will be against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u00a9 Getty Images<\/strong>Nick Bolton #32 of the Kansas City Chiefs arrives prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 15, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The Kansas City Chiefs may not have had the strongest defensive season, but it was enough to get them to Super Bowl LIX, where they will face the Philadelphia Eagles. Recently, DB coach Dave Merritt shed some light on how the team plans to approach its defensive strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking to Sports Radio 810 WHB, Merritt revealed that the entire defense\u2014from the front line to the secondary\u2014will be highly motivated. \u201cThe guys are very motivated,\u201d<\/strong><\/em> he said. However, the primary focus will be stopping Saquon Barkley. \u201cStop the run first, and then we\u2019re motivated to go there and shut down the passing game.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Merritt knows the challenge ahead won\u2019t be easy, especially against an Eagles offense that ranked seventh in the regular season and is averaging 35 points per game in the playoffs.<\/strong> He acknowledged the difficulty of the task, saying, \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be a tough task.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The last time the Chiefs played against the Eagles was on November 20 at Arrowhead Stadium. As visitors, Philadelphia managed to make Kansas City suffer, winning the game 21-17<\/strong>. It was a regular-season game, but the control that the Eagles\u2019 offense and defense had over the home team was quite evident.<\/p>\n

The Eagles Have the Best Defense<\/h2>\n

Merritt and the Chiefs know they will be facing a defense as strong as the one they have prepared for Super Bowl LIX. In the regular season, the Eagles had the second-best defense, allowing only 17.8 points per game<\/strong>, and in the playoffs, they are allowing just one point more than their regular-season average.<\/p>\n

see also Patrick Mahomes’ net worth: How rich is the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs?<\/p>\n

The Chiefs Haven\u2019t Been Great at Stopping Opponents in the Playoffs<\/h2>\n

The Chiefs have played only two playoff games before the Super Bowl, but in both, they struggled to stop their opponents. Against the Texans and Bills, they allowed over 140 rushing yards, which could be dangerous if they allow the same against the Eagles, who have Saquon Barkley. The air game wasn\u2019t completely shut down either, as they allowed a total of 414 yards<\/strong> in the previous two games.<\/p>\n

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#Chiefs DB Coach Dave Merritt says that this defense is motivated after their last Super Bowl performance against the Hurts and the Eagles. #ChiefsKingdom<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Richard \u201cRichie\u201d Tovar is a bilingual sports writer with over 13 years of experience and a bachelor\u2019s degree in statistics. Born and raised in Venezuela, Richard has always had a deep connection with American sports, particularly the NFL, which he follows closely and covers extensively, along with College Football. Coming from a baseball-loving country, he also covers MLB every season. Since joining Bolavip US in 2021, Richard has continued to grow as a writer, showcasing his passion for numbers and statistics in many of his articles. Outside of sports, he enjoys programming, nature, going to the gym, and cooking homemade meals.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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  • Kansas City Chiefs<\/li>\n
  • Philadelphia Eagles<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The Kansas City Chiefs appear to be mentally locked in for their Super Bowl LIX showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles\u2014at least according to defensive coach Dave Merritt, who shared his thoughts just days before the big game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":31489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[15,467],"class_list":["post-31488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-philadelphia-eagles"],"yoast_head":"\nNEWS: Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt reveals how the defensive mindset will be against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=31488\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NEWS: Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt reveals how the defensive mindset will be against the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX - 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