Chiefs Can't Beat Eagles Without Benching Struggling Vet

The Super Bowl is just a few days away as the Kansas City Chiefs are preparing to battle the Philadelphia Eagles with a three-peat on the line. Andy Reid and his coaching staff has been hard at work coming up with a game plan, though there's one obvious choice they need to make to maximize their chances at success.

Philly is known for a fierce rushing attack, though A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith form one of the best wide receiver duos in the league. Kansas City's secondary has struggled at times this year and while getting starter Jaylen Watson back from injury stabilized things, third-year cornerback Nazeeh Johnson's struggles are too much for the coaches to ignore.

Johnson has been a turnstile defensively for most of the year. It's not hard to imagine him getting beat deep by Brown or Smith at some point, and putting him on the field is far too risky. As a result, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo should bench Johnson and give Joshua Williams or another player the snaps instead.

Chiefs Must Bench CB Nazeeh Johnson to Slow Eagles' Passing Attack

It hasn't really mattered who Johnson has gone up against in coverage. Things haven't gone well, whether it's giving up nine catches for 103 yards against the Buffalo Bills, letting Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers beat him deep twice, or getting lost early against Nico Collins in the Houston Texans playoff game.

In order to contain the Eagles' rushing game with a loaded defensive front, the Chiefs have to feel comfortable with their cornerbacks. Otherwise, Jalen Hurts will lob deep passes to A.J. Brown all night long and Kansas City will be in trouble.

Johnson graded 165th out of 223 qualified corners at Pro Football Focus (PFF), surrendering a 107.7 passer rating when targeted in coverage. Compare that to someone like Williams, who bizarrely hasn't played a defensive snap in the playoffs despite ranking 92nd at PFF with a 77.4 opposing passer rating. With Trent McDuffie, Watson, and Williams, the Chiefs could feel comfortable taking on Brown and Smith.

If it's Johnson back there for significant periods of time, Philadelphia would be wise to attack him. Johnson can still play a valuable role on special teams, though it's become obvious to fans that it's dangerous at this stage to let him play defense.

We'll see who the coaching staff elects to play but either way, the Chiefs are 1.5-point favorites with -120 odds on the moneyline at FanDuel Sportsbook. If Johnson stays on the sidelines, those odds could prove to be a steal in the end.

More Kansas City Chiefs News and Rumors:

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.