Travis Kelce Has Major Advantage Over Eagles Defender He Dominated Before

Travis Kelce is widely recognized as perhaps the greatest tight end to ever play the game of football and he's poised to cement his legacy with another sensational playoff game this Sunday.

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl, Kelce will be the subject of much conversation in both teams' game plans. He caught only two passes in the AFC Championship but had at least 70 receiving yards in 14 consecutive playoff games prior to that, so it's reasonable to think last week was an aberration and not the new norm.

What fans might not realize, however, is that one key Eagles injury gives Kelce a chance to dominate a defender that he's had tremendous success against in the past. In fact, the Chiefs likely won last year's Super Bowl over the San Francisco 49ers precisely because of the matchup that Kelce is about to face one again.

Travis Kelce Has Dream Individual Matchup in Super Bowl

As Adam Best of Arrowhead Addict points out, Kelce was matched up with Oren Burks in the second half of last year's Super Bowl following Dre Greenlaw's injury. Burks was terrible in coverage, surrendering nine receptions on nine targets with a 32.1 coverage grade at Pro Football Focus (PFF). Kelce himself caught six passes for 81 yards and a TD, and now Burks will be a starting linebacker for the Eagles after Nakobe Dean was lost for the season.

One can expect Kelce to primarily be matched up with Burks, though Andy Reid will likely devise unique plays to isolate the veteran defender. So far in the playoffs, Burks has surrendered seven receptions on eight targets with an opposing passer rating of 100.5.

That tracks with his numbers in the regular season too, giving up an absurd 93.8% completion percentage and 90.4 passer rating. For all the talk about how good Philadelphia's defense is, there's an obvious weak link to be exploited.

The Eagles are phenomenal in the secondary and in the trenches, which makes it even more likely that Kelce takes advantage of the gaps in the middle of the field. With a three-peat on the line, you better believe he's bringing his best effort.

If you want to get in on the action, FanDuel Sportsbook has Kelce's receiving yards prop set at a meager 60.5 yards. He's +125 to score a TD ($10 to profit $12.50), which he's done in 15 of his last 21 playoff games. Make no mistake, this is when Kelce shines.

Based on how juicy this matchup looks, Sunday might just be Kelce's masterpiece.

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