The best player at the most important position in football figures to have a rather large impact on the outcome of Super Bowl LIX. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes prepares to take his fifth crack at winning the Lombardi Trophy -- which would be his fourth -- and it's not a stretch to label him the most consequential player Sunday.

The good news is the Atlanta Falcons also belong in that clump of mediocrity. They held Barkley to just one of his five games in which he failed to run for 100 yards and beat Philly, 22-21. The bad news is that was the early season version of the All-Pro back.

The Chiefs are the first team in NFL history to reach this stage five times in a six-season span. As for the support of the second item: Mahomes has thrown for 18 more playoff touchdowns and 2,200 more postseason passing yards than any under-30 quarterback in NFL history. It’s not close.