Location of Super Bowl LIX provides Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes with a distinct hidden advantage over the Eagles

The ceiling is the roof for Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes when he faces the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday, both literally and metaphorically.

It has nothing to do with the fact that he's chasing history with a potential three-peat or that he's already the second-most winningest postseason quarterback of all time with a 3-1 career Super Bowl record. However, he has a hidden advantage in this game that has everything to do with the location of Super Bowl LIX. 

When Patrick Mahomes takes the field against the Eagles on Sunday at Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, it'll be just his 13th (Hello Swifties!) career game playing in a domed stadium (not including stadiums with a retractable roof). What's Mahomes' record in domed stadiums, you ask? Flawless and untarnished in every possible way. He has a staggering 12-0 record in domes. That increases to 15-0 if you include the retractable roof games where the roof stays closed. It's easy to understand why Mahomes and the Chiefs are undefeated in such games if you look at the stats he's put up over the aforementioned 12 games.

According to Pro Football Reference, he has completed 66.5% of his passes (319 of 480) for 3,652 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. His total average yards per game is a whopping 304 yards. You'll be hard-pressed to find any QBs in the NFL who recorded better numbers in any 12-game stretch during the 2024 NFL season (including Mahomes himself).

Compare this to Hurts, who has an admirable 5-1 career record playing in domed stadiums. According to PFR, in those six games, he's completed 64% of his passes (114 of 178) for 1,375 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He averages just 229 total yards per game in these types of stadiums.

The passing game isn't the only place where Mahomes excels when playing in domed stadiums

Domes make for the perfect passing conditions in the NFL, but for Patrick Mahomes, they also make for the perfect running conditions. Per PFR, Mahomes averages 5.78 yards per rushing attempt in domed stadiums, with 49 attempts for 283 yards across 12 games. That's 0.59 yards per attempt higher than his career average and 0.61 yards per attempt higher than his average in outdoor stadiums. 

On the other hand, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has 72 career rushing attempts for 358 yards and two scores in domed stadiums. He averages 4.97 yards per rushing attempt, which is just 0.33 yards higher than his career average and 0.47 yards higher than his average in outdoor stadiums. However, this might not be the greatest point of comparison, given that the Eagles often run the "tush push" plays they've popularized. 

While Mahomes hasn't scored a rushing touchdown in a dome yet, that could change in Super Bowl LIX. After all, he's coming off an AFC Championship Game where he had multiple rushing touchdowns for the first time in his NFL career.