Eagles vs. Chiefs: 3 key match-ups to watch

Andy Reid will coach against his former offensive coordinator, Doug Pederson, for the first time on Sunday. Will the student overcome the master?

The last time Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid faced the Philadelphia Eagles was in Week 3 of his first season with the team. In that match-up, Reid was facing his immediate successor Chip Kelly. Kelly has since then moved on from the Eagles, and this week, Reid will be facing his former offensive coordinator in Doug Pederson.

Pederson is not a rookie head coach, and Reid has now been with the Chiefs for five seasons. Both coaches have had time to install their systems and gather the right personnel to execute their game plan. Now the only question remains: who has the upper hand in this week’s home opener at Arrowhead?

Let’s take a closer look at three key match-ups for Sunday’s game.

Kareem Hunt vs. Eagles Front 7

Last week my most important match-up for Chiefs vs. Patriots was Kareem Hunt vs. Patriots front 7. Hunt went on to rush for 148 yards and 1 touchdown and another 98 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. As both Chiefs and Eagles fans should be aware, establishing the running game is always important to Reid and the West Coast offense in general. As to be expected throughout the season, Hunt will be vital in keeping this offense moving in the right direction.

Last week the Eagles allowed just 64 total rushing yards, and 30 of that came from Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins. Which means they in total allowed just 34 rushing yards to running backs. That’s 114 less yards than what Hunt did all on his own against the Patriots. Key to the Eagles run defense is Fletcher Cox who is a match-up nightmare against any interior offensive linemen. Last time the Chiefs saw Cox he notched 4 tackles and a sack. The rest of the Eagles front 7 is also quite talented, and last season the Eagles ended the season ranked 2nd in run defense by Football Outsiders.

My prediction for the game is Hunt will not impress quite as much as he did against the Patriots. The Eagles biggest weakness on defense is the secondary (especially with Ronald Darby out), and I fully expect Reid to focus on exploiting the holes in the secondary. Look for Hunt to get around 15 carries for 75 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground  and another 2 receptions for 30 receiving yards.