KC Chiefs vs. Eagles: Getting perspective behind enemy lines
By Matt Conner
If the Eagles are going to beat the Chiefs, it will be because…?
First, they have to run the ball. Jalen Hurts hasn’t developed to the point in which he can drop back 40 times or more. Ball control would be key. As brilliant as Patrick Mahomes is, and as good as what he has on the sideline, he isn’t going to beat anyone if he doesn’t have the ball.
The Birds aren’t possessing the ball enough. They aren’t forcing turnovers, and the single turnover that they’re credited with basically came by accident.
So, let’s see… For Philly to beat K.C. and get their first-ever victory over their former head coach, they need a perfect storm. The coaching definitely needs to be better. They may need a trick play. They need touchdowns and not field goals. They need a few magical things to happen, a blocked punt, a kickoff return that results in six, a historically bad day by Patrick Mahomes.
As of right now, they aren’t good enough to just line up and beat people. We’ll see if they can make something happen though.
What is the biggest defensive weakness for the Chiefs to exploit?
This team just isn’t good enough at the second level. The secondary, despite having some big names on it—Darius Slay, Steven Nelson—just isn’t good enough. The strength of this team is the defensive line, and honestly, they haven’t been good enough.
Javon Hargrave has taken the next step and has become someone who’s hard to criticize, but he can’t do it alone. Fletcher Cox, Philly’s biggest star on defense, seems to have lost his motor. Brandon Graham is hurt, and one of the Eagles’ best young stars, Josh Sweat, doesn’t get put on the field enough. There are massive areas of concern everywhere. We haven’t even referenced the safeties, who aren’t that good, but as far as a plan of attack, the intermediate passing game might be where the Chiefs find success.
Slay and Nelson are better covering outside of the hash marks than they are at keeping themselves from being beaten inside. The linebackers don’t scare anyone, and they sure as heck can’t cover. I’d suggest a heavy dose of Travis Kelce. The Birds are in a nice spot on the edges of the line and at the center. Andre Dillard looked decent in relief of Jordan Mailata, so the Chiefs may want to attack the inside of the Eagles line with their pass rush, something they should be able to do with Chris Jones, as Philly is running with two backups.