Arrowhead Pride
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The game will kick off at 3:25 Arrowhead time, pitting the last two Super Bowl champions against each other. The Chiefs are coming off a close 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Eagles won the NFL’s opening game against the Dallas Cowboys 24-20.
It is only Week 2, but this game already feels like a must-win for the Chiefs, so they can avoid falling into a 0-2 hole.
Here are five things to watch in Sunday’s matchup.
There isn’t much of a way to sugarcoat it: in Week 1, Kansas City came out flat against Los Angeles. Earlier this week, the team’s early lack of energy was noted by head coach Andy Reid and starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
For the Chiefs to have any chance at beating the Eagles, they’ll need to play with a sense of urgency right from the opening kickoff. Otherwise, they could fall behind early — just like they did against Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIX.
A chance for revenge — and reminding naysayers that Kansas City is the team of the decade — should be enough to get the team fired up.
Both of the Eagles’ top wideouts were quiet in Week 1, which should raise alarms for the Chiefs. With quarterback Jalen Hurts, running back Saquon Barkley and a great offensive line, Philadelphia could beat Dallas with a ground-and-pound game — which means they didn’t have to put much on tape in the passing game.
Both Brown and Smith have tormented the Chiefs in the past, so it will be interesting to see how Kansas City goes about covering them. Previously, the Chiefs have put cornerback Trent McDuffie on Brown, leaving others to cover Smith.
This time, however, Kansas City could switch — putting McDuffie on Smith and using a combination of players to double and bracket Brown. The Eagles are extremely deep, so assigning two players to Brown would leave a weakness elsewhere — but if McDuffie can hold Smith back, that will limit the impact Philadelphia’s passing game can have.
Up front, the Chiefs’ defensive line needs to play much better. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was hit only four times last Friday — and Kansas City was unable to get any pressure on him without blitzing. If Hurts has time to throw (and his two favorite targets are open) it could be a long afternoon in Kansas City.
The Chiefs only attempted 10 handoffs against the Chargers, giving five carries each to Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Pacheco gained 25 yards with his looks, while Hunt picked up 16 — adding 10 more yards on two receptions — but neither had a chance to get into rhythm. And once Kansas City was...
