Sportsnaut
After a grueling season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys, the Philadelphia Eagles head out on the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in a Super Bowl rematch. It will be two vastly different teams facing each other as the game will be without Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Milton Williams, Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Mekhi Becton, Joe Thuney, Rashee Rice, Justin Reid, Tershawn Warton and Derrick Nnadi.
The Eagles will go into Arrowhead seeking to improve to 2-0 on the season as the Chiefs will look for their first win following their season-opening loss in Brazil to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Birds will also have Jalen Carter in the lineup as the NFL did not suspend him for spitting on Dak Prescott that resulted in his ejection.
The Eagles have their work cut out for them as they face a Chiefs team looking to avoid starting the year 0-2. Here are the biggest questions facing the Eagles heading into the Week 2 matchup.
It was not a memorable Eagles debut for cornerback Adoree’ Jackson against the Cowboys. The free-agent acquisition was targeted seven times by Prescott, allowing five receptions for 103 yards — an average of 20.6 yards per catch — with every reception going for a first down. He was also flagged for pass interference and pancaked on Miles Sanders’ 49-yard run.
The Eagles are thin at outside corner. Behind Jackson are Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett, who allowed three catches for 20 yards. If Jackson wants to keep his starting job, he will need a strong showing against the Chiefs, who are dealing with their own receiver issues. Kansas City will be without Rashee Rice due to suspension and Xavier Worthy’s status is uncertain because of a shoulder injury, even though he did practice Thursday. If Jackson fails against a depleted Chiefs receiving corps, it might be the last we see him start for the Eagles.
The Eagles failed to record a sack or quarterback hit on Prescott. The big reason was the ejection of All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter seconds into the game for idiotically spitting on the Cowboys quarterback. With the Dallas offensive line not having to worry about double-teaming Carter most of the game, they were able to control the line of scrimmage.
On top of cornerback, defensive end was another area of concern heading into the season for the Birds as they lost Josh Sweat in free agency and Brandon Graham to retirement. They signed three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Za’Darius Smith earlier in the week in hopes he still has something left in the tank. The Birds sacked Patrick Mahomes six times in the Super Bowl, neutralizing his explosiveness. While it’s a completely different defense, they need to keep the pressure on Mahomes to make him uncomfortable in the pocket and force ill-advised passes.
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