Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles initial Week 4 breakdown – Arrowhead Pride
Final score: Kansas City Chiefs 42, Philadelphia Eagles 30
Offense (Bryan Stewart)
By and large, the Chiefs’ offense had their way with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. As most teams continue to do, the Eagles elected to play deep coverages, daring Patrick Mahomes and company to play a disciplined, methodical style of offense. That’s exactly what they did.
The offensive line completely owned the line of scrimmage when it came to the run game, and it enabled running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to rush for his second straight 100-yard game — with an excellent average of 7.3 yards per carry. It was great to see on the heels of my most recent film review detailing CEH’s carries against the Chargers.
It cannot be overstated how well this new offensive line is gelling right now, considering the quality of opponent they just faced that is the Eagles’ defensive line. The team had over 200 rushing yards in total. Lucas Niang and Orlando Brown Jr. each surrendered a little pressure early in the game — but beyond that, there were few negatives up front.
Then there was the passing offense, headlined by Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, who connected for three touchdowns alone. Mahomes finished 24 of 30 for 278 passing yards, 9.3 yards per attempt, five passing touchdowns and one interception.
Offensive Player of the Game: Tyreek Hill
On a day when no other receiver eclipsed more than 23 receiving yards, Tyreek Hill was largely the reason why. The Eagles secondary had no answer for Hill this week, who finished the game with 11 receptions, 186 receiving yards, and three (!!!) touchdowns.
Hill’s play of the day came early on when he made a spectacular extended over-the-shoulder grab deep down the right sideline. It was great to see the Cheetah have so much success Sunday, and now we await the arrival of new wide receiver Josh Gordon in the lineup. His presence should only help things on those days where Hill is less dominant.
Defense (Talon Graff)
The struggles carried over for the defense as they failed to limit big plays from the beginning. A quick screen pass to 2020 Heisman winner DeVonta Smith went for 22 yards, and then on the very next play, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found tight end Dallas Goedert for another 21 yards. Giving up 43 yards in two plays on the opening drive is a bad look. The defense did force a field goal even though Philadelphia was in the red zone.
The defense offered little-to-no resistance on the Eagles’ 12-play, 84-yard touchdown march. The absence of a seemingly healthy Juan Thornhill and the clarity of Daniel Sorensen’s downfalls as an every-down player is enough to where there has to be more of an explanation given for Thornhill’s lack of reps.
The final drive before the half ended nicely with L’Jarius Sneed coming 100% free and forcing a fumble that nearly was scooped up and returned for six. It allowed the Chiefs to take a 21-13 lead into halftime.
Steve Spagnuolo’s squad stepped up after Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on the first drive of the second half. They kept the Eagles out of the end zone, forcing Philly to settle for a field goal. The next drive was not as successful, giving up another long drive that resulted in seven points. Although, a silver lining was that Mike Danna was able to get the first defensive line sack of the game during the drive.
Toward the end of the game, the pass rush finally started to make an impression as Danna again was able to take Hurts down after the entire pocket collapsed. The defense looked better in the second half but still gave up several big plays. The cornerback position lacks star power, while the linebackers are often taken advantage of by opposing game plans.
I am starting to question if Chris Jones belongs on the outside as often as he has been. Teams seem to be taking advantage of Jones’ lack of lateral quickness. We’ll see how, or if, the defense adjusts moving forward. Willie Gay’s health will be an instant boost to a bad defense.
The defensive unit made enough plays for Andy Reid to get his 100th win with the Chiefs but looking ahead to Week 5 and the Buffalo Bills will be a more challenging test. Josh Allen and the Bills offense have scored at least 35 points each of the last three outings.
Defensive Player of the Game: Mike Danna
The second-year defensive end was about the only one present in the pass-rush department against Philadelphia. Danna notched two sacks on Hurts and was around the ball on several other occasions. This season, the Chiefs defense has not gotten after the opposing team’s quarterback, but Danna has flashed with three sacks on the year.