Five things that stood out about the Kansas City Chiefs’ win against the Eagles
The losing streak is over before it’s actually technically even a streak. So, all is not lost. All is not over.
But all is not cured, either. The Chiefs beat the Eagles 42-30 here at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, a victory in which Patrick Mahomes and the offense showed up but the defensive miscues did too.
Let’s not waste any time. Here are five immediate observations from the game:
1. The pre-snap woes continue
When you can’t get lined up properly, you’re beat before the snap even arrives.
Those were safety Tyrann Mathieu’s words three days ago.
Still true.
Still a problem.
The Chiefs defense is out of sorts, on its heels, reactive more than aggressive, however you want to classify it. The most inexcusable element is the pre-snap chaos, with Chiefs defenders scrambling around in search of their proper assignment.
On the Eagles’ first touchdown, Chiefs defensive end Alex Okafor is sprinting from one side of the line to the other. As the ball is snapped, he still needs a few steps to even engage in the offensive tackle. The ball had long been released.
When these communication problems materialize, that’s usually the result — touchdowns.
2. And is that prompting Patrick Mahomes to take more risks?
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw 12 interceptions in 2018, a year in which the Chiefs had the second-worst defense. As the defense moved to the middle of the pack (17th in 2019, 16th in 2020), Mahomes’ turnovers decreased.
The defensive struggles are back. So too are the interceptions. Mahomes threw his fourth interception in three weeks, yet another pass that he probably shouldn’t have even attempted.
Or should he? It’s early enough — and there are enough variables — to consider this all a coincidence.
But when you look at the circumstances for three of the interceptions (disregard the pick that came as a result of a deflection of the receiver), they are similar — third-down plays in which Mahomes is on the verge of being sacked but decides taking a risk is better than eating the ball.
Could that be the result of a struggling defense? You could make that argument.
3. Is this sustainable?
Can the Chiefs win this way over the long haul — a collection of back-and-forth slugfests?
Sure, they’ve done it before. It’s reminiscent of 2018, a team that fell one game — or even one coin toss — shy of reaching the Super Bowl. But the two groups with better balance, or at least an improved defense, actually played in that championship game, and one of them won it.
On the one hand, the Chiefs do have time to turn this around. They did it in 2019. But those players were adjusting to a new defensive coordinator and a new system. These players don’t have the luxury of that excuse.
4. Get Tyreek involved? OK then.
It’s been a quiet couple of weeks for Tyreek Hill, relatively speaking to his monstrous opener.
A blip.
Not a trend.
Hill returned to his place in the spotlight, taking advance of an Eagles defense that shadowed him less attention than the Ravens and Chargers. He demanded more of it. Hill totaled 186 yards and three touchdowns on 11 catches.
The talk of his demise, it appears, was greatly exaggerated.
In the first two quarters alone, he had five catches for 85 yards — more yardage than the previous eight quarters combined. A six-yard touchdown became a mere footnote after he made a fingertips catch along the sideline, tapping both feet in bounds as he sprung into a summersault. The second score he punctuated with a backflip. The third came on a rainbow pass from Mahomes, his longest, a 44-yard score.
5. The interior of the Chiefs offensive line had a day.
An offensive line featuring three rookies was always going to be a work in progress, especially early in the season.
But there is progress.
The interior of the offensive line, in particular, had its strongest showing of the first four weeks, with the microcosm an early 3-and-1 handoff to fullback Michael Burton. The middle of the line got such a strong push that Burton wasn’t even touched before passing the sticks.
This group moves better in space than the one it replaced, and coach Andy Reid is becoming more comfortable calling some screen plays and misdirection that allows some linemen to pull. They created a massive opening for Mecole Hardman on an end around that felt as though it could’ve produced an even bigger gain than the 24 yards it generated.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire also utilized big creases, surpassing 100 rushing yards for the second straight week.
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 3:14 PM.