What we learned about Kansas City Chiefs in 21-17 home loss vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Kansas City Chiefs had a bye week to dissect and diagnose their offensive issues.
KC, however, has not found the answer just yet. And Monday night’s 21-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles provided the latest evidence.
The Chiefs could not hold onto a 10-point halftime lead because a troubling trend re-emerged. KC’s offense went silent after halftime — again — leaving the defense too much to overcome.
Yes, this is a pattern now.
The Chiefs’ offense, led by coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, failed to score after halftime for the third straight game. The Chiefs had already averaged just 5.9 points per game in their second halves — the worst mark in the NFL.
There is more to fix, as KC went punt, punt, fumble, punt, punt, turnover on downs on its six second-half possessions.
The Chiefs’ final drive had a chance on a deep shot too, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling had a long Mahomes throw bounce off his hands for a drop as he was about to cross the end zone.
Those late offensive woes ruined an encouraging start in a battle of the top teams in both conferences on a rainy matchup in KC.
In the first half, the Chiefs turned to an unexpected weapon offensively — the run game — while building a 17-7 first-half lead.
Though Philadelphia entered as one of the NFL’s best rush defenses, KC’s offensive line was overpowering in the first half as the Chiefs rushed 20 times for 121 yards before the break.
Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo cooked up all sorts of pressure with exotic blitzes, as the Chiefs got home for five sacks before the break with two each from Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie.
L’Jarius Sneed also added an interception, and the Chiefs received strong special-teams play with two solid punt returns from Kadarius Toney and an end-of-half 43-yard field goal from Harrison Butker, who remained perfect on his kicks for the season.
It wouldn’t be enough. Mahomes was held to 177 yards passing, with his counterpart Jalen Hurts engineering the game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive midway through the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs (7-3) will play at the Las Vegas Raiders at 3:25 p.m. Central on Sunday, Nov. 26.
This story was originally published November 20, 2023 at 10:26 PM.
