The Eagles beat the Chiefs. KC’s Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy were sorely missed

The Chiefs played their second game in Kansas City late Sunday afternoon, losing 20-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Here are some initial observations about the Chiefs’ defeat, which dropped KC to 0-2:

The turning point: Kelce’s end-zone bobble

After a sluggish first two and a half quarters offensively, the Chiefs appeared to have finally found their rhythm near the end of the third.

Working on their 14th play of the drive facing second-and-goal at the Philadelphia 6-yard line, Patrick Mahomes snapped out of the shotgun and Travis Kelce broke inside on an angle. But the ball hit Kelce in the hands, and he bobbled it up and into the grasp of Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba.

Mukuba streaked down the left sideline before being tackled by a sprinting Josh Simmons, but the turnover led to an Eagles touchdown drive, which cushioned their lead to 10 and effectively put a tight game out of reach.

Rapid reaction: Without Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy, the offense isn’t starting fast enough to beat a Super Bowl contender

In past news conferences, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has stated his weekly goal for his defense: hold the opponent to 14 or fewer points.

While that didn’t happen on Sunday (the Eagles obviously scored 20), I think Spagnuolo’s unit did enough to win. The pass rush with four or fewer is still a concern, but I thought the secondary played better.

I was especially impressed with rookies Nohl Williams and defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott. Williams broke up a pass going one on one with talented Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, and Norman-Lott motored his way to a one-arm sack of Jalen Hurts.

I came away slightly encouraged by the defensive effort.

However, as far as the offense goes, sometimes mounting injuries can be just too much — especially when you are playing the reigning Super Bowl champions who are once again a contender this season.

While Xavier Worthy practiced on Thursday and Friday this past week, the turnaround to play proved too ambitious. The Chiefs ruled him out Saturday ahead of the game. Rashee Rice served the second game of his six-game suspension.

Hollywood Brown is now healthy and has been a reliable outlet for Mahomes, and Travis Kelce has looked quick in space when he has caught the football. Tyquan Thornton’s deep, 49-yard touchdown is a positive sign. The issue was that the offense could not get into a rhythm until late in the third quarter.

And if the offense is going to have lethargic starts to games until it is at full strength, you have to play perfectly to give yourself a chance to win against this high-caliber of an opponent. Kelce’s bobble-turned-pick will deservedly be the point of focus, but the Chiefs can’t afford to turn the ball over on downs in their own territory — or commit penalties in critical spots, either.

Maybe worse than the loss, the bad news is the four-game stretch ahead without Rice really doesn’t get any easier. After a game in which Kansas City should be favored on the road against the New York Giants next week, it sees Baltimore, Jacksonville and then Detroit. Like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Detroit are Super Bowl contenders, and New York and Jacksonville looked better in losing efforts this week.

Last week, I wrote about how “Mahomes Magic” wasn’t enough. Ten days later, that’s still the case.

Critical stat: Mahomes on the ground, which isn’t a good thing

Sixty-six rushing yards for Mahomes, who led the team in rushing for a second straight week. It’s a career regular-season high for the quarterback — and right now, the only consistent part of the offense.

This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 6:24 PM.

Pete Sweeney

The Kansas City Star

Pete Sweeney is The Star’s Kansas City Chiefs insider and beat writer. He has covered the team since 2014.