(Photo: Bleacher Report)
NFC Game Of The Week
Philadelphia Eagles at Kansas City Chiefs
Eagles: It wasn’t their best performance against the Dallas Cowboys, but it’s a win and to be honest, that’s appeared to be the theme for this team this year. We all know it’s never easy to duplicate what you did a season ago as this was one of the top three offenses in the league led by an MVP candidate in Jalen Hurts. Now that there’s been a full year of tape on him, defenses know how to prepare and gameplan for him. The offense may not seem as electric as it was in 2022, but believe it or not, they are averaging 28 points per game which is third best in the league. I said this about them a few weeks ago and I will say it again. This is still a good football team and the great teams will find ways to win games regardless and that’s exactly what they have done. Now with the stretch part of the season here, I want to see if they can put it all together for another run, not just for the NFC Championship, but the Super Bowl. That’s the thing when it comes to this sport. It doesn’t matter your record or how you’re winning games, what matters is how you play when it matters the most which is in December and January because that right there speaks volumes. For as strong as the Eagles have been as an offense, their defense isn’t as good as it was last year. I always said when discussing them in 22 that they had no weaknesses due to the fact they could beat you in a plethora of different ways. Now, I see offenses gliding down the field and moving the ball with ease on them. If they can tighten things up on the defensive side, this could be a dangerous team. On Monday night, they will travel to Arrowhead for a monstrous showdown.
Chiefs: 7-2, first place in the AFC West and if the playoffs started today, they would be the number one seed in the AFC and the road to Las Vegas would travel through Arrowhead Stadium (That’s what I still call it). You’ve heard all of that before, right? Doesn’t their recent success almost bring you back to the Patriots days in the 2000s when you could just pencil them in to win their division, host at least one playoff game and be one of the final four teams playing on Conference Championship Sunday? The Chiefs have won this division each season since 2016 and they are closing in on yet another division title. Prior to the bye week, they had to grind a game out against the Miami Dolphins in Germany and this came a week after they were stunned at the hands of the Denver Broncos. This is a different Chiefs team this year than what we’ve seen in previous years since Patrick Mahomes became the starting Quarterback. We’ve always anticipated them having that offense that could move the bal from anywhere on the field and score at the snap of a finger. One side of the ball has always been stronger for them. This year, their offense is averaging only 23 points per game and I like that they are making efforts to run the football a bit more. What’s truly stood out to me has been their defense and if you’ve followed this team these last few years, they’ve struggled significantly on that side of the football. This year, the defense has been leading the charge. From a statistical standpoint, they are allowing only 15 points per game which is second-best in the league. Just imagine if this defense was paired with all those high-octane offenses, this is an unstoppable team. Nobody will defeat them and I mean that too. They return back to the field on Monday night with the NFC’s conference leader in town.
Eagles X-Factor: Josh Sweat– This man was meant to rush the passer. This Philly defensive front has so many pieces and Josh is one of them. Along with Haason Reddick, this is one of the more underrated tandems of pass rushers in the league. Josh has great speed with long strides to get up the field in the pocket and he uses all of his 6’5 frame to his full advantage. He has a trmendous dip to get underneath blockers and that first steps also helps him win many of his battles.
Chiefs X-Factor: Rashee Rice– With this Chiefs offense, it’s Travis Kelce as the first read, then who? That’s been the storyline all year long. After Travis, you could make a case for Rashee as being that guy that Patrick can get the football too. When given the looks, he’s a threat for this offense. His speed with the ball in his hands makes him dangerous and we always talk about yards after the catch, Rashee is third in the league from a YAC standpoint. Continue to get this kid the football more.
Final Thoughts: When they last met, it was in the Super Bowl back in February. Over nine months later, here we are with a Super Bowl rematch and potential preview possibly. Both teams are leading their conferences right now with the top records. The Super Bowl these two played in was one of the five best I’ve seen in all my years of breaking down the sports. It was a thrilling game (hence the title) that came down to the end. The storylines also didn’t disappoint. It was a matchup of two black Quarterbacks and how could we forget the Kelce brothers and Momma Kelce? The one thing the Eagles failed to do in the Super Bowl was get to Mahomes. When you play the Chiefs, I always say to hit him at the line of scrimmage and don’t allow him to buy time to extend the play which is much easier said than done. That will be a key for this Eagles defense on Monday night. The Eagles offense isn’t as electric as it was a year ago and the Chiefs defense is much stronger this time around. I can’t wait to see this Chiefs secondary against A.J. Brown and he’s been a man amongst boys this year. Expect to see a lot of single high looks on A.J. (a safety playing high with man coverage underneath). I have a feeling this will once again come down to the fourth quarter as it did in Arizona back in February. Andy Reid has a great record after the bye week (22-5) and that success will continue once again. I like the Chiefs here on Monday night.
Prediction: Chiefs 30, Eagles 28
