Well, here we go again. Buckle up for a heavyweight fight between the two best teams in the NFL (at least record-wise) as the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the 7-2 Kansas City Chiefs. These two teams have picked up right where they left off after their epic Super Bowl duel in February, a game in which the Chiefs were victorious 38-35 on a last-second field goal. Fast forward 10 months later and it seems that they are destined to be on another collision course playing for the Super Bowl yet again, but both teams are dominating their opponents in different ways.
Eagles Offense is Off the Charts
Although they have had some bumps along the way, the Philadelphia Eagles will wear opposing defenses out and can put up points in bunches, as they rank third in the NFL in most points per game with 28. It helps when you have a multitude of weapons that are available such as tight end Dallas Goddert, running back DeAndre Swift, and wide receiver Devonta Smith. However, nobody’s better than superstar wide receiver AJ Brown. To put it simply, he’s been a top-three receiver in football this year. He did something that’s never been done in NFL history: he had a streak of six consecutive games of at least five catches and 130 yards. His season high came against the Washington Commanders in week eight: nine catches, 175 yards, and two touchdowns. His season totals to date: are 67 catches, 1,005 yards, and six touchdowns.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has slightly regressed from last year as he has already thrown more interceptions this season through nine games (8) than he did all of last year (6). Despite an up-and-down season from him, it’s only the halfway point and I think he will eventually turn it around. The one thing not in Philadelphia’s favor, however? Their schedule. It’s a GAUNTLET. These are their next four games: @ Chiefs (this coming Monday), Bills, 49ers and then a showdown in Dallas against the Cowboys in week 14 which will more than likely determine the NFC East winner. Let’s see if they rise to the occasion coming off a bye week in week 10.
Chiefs Continue to Scratch and Claw
Like the Eagles, the Chiefs are also coming off a bye week. But unlike the Eagles having a high-powered offense, Kansas City wins games thanks to a physical defense. They rank second in fewest points per game allowed at 15.9 and have only allowed more than 20 points one time all year, a 24-9 loss against the Broncos. The last game in London against the Dolphins was their toughest test and the defense passed with flying colors only allowing 14 points against Miami’s high-flying offense which led the league in scoring at 31.7 points per game. If they can slow them down, I’m confident they can beat anyone. However, there continues to be a major concern and it’s a broken record: offense.
Where Is the Offense Coming From?
The Chiefs offense is not the same as it was a year ago. The main issue continues to be dropped passes as they are absolute drive killers. Aside from tight end Travis Kelce, there isn’t one major weapon that quarterback Patrick Mahomes can turn to which concerns me. Rookie Rashee Rice seems to be coming along as he leads the wide receiving group in touchdowns with four. As the season winds down, let’s see who emerges as another playmaker. Will it be Marques Valdez-Scantling, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, or somebody else? It remains to be seen and we start to find out in primetime on Monday night.
