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Eagles vs Chiefs Recap: Defense steps up, Offense does just enough

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Timely plays make the difference for the Eagles in Super Bowl rematch

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Eagles emerged victorious over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Was it a perfect performance? No, far from it. Recapping the Eagles’ big win over the Chiefs, including the Eagles’ stepping up in key moments, again.

Landing the first punch

Although the Eagles started the game with consecutive three-and-outs, the defense set the tone early. Forcing the Chiefs to punt on their first possession, and a missed field goal on their second possession set up the offense with a short field. This drive was the best the offense looked all day. The run game was strong, with some of the only offensive creativity being shown this possession on a screen pass to DeVonta Smith. They were able to work into the red zone, where Saquon Barkley finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run.

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The offensive line blocked this up to perfection, and Barkley capitalized on it.

The Chiefs would respond with a field goal on the ensuing drive, but there were still positives for the Eagles’ defense. Vic Fangio dialed up a third-down blitz, with Andrew Mukuba and Za’Darius Smith getting home. Smith looked great in his Eagles debut. He could be a huge addition to the Eagles’ defense if he keeps this play up. He finished the day with four tackles, half of a sack, and a tackle for loss on just 20 snaps.

Chiefs answer back

The Chiefs would force a three-and-out and take advantage of the Eagles’ defense for the first time. They marched their way down the field, having to work for every yard. The Chiefs had multiple third and fourth-down conversions. The first came on a fourth down at the Eagles’ 42-yard line, where Travis Kelce would shake Andrew Mukuba and pick up the first down. Three plays later, Patrick Mahomes would pick up a first down with his legs, trucking Mukuba in the process. He would run for a touchdown the very next play, giving Kansas City the 10-7 lead. It was a rough drive for Mukuba, but he would bounce back later in the game.

This gave the Eagles a chance to get points before halftime. They had made many moderate gains before a controversial third-and-nine play with 39 seconds left. Jalen Hurts fired to A.J. Brown on what appeared to be enough for a first down. Brown rolled on top of the defender, but the referees marked him short, bringing up fourth down. Nick Sirianni seemed content to let the clock run down and kick the field goal to go into halftime. This was a mistake from Sirianni. With two timeouts left, he should have called one there to initiate a review on the spot of the football.

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This could have given the Eagles a first down and more chances at scoring a touchdown before halftime. Nevertheless, Jake Elliott made the field goal to tie the game up.

Defense sets the tone in the second half

The defense immediately adjusted out of halftime and started out strong. They stuffed the Chiefs on a fourth and one from their 36-yard line. Unfortunately, the offense would stall and was forced into another long field goal attempt, which Elliot knocked down. He has looked very good to start the year, after a down year in 2024. It is very encouraging for the Eagles if Elliott is back to his old self.

Both teams would exchange punts after, bringing up the biggest sequence of the game. The Chiefs were once again marching down the field, set up inside the Eagles’ 10-yard line. It seemed like the Chiefs were going to punch it in, gain the momentum, and put all of the pressure on the Eagles’ offense. The defense had other plans. Aided by a Kelce drop, the Eagles capitalized and made the biggest play of the game.

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Mukuba stepped up big time for the Eagles. After a rough start, the rookie easily could have lost confidence and continued to have a bad day. He responded by being in the right place at the right time and making the biggest play of the day. This was a game-changing, and potentially game-saving play that kept seven points off the board for the Chiefs.

Offense steps up when they are needed the most

Mukuba was tackled at the Eagles 41-yard line, setting them up for a short field. The Eagles desperately needed to cash in, given how their offense had looked for most of the day. They did just that. They would work the ball down to the Chiefs 31-yard line before they had the other biggest play of the game.

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What a big-time play from one of the Eagles’ best playmakers. On a slow offensive day, they were able to trust their star receiver to make a play in a huge spot, and he delivered. With a drive ending tush push for a touchdown, the Eagles would take a 20-10 lead and never give it back.

Late scare

The Chiefs and Eagles would exchange punts before the Chiefs would put some pressure back on the Eagles. Tyquan Thornton scored a 49-yard touchdown with three minutes remaining on a blown coverage. The blown coverage was alarming, given they blew a coverage just three plays earlier. It will be worth monitoring these in the future to see if it is just a mirage or something to be concerned about.

The offense would go into kill-the-clock mode, though, and put the game away with a first down. For how frustrating the offense can be at times, it is still the best in the league at running the ball when they need to. Hurts would kneel out the clock to put the game away.

Continuing to find ways to win

Week after week, the Eagles find different ways to win. Going into Kansas City and defeating one of the best teams in the league, with one of (if not the) best quarterbacks in the league, should never be taken for granted. Are there concerns from this game? Absolutely. The offense specifically will need to be better in the future. It is early in the season, though, and the most important thing to do now is to just find ways to win. That is what the Eagles have been doing, better than any team in the league.

Main Photo: [Jay Biggerstaff] – Imagn Images

The post Eagles vs Chiefs Recap: Defense steps up, Offense does just enough appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.