Chiefs-Eagles game reflection
By: Jake Rajala
It was a poetic Super Bowl rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles marched to victory by a score of 20-13. They leaned on their tush push to control the clock and dominate possessions. With that said, I’m going to lay out five things we learned from the game.
Travis Kelce
The Chiefs don’t have Xavier Worthy, so it’s vital that other players step up. Travis Kelce must turn it up a notch. He should be elite, with or without Worthy, to be fair. All he has to show for himself is six catches and 108 yards in two games. He does have one touchdown to his name.
Chiefs Pass Rush
The Chiefs had one sack on the day. They have an elite DC and Chris Jones on the DL. There is no reason that they unleash one sack in their biggest game of the season. They need some help at the edge. We also witnessed Chris Jones play DE, lose contain in Week 1, and allow Justin Herbert to close out the game.
We saw Green Bay acquire Micah Parsons. Furthermore, Philly added Zadarius Smith. The Cowboys just added Jadeveon Clowney. Perhaps the Chiefs can bring in an edge defender via a trade, such as Chase Young.
Patrick Mahomes’s Legs
There is no reason that Patrick Mahomes, who doesn’t even run a 4.7, leads the Chiefs in rushing yards. He led the team with 66 yards. Mahomes can run for a first down because defenses have to focus on his passing ability and often play deep. This allows Mahomes to run for the first. But, they should still have a 1k yard RB. Isiah Pacheco had the most carries (10), but he had 22 yards to show for it.
DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith didn’t have a 100 yard day, but he was quite involved. He had the most receiving yards with 53 yds. When defenses focus on AJ Brown, it’s vital that Smith can step up and be clutch, especially on 3rd downs.
Refs
The tush push is nearly impossible to defend. Well, they are impossible to stop if their OL gets a jump on the ball. The refs missed an obvious penalty where the Eagles guard jumped across the line too late. It seems like people believe the refs love Mahomes and the Chiefs more than any other team. That may not be true.
Leave a Reply