The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 21-17 on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Here’s what you need to know:
Trailing 17-14 with 8:56 left, the Eagles capped off a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a “tush push” rush by QB Jalen Hurts. The Chiefs, up 21-17 with 2:49 left, won the game on a 51-yard Patrick Mahomes to Marquez Valdez-Scantling pass but fell short in the end zone. They couldn’t score any points in the second half. Injured 14-of-22 for 150 yards, one interception and two rushing touchdowns, including the game-winner. It was Hurts’ 11th career game with two or more points on the ground. Mahomes finished 24-of-43 for 177 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. TE Travis Kelce — who had a first-down loss to his brother Jason — was one of those scores, but he fumbled in the red zone in the fourth quarter and had a crucial third-down drop on the final drive.
How the eagles found their way
Eagles don’t die easily. This is the year Their fourth win in 2023 comes at half-time. The Chiefs led 17-7 at halftime, and the Eagles and their then-lifeless offense looked set to return to Philadelphia in their second loss. But Harts, who was 5 of 7 for 46 yards and had an interception at halftime, ended a 41-yard pass to Devonta Smith near the end zone.
The Eagles’ defense shut down Mahomes and the Chiefs in the second half, and forced two critical red-zone turnovers that could have prevented an insurmountable Chiefs lead. Safety Kevin Byrd’s interception and Nickell Bradley Roby’s forced fumble were perhaps the biggest plays of the game. – Brooks Kubena, Eagles Conquer author
The Eagles’ running game reappeared
A declining Eagles running game returns in Kansas City. D’Andre Swift rushed for 76 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown and Jalen Hurts ran for two more scores, including a 5-yard touchdown on a crucial third-down play in the first half. – Kubena
The Chiefs offense is still a big deal.
The Chiefs have Andy Reid, a future Hall of Fame coach known for his offensive innovations, and Mahomes, the league’s most talented quarterback. However, the Chiefs’ biggest issue is their offense. Entering Monday’s game, the Chiefs were averaging 23.1 points per game.
But in a trend that has only gotten worse, the Chiefs are one of the league’s weakest offenses in the second half. The Chiefs had two drives in the third quarter to put more distance on the scoreboard after building a 10-point lead.
But Mahomes couldn’t connect with a receiver on deep passes, a tight end put Kelsey in the red zone and multiple penalties on multiple players ended other possessions, leading to an embarrassing result: a scoreless second half. – Nate Taylor, author of The Bosses Conquer
Chiefs receivers haven’t developed into consistent options.
One of the Chiefs’ main problems is that they haven’t made their receivers an effective, consistent and reliable secondary option behind Kelce as a dominant pass catcher for Mahomes. Although rookie Rashee Rice contributed well, Mahomes only targeted him five times. Kadarius Toney, perhaps the Chiefs’ most dynamic receiver, was more effective as a punt returner on special teams than on offense as he finished with just two receptions for 12 yards. Justin Watson was targeted 11 times but intercepted several passes.
And Valdes-Scantling, known for his speed, knocked down a game-winning 51-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter when he was near the Eagles’ secondary and the end zone. Facing a worthy opponent in the Eagles, the Chiefs were unable to get into a rhythm offensively in the second half as Mahomes’ connection with his receivers did not improve as the season progressed. – Taylor
The highlight of the game
This is the angle of @DeVontaSmith_6’s catch that set up the game-winning TD 🔥
— NFL (@NFL) November 21, 2023
Key statistics
With the win, the Eagles improved to 9-1 for the second straight season. Monday’s win was Philly’s fourth this season after trailing at halftime (4-0), such wins and the best record in the NFL.
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(Photo: Denny Medley / USA TODAY)
