The Philadelphia Eagles have done it yet again.
Despite all the adversity in the world staring them in the face, they found a way to win, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs on the road.
Stagnant offense for most of the game.
Rainy weather in a hostile road environment in Arrowhead stadium.
Patrick Mahomes doing Patrick Mahomes things.
Repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot.
Yet once again, they found a way to win.
Here are three observations from the 21-17 win:
Honorable Mentions:
- Kevin Byard seems to have found his footing
- Bradley Roby helped stabilize the secondary in a big way
- DeVonta Smith (yet again) proves why he is a special athlete
- Jason Kelce will be sorely missed when he retires
- Investing in the defensive line is the best way to construct a football team
- Steve Spagnuolo is a wizard
- Outside of anyone on the Eagles roster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the Eagles MVP
- Patrick Mahomes has to be the most annoying quarterback for opposing defenses to face
3) Sean Desai deserves a game ball.
The Philadelphia Eagles gave up 168 yards on the ground, two fourth-down conversions, and only sacked Patrick Mahomes one time.
On the other hand, they held Travis Kelce to 44 yards and Mahomes to just 177 yards passing (his lowest total since week nine of 2021).
The Chiefs entered tonight 18-0 when scoring first over the past two seasons. They scored first tonight, but Kansas City’s offense was held to a grand total of zero (0) points in the second half.
Desai called timely pressures that sped up the internal clock of Mahomes and they seemed to routinely make him uncomfortable.
Yet again, Sean Desai refused to remain stagnant, making adjustments at halftime of a big-time game and his until delivered.
Desai continues to press all the right buttons at all the right times.
2) Jalen Hurts yet again proves he is worth every penny.
We’ve heard Jalen Hurts say it ad-nauseum in post-game press conferences throughout his four years as an Eagles quarterback, and it rings true after this win: Winning is the only thing that matters.
Despite the offensive line struggling to deal with Steve Spagunolo’s complex pressure packages, despite the entire unit struggling to find a rhythm in the first half, and despite Hurts himself appearing indecisive with where to go with the football on numerous occasions in the first half, when it was winning time, Hurts showed up.
Hurts made the throws when the throws needed to be made, including checking to a 41-yard strike to DeVonta Smith that would set up a go-ahead tush push.
Hurts showed incredible poise and leadership throughout this matchup. Hurts finished the game with just 150 passing yards and an interception, but he ran in a pair of touchdowns.
Hurts talks a lot about controlling the things that he can control and there was no better depiction of that than tonight. He couldn’t control the fact that his offensive line struggled with corner blitzes and simulated pressures in the first half. He couldn’t control the fact that the defense gave up 17 points in the first half. He couldn’t control the fact that he was missing his starting tight end in Dallas Goedert.
But the one thing he could control: his determination and will to win.
With a bevy of factors against not only himself, but his team as well, Hurts (with big help from his defense) stood up and he was not to be denied.
1) This Eagles team is the textbook definition of resiliency.
At halftime, the Eagles trailed 17-7. Jalen Hurts was 5-7 for just 46 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. Hurts had also been sacked five times.
The Eagles had just 82 yards and were 0-3 on third down. They had no rhythm on offense and couldn’t stop a nosebleed on defense.
They came out of the halftime break with the first possession of the second half, ran three plays, and punted. After a Chiefs three and out, they got the ball back on their own 25-yard line and went three and out again. But then something changed.
They would force another Chiefs three and out and then score on the ensuing drive, cutting the lead to three points. Two drives later they would score the go-ahead touchdown that would ultimately win them the game.
To be able to overcome all the adversity described above in a hostile environment, against the best head coach in NFL history coming off the bye week, and against quite possibly the best QB-TE duo in NFL history is special.
Week after week, despite not playing their best, they find ways to win.
This team knows how to find a way to win.
Sure, the Marquez Valdes-Scantling drop in the fourth quarter that would’ve given Kansas City the lead with just over 1:50 remaining in the game helps a ton, but the reality is the ball was dropped and the Eagles moved to 9-1.
Philadelphia is in the driver’s seat in the NFC. They are 7-0 in conference play and are 3-0 in division play.
It’s incredibly difficult to win in the NFL on a week-to-week basis, and even more difficult against the QB and head coach in Kansas City, yet the Eagles found a way.
The second-half gauntlet continues for Philadelphia as they return home to take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday afternoon, followed by the 49ers, Cowboys, and Seahawks.
Cover Image Credit: David Eulitt/Getty Images
The Philly Blitz 
Leave a comment