It’s true that the Chiefs are less daunting compared to past seasons. That became evident on Friday night during Kansas City’s Week 1 loss (27-21) to the Chargers.
However, the Eagles could still struggle to beat the Chiefs this Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. This is not the same Eagles team that dismantled the Chiefs seven months ago in their Super Bowl LIX victory. The Eagles swapped offensive coordinators (Kellen Moore to Kevin Patullo) during the offseason and have new starters on every level of their defense.
In the Eagles’ Week 1 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, both sides of the ball looked shaky.
The Eagles could be the league’s most dominant team for the second straight year, but a few issues have to be cleaned up first.
Heading into their Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs, here are our biggest concerns with the Eagles:
Chiefs DT Chris Jones vs. injuredLandon Dickersonand/or backupBrett Toth
It remains unclear who will start at left guard against the Chiefs. The first scenario is Dickerson playing through a back injury and on a knee that could still be ailing. The second scenario is that Philadelphia holds Dickerson out of the game and starts Toth.
No matter which direction the Eagles take, the outcome likely won’t be good.
A healthy Dickerson could hold his own against Jones, who is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. A banged-up Dickerson? That could be a different story. He limped during the entire game against the Cowboys and was beaten a few times.
Toth would get dominated by Jones.
He replaced Dickerson during the fourth quarter Thursday and looked decent. But Jones more difficult to block than any of Dallas’ interior defensive linemen.
Jones embarrasses the best O-linemen in the league. Now, just imagine what he could do to Toth. The Eagles would have to slide their protections to limit Jones’ impact.
The CB2 situation
The Eagles’ second cornerback spot is the weakest part of their defense.
Adoree’ Jackson gave up five catches for 103 yards to Cowboys wide receivers, including a 32-yard catch on the first drive to CeeDee Lamb.
Jackson is not the solution.
But who is?
Jakorian Bennett provides more upside than Jackson, but Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio does not trust him yet. Bennett was traded to the Eagles in early August and is still learning Fangio’s scheme.
At some point, fifth-round rookie Mac McWilliams could start. Maybe Cooper DeJean could switch from nickel CB to the outside, but Fangio has been reluctant to make that move.
One way or another, the Eagles need to quickly find a solution.
Although the Chiefs are likely to be without their top wide receiver — Xavier Worthy (dislocated shoulder) — Mahomes could still take advantage of Philadelphia’s secondary.
Eagles pass rush
During Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles’ defensive line rattled Mahomes. When pressure barreled down on the star QB, he made terrible decisions, including on a pick-six to DeJean before halftime.
As a result, the Chiefs made changes to their offensive line during the offseason: first-round rookie Josh Simmons is their new starting left tackle. Second-year OL Kingsley Suamataia transitioned from tackle to guard and plays next to Simmons.
These moves have not made Kansas City’s offensive line significantly better. Against the Chargers, Simmons was flagged twice for false starts, and right tackle Jawaan Taylor received four penalties (two false starts and two holding calls). Mahomes was under pressure once again.
The Eagles need to beat up on Kansas City’s OL to ease concerns about their pass rush (two of their best pass rushers from the Super Bowl team departed). Cowboys offensive tackles Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele held the Eagles’ pass rushers in check and gave quarterback Dak Prescott plenty of time to throw. Philadelphia finished with zero sacks.
Newly signed edge rusher Za’Darius Smith could be the missing piece who improves the pass rush. But the unit looks weaker compared to last season.
Eagles offensive coordinatorKevin Patullo vs.Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo
The Eagles dropped 33 offensive points on the Chiefs in their Super Bowl win.
Then-offensive coordinator Kellen Moore out-coached Spagnuolo, who is one of the best defensive minds in the NFL.
Patullo is unlikely to have similar success against Kansas City. As a first-time NFL offensive coordinator, he could struggle for a few games or even a few months. Spagnuolo’s game plan could confuse the young OC.
Philadelphia scored on its first four drives against Dallas. Quarterback Jalen Hurts methodically picked apart the Cowboys’ zone scheme, completing easy throws over the middle and scrambling for big runs.
Patullo’s debut went well until the offense sputtered during the second half and punted three straight possessions. Patullo failed to get star wide receiver A.J. Brown involved and ran out of answers. He could be the reason the Eagles lose Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached atCSteele@njadvancemedia.com
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