It wasn't an onslaught this time. But the end result — and how the Eagles got there – looked very similar on Sunday when they met the Chiefs in Week 2 of the NFL season for a rematch of the latest Super Bowl.
About seven months later, in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium, the Eagles' defense again caused fits for Chiefs three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes. The Eagles won, 20-17, despite some offensive issues of their own because their defense came up with some impressive stops and one big turnover.
Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba's early fourth-quarter interception in the Eagles' end zone thwarted what could've been a go-ahead touchdown drive by the Chiefs or at very least an easy game-tying field goal, as the Eagles were then able to extend their lead on the next possession to 20-10.
Mahomes gave it his best shot late in the game with a 49-yard TD bomb to Tyquan Thornton with three minutes to play, but the Chiefs never got the ball back. An onside kick by Kansas City was recovered by A.J. Brown, and the game was cemented on a "tush push" that let the Eagles run out the clock.
Some observations from the Eagles' third consecutive win over the Chiefs, a victory that boosted their record to 2-0 and dropped the Chiefs to 0-2 for the first time in the Andy Reid-Patrick Mahomes era:
Right place, right time – again – for Andrew Mukuba
Say this for rookie safety Andrew Mukuba – he's almost always in the right place at the right time. We saw in the preseason against the Browns, and again with his game-saving interception of Patrick Mahomes on a ball that hit off Travis Kelce's hands on a quick-in that very easily could've been a touchdown had Kelce caught the ball.
Mukuba's momentum was taking him in the opposite direction of Kelce but he still managed to pluck the ball in midair for the pick that preserved the Eagles' 13-10 lead. One of the reasons Mukuba has been able to get on the field in the team's heavily used nickel package – which makes him basically a starter – despite missing lots of training camp from injuries is because of his intelligence and playmaking.
Mukuba just has a knack for being where he's supposed to be, and for the ball to find him.
Vic Fangio actually dialed it up
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is credited for calling no blitzes whatsoever in the Super Bowl and having the faith that his front four would tee off on a decimated Chiefs offensive line. Naturally, and wisely, Fangio didn't try to repeat the exact same blueprint.
After showing very few pressures in the season opener, Fangio dialed up some extra-man pressures early against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.The results were generally positive. Mahomes was sacked once in the first half and missed some throws while under duress, but he also beat several of Fangio's best pressures with scrambles and some pocket improv.
It was still a good decision by Fangio, just like it was for Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo to do the same to Jalen Hurts (more on that later). The Chiefs were down their top two receivers and don't have natural separators on the outside. Speeding up Mahomes' clock forced him into some a bunch of rushed throws in critical moments, enough to compensate for the times Mahomes beat the pressure with his legs.
Mahomes threw wide of Noah Gray on a 3rd-and-7 in the fourth quarter as Jihaad Campbell barreled down on him, a major victory for Fangio's five-man pressure and an important defensive stop in the second half.
Kylen Granson was TE2 choice
Practice squad tight end Cam Latu, who changed his jersey number to 36 from 87 perhaps to reflect his new fullback role, got some action offense and threw a nice block on the Saquon Barkley 4-yard run that was just short of the goal line in the fourth quarter and set up Hurts' touchdown.
But for the most part, when the Eagles played their 12 personnel offense (two tight ends, two wide receivers), Kylen Granson was the No. 2 tight end with Grant Calcaterra as the Eagles were without Dallas Goedert.
There were times Barkley didn't have much room to run, and Goedert's blocking prowess is always missed when he's out as Calcaterra's lack of blocking is exposed, but the Eagles featured an honest run game, even if Barkley didn't have his typical back-breaking long run and only averaged four yards per carry.
Spags had answers this time, but not enough
You have to credit Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo. Although he got burned by Hurts and the passing game in the Super Bowl – an embarrassing loss for the four-time Super Bowl champion DC – he wasn't afraid to come after Hurts with a variety of blitzes that threw Hurts and the Eagles' pass game offense out of whack. He dialed up a lot of A gap pressures and had his edge rushers take wide angles to make it tough for Hurts to run up the middle or around the edges.
Spags surely played a decent amount of two-shell defenses designed to limit A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith from going over the top, but on some critical third downs he wasn't afraid of history repeating and showed several different pressure packages. Hurts usually welcomes those 1-on-1 matchups outside the number – and finally one to Smith in the fourth quarter that set up the touchdown for a 20-10 Eagles lead.
Kevin Patullo is under the microscope, already
It's only been two games, but new Eagles OC Kevin Patullo is coming under the microscope as the pass offense just hasn't looked crisp and efficient. It also hasn't featured its best players enough. A.J. Brown's speciality is yards after the catch, but all of his production came on the same kind of route – a quick slant or square-in.
Patullo has to find a way to unlock Brown for the offense to reach its potential. Remember all that offseason talk about adapting, evolving and becoming a new iteration? The Eagles' pass offense doesn't look very different through two games.
Za'Darius Smith boosted the pass rush
Despite the coaches insisting that the Azeez Ojulari was still an important piece of the defense, they opted to make him inactive for the second time in as many games. Meanwhile, newcomer Za'Darius Smith, who had his first practices with the Eagles in the week leading up, made an impact.
Smith combined with Andrew Mukuba for the sack on Mahomes but he also made some plays in run defense and his combo of size and length was a problem for the Chiefs' offensive line. Look for his role to continue to grow in the coming weeks. The Eagles didn't rack up a lot of sacks on Mahomes – surely not like they did in February – but the pass rush had more punch than Week 1 vs. Dallas. The Ojulari situation will have to work itself out at some point.
Special teams shined again
Jake Elliott, who struggled last year, has come back strong, nailing a 58- and 51-yarder, his two attempts. He nailed a 58-yarder against Dallas in Week 1, which means all of his makes this year are of 51 yards or longer. Braden Mann averaged nearly 55 yards per punt and continues to thrive with directional punting.
Of course, A.J. Brown's second-best display of hands came when he scooped an onside kick late in the fourth. (Brown had a ridiculous one-handed catch in the first half despite slipping in his route, making the onside kick scoop his second-best display of hands).
SIGN UP HERE to receive PhillyVoice's Sports newsletters.
Follow Geoff on Twitter/X:@geoffpmosher
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports