The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0.
The most important stat of Week 2 for the defending Super Bowl champs is the record. Two wins. No losses. On Sunday afternoon, the Birds won their rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs 20-17 in a tight defensive battle that bore little resemblance to Super Bowl 59, won by the Eagles 40-22.
It was the first time in his career Mahomes has lost three games in a row, and it is the third straight season the Eagles have beaten the Chiefs, with two of those wins coming in Kansas City and the third in New Orleans last February.
The win wasn’t pretty. The passing offense netted 94 yards. They put up a total of just 216 yards and had only 16 first downs. Statistically speaking, it was one of Hurts’ worst games as the Eagles’ starting quarterback since 2022. And you know what?
He didn’t care. Rightfully so.
Saquon Barkley ran 22 times for 88 yards and scored a touchdown, but it’s fair to say the electricity we saw from Barkley a season ago hasn’t replicated itself just yet. A.J. Brown was more productive in Week 2, with five catches but only 27 yards, and a long of just eight. DeVonta Smith hauled in 4 for 53, but other than that, it was a meager showing by the offense.
Much of the focus has been on new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s playcalling and overall scheme. Comparisons to 2023 offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who was fired after just one season heading the offense, have begun. Given the talent level on this offense, it’s reasonable to expect them to be more dynamic.
It’s understandable, and if these problems persist, that concern will be warranted. In the meantime, take a breath.
Kellen Moore’s offense was criticized for most of last season, and fairly so. In the end, they figured it out. In fact, the Eagles’ offense has started every season slowly, even in ‘22, when Sirianni was calling the plays before handing those duties to now-Colts head coach Shane Steichen. Perhaps what we’re seeing is less a condition of the offensive coordinator and more the result of the type of offense Hurts and Sirianni feel comfortable running. After the game on Sunday, Patullo indicated they are aware they need to do a better job scheming players open, a heartening comment that one can only hope comes to fruition.
Coming into the season, there weren’t a lot of concerns about the offense. They returned most of their starters, a group littered with Pro Bowlers. The concern was on defense, a unit that lost three of their best defensive linemen and key starters at safety and cornerback. In their Week 1 win over the Cowboys, the pass rush failed to get home on Dak Prescott very often, and the secondary got torched by Cee Dee Lamb on a regular basis.
In Week 2, the unit we were most worried about had a terrific game against the best quarterback of this generation. Mahomes went just 16-for-29 with just 187 yards passing, a touchdown and an interception that was more Travis Kelce’s fault than Mahomes’. But it was that turnover that created a 14-point swing in favor of the Birds and ultimately led to their three-point victory.
First round rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell was all over the field for the second game in a row, tallying seven tackles and one QB Hit, and second round safety Andrew Mukuba recovered from a tough first half to dominate in the second half, finishing with six tackles, one tackle for loss, one QB hit and the aforementioned interception.
One could argue Mukuba was responsible for the two biggest defensive plays of the game.
First, on the Chiefs’ first possession of the second half, Mukuba made a big stick to force a 4th-and-1.
Andy Reid chose to go for it on 4th down and ran the ball, which was stuffed by the Eagles’ suffocating defensive line.
And then, the big interception that prevented a 17-13 Chiefs lead.
On Sunday, the defense put together a 74th percentile effort in terms of EPA per drive, and they were 67th percentile in success rate. Against Patrick Mahomes, on the road, even without his best receivers, is impressive stuff.
Most of the defensive issues coming into Week 1 were better. Adoree Jackson was serviceable. The pass rush was much better. Vic Fangio’s uncharacteristic blitzing caught Mahomes by surprise, and after getting gashed for 60 yards on the ground by the quarterback, Fangio emphasized cutting off running lanes for Mahomes in the second half.
We were worried about the defense, and it is far from a finished product. But if you’re an Eagles fan, you should feel better about the defense’s performance on Sunday than you do frustrated about how the offense performed.
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