5 things we learned from the Eagles’ 20-17 win over the Chiefs
Lots of positives in a tough road atmosphere
From Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/2y8t9xdy
The Eagles earned a gritty 20-17 victory Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the loudest environments in football, dealing the Kansas City Chiefs their third straight loss dating back to February’s Super Bowl.
Here are five things we learned about the Birds:
1. Drew Mukuba is for real
Rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, who came out of college with a reputation of always being around the ball, seized a pivotal fourth-quarter interception at the goal line on a pass that Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce couldn’t handle. He returned it 41 yards to set up an Eagles touchdown drive, flipping momentum and turning a 13-10 advantage into a 10-point margin.
Leading up to the pick, the Chiefs had mounted a 14-play, 74-yard march that spanned 8:11, threatening to take the lead.
Mukuba also had an early half-sack with recently acquired edge rusher Za’Darius Smith, six tackles and a pass deflection.
Mukuba, drafted in the second round out of Texas, had made a splash in his NFL debut during the preseason, delivering a 75-yard pick-six, a fumble recovery and a pass deflection against the Cleveland Browns.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke at the time about his nose for the football. “Some guys have a knack for making you pay for those botches,” which Mukuba echoed after Sunday’s win.
“The ball was in the air, and I feel like I do good around the ball, so the ball has to find my hands,” Mukuba told reporters in Kansas City. “I’m really mad I got caught at the end still (by Chiefs lineman Josh Simmons). “But it was a good changing point in the game. I felt like that’s what we needed as a team to really finish the game out.”
2. Diverse defense
In the Super Bowl LIX romp over Kansas City, the Eagles didn’t blitz at all. They generated all their heat from a four-man front, punishing Patrick Mahomes with six sacks and pressuring him 16 times. But in the offseason, they lost edge rusher Josh Sweat and defensive tackle Milton Williams as well as cornerback Darius Slay and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the back end, which led to questions on Sunday.
How would the Birds get to Mahomes? Would the secondary be able to hold up and make plays?
It worked out just fine, with Fangio showing flexibility and belief in his defensive unit. This time he brought the blitz, over and over again, which largely limited Mahomes in the passing game (16 of 29, 187 yards, TD, INT) and caused him to miss some open receivers because he wasn’t setting his feet. (Mahomes finally broke through with a 49-yard touchdown bomb to Tyquan Thornton with 3 minutes remaining.)
The Kansas City quarterback did beat the blitz with several scrambles when the Eagles were in man-to-man coverage in the first half, running five times for 60 yards and a score. But Birds held hm to just six yards on two runs the rest of the way.
First-round rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell (seven tackles, five solo and a QB hit) was impressive in both coverage and on blitzes. Also, he often didn’t bite on play action. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis (five tackles, three solo, two pass deflections) had a solid game as well.
General manager Howie Roseman, who emphasized defense in April’s draft, appears to have pressed the right buttons with Campbell, Mukuba and the signing of Za’Darius Smith (four tackles, two solo, a tackle for loss, a half-sack and a QB hit). Second outside corner Adoree’ Jackson performed serviceably but still may not be the answer, especially considering the Chiefs were without several of their top receivers.
3. Offense still finding its way
First-year coordinator Kevin Patullo’s offense remained uneven. The Eagles tried to get the ball to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but it didn’t always pan out. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo certainly deserves some credit for his coverages and for generating pressure on quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Brown had five receptions for just 27 yards, though he made some key (and acrobatic) catches that helped advance drives. Smith had four receptions for 53 yards, including a 28-yarder.
It was clear the Eagles missed tight end Dallas Goedert (knee), who could have provided another outlet for Hurts (15 of 22, 101 yards) and some relief as a blocker.
Running back Saquon Barkley, whom the Chiefs limited to 57 yards in the Super Bowl, had 88 on 22 carries, including a 13-yard touchdown on a simple off tackle run that could have gone for miles. Though he didn’t put up the gaudy numbers he often does, he grinded out some important yardage in the second half.
4. Jake Elliott is back
The Eagles kicker, who was 1 for 7 from 50-plus yards a season ago, was true from 58 and 51. They came after he hit a 58-yarder in the season opener against the Cowboys.
Veteran long snapper Charley Hughlett, whom the Eagles brought in this year, committed a false start against the Chiefs, causing a 53-yard attempt to become 58.
Before last year, Elliott was one of the most dependable long-range kickers in the league, highlighted by a 61-yard game-winner as time expired against the Giants in September 2017, which helped set the Eagles on the road to their first Super Bowl championship.
5. Tush push’s days are numbered
The tush push is “too hard to officiate” is the language the NFL will use to ban the play next offseason. The league, led by the Green Bay Packers, fell two votes short of outlawing it last spring, claiming without data that it’s dangerous.
On the FOX broadcast, the “too hard to officiate” phrase was repeated, notably when the ball clearly crossed the goal line in the fourth quarter and the Eagles weren’t awarded a touchdown (despite a replay review). It was uttered again after they made a first down to ice the game, when Kansas City momentarily claimed to recover a fumble after Hurts was ruled down.
FOX officiating analyst Mike Pereira actually told Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady on air, “I’m done with the tush push, guys.”
The NFL wants the tush push gone.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.