Chiefs’ scouting report: Eagles are coming to KC, as NFL’s best teams are set to meet

Gee, what are Chiefs fans going to have to talk about this week?

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming to town for a “Monday Night Football” game on Nov. 20 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

There is no shortage of storylines for this one. It’ll be the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce going against his brother Jason, the Eagles center. Or call it the Andy Reid Bowl, as he came to the Chiefs after coaching the Eagles.

The game also will feature the teams with the best records in the NFL: the Eagles are 8-1 and the Chiefs are 7-2.

Oh, and it’s also a rematch of Super Bowl LVII.

NBC Sports’ Peter King wrote: “In the history of the Andy Reid Bowl since Big Red migrated from Philadelphia to Kansas City in 2013, KC is 4-0 against Philadelphia, including last year’s narrow Super Bowl win. I’d expect the rating here to be insane, with Kansas City coming off a 15-day break and struggling on offense and the Eagles coming off a 15-day break and flying high.”

Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here is a quick scouting report of the Eagles. Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. next Monday, and the game will air on ESPN and KMBC (Ch. 9).

1. Rushing game stalls

The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Marcus Hayes shared this stat: “In the first three games of the season, the Eagles averaged 4.9 yards per carry and 185.7 yards per game. In the next six games they averaged 3.4 yards per carry and 101.7 yards per game.”

Hayes’ story quoted an unnamed Eagles player who said the drop-off was due to injuries to offensive lineman Cam Jurgens (foot) and quarterback Jalen Hurts (knee). Jurgens is on injured reserve but is eligible to return before the Chiefs game.

Hurts has been dealing with a bone bruise, according to Bleacher Report. The bye week should help with his recovery.

2. About Hurts

Hurts was runner-up to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for last season’s MVP award, and the Eagles quarterback was sensational in Super Bowl LVII.

This season, Hurts has completed 68.9% of his pass attempts with 2,347 passing yards, 15 touchdown throws and eight interceptions. That last stat is one to note, because Hurts threw just six picks all last season.

Hurts has rushed for 316 yards and seven touchdowns, but his average per carry is down a full yard from a year ago to 3.6 per attempt. That could be because of the success of the Eagles’ “Brotherly Love” short-yardage play (also known as the “Tush Push”).

Thanks to that play, Philadelphia is first in the NFL in fourth-down conversions (76.5%) and tied for first in third-down conversions (50%), per Pro Football Reference.

3. Weapons on offense

Running back D’Andre Swift has rushed for 614 yards, the sixth-most in the NFL, and he has caught 30 passes for 166 yards. Thirty of his carries have resulted in an Eagles first down.

Wide receiver A.J. Brown is having another sensational year. His 1,005 receiving yards are second in the NFL, behind the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill. DeVonta Smith has 42 catches for 533 yards. The Eagles added veteran Julio Jones last month and he’s got two receptions, including a touchdown.

Dallas Goedert, who attended Tight End University run by the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, has caught 38 passes for 410 yards.

4. Defensive dichotomy

The Eagles have the top-ranked rushing defense, having allowed 597 yards on the ground. They’ve also given up just three rushing touchdowns, which is tied with the Chiefs for the fewest in the NFL.

But Philly’s pass defense is 28th in the NFL (having allowed 257.0 yards per game through the air). Opposing quarterbacks have thrown 19 touchdown passes against the Eagles, which is 30th, ahead of only the Commanders and Bears.

Philadelphia has four interceptions, which is tied for the second-fewest in the NFL.

5. Under pressure

The Eagles’ pass rush in 2022 was one of the best in NFL history, and they are still giving opposing quarterbacks fits. Their 30 sacks are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL.

Linebacker Haason Reddick has a team-best 7 1/2 sacks and defensive end Josh Sweat has 6 1/2. They’ve combined for 28 quarterback hits and 14 tackles for loss.