Philadelphia Eagles must contain Kansas City Chiefs’ new weapons
By Pete Sawan
Of all the matchups the Philadelphia Eagles have this week, the Kansas City Chiefs offense presents the biggest threat to a win on Sunday.
Now, the Philadelphia Eagles have a ton of battles to face this weekend. The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the deepest rosters in the National Football League. Going into Arrowhead Stadium alone presents a huge issue. But, one of the most glaring threats that the Kansas City Chiefs present is their passing game. Specifically, their potent offensive game.
Their playoff hopes were cut short after a first-round loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. It was disappointing, to say the least. They went into that game as the clearcut favor and lost the game on six field goals. It was one of the most embarrassing loses in recent memory. The Chiefs only scored one touchdown in that game. Everyone felt as though Kansas City’s offense was simply too one-dimensional.
But then, last week happened.
Based on the results from their game last week against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Kansas City will be a bigger foe than most expected. The Chiefs absolute eviscerated the Pats in a blowout for the ages. Kansas City scored a grand total of 42 points against the Super Bowl champs and made it look easy. That’s not to say that Eagles fans were writing off the Chiefs, but they may have turned a corner this season.
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Smith’s New Toys
Quite frankly, the Chiefs’ offense is loaded this year. They drafted two stud offensive pieces in running back Kareem Hunt and wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Both players exhibit the kind of explosiveness and speed that you can only hope for in a running back-wide receiver tandem. In the game against the Pats, Hunt and Hill absolutely dominated.
In Tyreek Hill’s case, he caught seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. That right there should tell you that Hill’s no joke. On top of that, Kareem Hunt exhibited a greater dominance in his debut. He caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. In addition, he ran 17 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. Clearly, these two could present a serious problem for the Eagles.
Now, these couldn’t have done it without their quarterback: Alex Smith. Smith has been known for being what’s known as a “game manager”. This means that Smith doesn’t go beyond the call of duty in order to win the game. He simply goes out there, does his job, and dumps the ball off for short completions. Beyond that, you won’t see Smith extend the play or try to create something with his feet. That’s not who he’s known for being.
Now, last week showed us that Alex Smith can still hang in the NFL. In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Maholmes in the first round. Clearly, this lit a fire under Smith. He realized that his job would end up on the line if he didn’t step his game up. The fact that he could not win a fairly winnable playoff game last season (as the second seed, mind you) may have been the last straw. But, Smith has stepped up to the plate so far. He completed 28 passes for 368 yards and four touchdowns.
Who Can Match Up with them?
Now, the Philadelphia Eagles will have an interesting dilemma on their hands. They have to game plan for two rookie weapons that have a very limited amount of tape of them. On top of that, you have to deal with a reborn Alex Smith. I even forgot to mention veteran tight end Travis Kelce, but he’s so dominant that it’s a given. The real gameplan will have to come down to containing those new tools.
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Obviously, the Eagles took a huge hit last week in the loss of cornerback Ronald Darby. As a result, players like Jaylen Watkins and Rasul Douglas will need to fill in at the cornerback position. Yes, you have Jalen Mills and Patrick Robinson, but they will likely stay in their respective spots.
It’s all about filling in the holes that are needed. Since Mills plays a more “in your face” style of play, he might be able to out-body Tyreek Hill. Now, Hill has a real set of wheels on him, to say the least. He went up against Stephon Gilmore and caught him slipping. If Mills and Robinson want to really earn their spots in the starting rotation, securing Hill will be vital.
On the other hand, you have Kareem Hunt, who could very well prove his worth that much more. Alex Smith finally has weapons that he can utilize on a consistent basis. He finally has a three-headed offensive juggernaut that can make big plays happen.
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For the Eagles to neutralize Hunt, they need to send pressure to Alex Smith. Make him feel you, and the rest is history. Smith doesn’t have the ability to move quickly, as he’s a pocket passer at heart. Ultimately, sending in the big dogs, like Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Timmy Jernigan, could very well be the difference in this game. If the Philadelphia Eagles want to win, that’s simply what they have to do.