The much anticipated rematch between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs turned into a rout early as the Chiefs had no answer for the Eagles dominant defensive line resulting in a resounding 40-22 thumping of the 3-peat seeking Chiefs. The Chiefs added two garbage time touchdowns in the 4th quarter but the final outcome was never in doubt. The great PATRICK MAHOMES was harrassed constantly and sacked repeatedly in the first quarter as it seemed Philly knew the plays before the snap. The Philly defense ultimately sacked Mahomes 6 times and forced three interceptions in a game that was never in doubt. KC abandoned the run game almost immediately which left Mahomes to carry the load behind a severely overmatched offensive line that performed more like Swiss cheese than a Super Bowl caliber unit. While KC only trailed 7-0 at the end of the 1st quarter it appeared the writing was on the wall and even the most ardent Chiefs fan had to feel like they were fighting a bazooka with a BB gun. Two Mahomes interceptions gifted the Eagles additional points and they took a 24-0 lead into the half and the game was essentially over. While the Philly defense was the story, the Eagles offense purred behind a calm and poised JALEN HURTS. Time and again Hurts moved the chains with pinpoint accuracy and timely scrambles and never seemed phased by the big stage. He had said before the game that the bitter taste from losing to these same Chiefs in the Super Bowl two years ago has never left and that he was determined to flip the script this time around. While many pundits believed SAQUON BARKLEY and the Eagles run game would be the key to an Eagle victory, he was completely held in check rushing for a pedestrian 57 yards on 25 carries. But, in a brilliant strategy change by Eagles offensive coordinator KELLEN MOORE, Barkley’s presence was felt in the pass game as Hurts targeted him on swing passes 7 times with 6 completions for 40 yards. Philadelphia head coach NICK SIRIANNI has come under fire for his decision making this season but, when it counted the most, he and his staff came up with a perfect game plan in completely outcoaching the Chiefs future hall of fame head man ANDY REID. In a game that began with KC as a mere 1 point favorite, few could have predicted this type of beat down but with the excellent game planning of Sirianni and his staff, the awesome performance of Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts and the suffocating play of the Eagles defense, this is exactly what we got. The talented Eagles seem primed for a return to this stage next season to defend their title and you can rest assured the Chiefs “will not go gently into that good night” so one year from now we may likely see this battle all over again
