The schedule creators selected an exciting match to wrap up Week 11 and stimulate fans’ anticipation three days before Thanksgiving. However, the Eagles versus Chiefs game is more of a main event rather than just an appetizer.
On Monday, Kansas City (7-2) will host Philadelphia (8-1), marking the seventh regular-season matchup in NFL history between the previous year’s Super Bowl participants. The Super Bowl victors lead these rematches with a 5-1 record, a significant advantage for the Chiefs.
The upcoming Monday’s clash also signifies the most successful post-Super Bowl rematch in the history of the league, with Philly and K.C. having a combined winning percentage of .833. This surpasses the 1979 Steelers and Cowboys’ combined winning percentage of .813 at the time of their match, according to NFL Research.
However, there’s more at risk than just a repeat performance of Super Bowl LVII.
Both of these teams are leading their respective conferences and are aiming for a No. 1 seed.
The Chiefs, who won the previous meeting, 38-35, possess the best-ranked defense they’ve had in a decade — but they’re not the same offensive world beaters the NFL has become accustomed to seeing during the Patrick Mahomes era.
Kansas City, having never ranked lower than sixth in scoring with Mahomes leading, emerges from its Week 10 bye perilously close to league average at 13th, a first-time low.
The Chiefs need to start kicking into high gear now if they aim to host the AFC Championship Game for a record sixth consecutive time in January.
The Eagles, boasting a top-three scoring offense for the second season in a row and holding the best record in the NFL, are facing a tough post-bye schedule with five consecutive matches against opponents who all had a .500 or better record and reached the postseason last year. It is crucial for them to maintain their momentum.
Which team will seize the opportunity to secure a decisive victory in this Super Bowl replay, potentially giving us a glimpse into the next Super Bowl?
Here are four things to watch for when the Eagles visit the Chiefs on Monday night:
- WHERE: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.)
- WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, NFL+
- What does Jalen Hurts have in store of an encore? Hurts did nearly everything in Super Bowl LVII except win. He tied the Super Bowl record for rushing touchdowns with three and set the record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 70. On top of that, Hurts threw for 304 yards and another score, becoming the first QB in Super Bowl history to lose after amassing 300-plus total yards and four-plus total touchdowns. He might find it difficult to near those numbers again Monday for a multitude of reasons. For one, this iteration of the Chiefs boasts a far more tenacious defense than the one nine months ago. Kansas City is allowing just 15.9 points per game. Led by George Karlaftis (six sacks), the Chiefs are tied for second in the league with 31 sacks, and they’re averaging 7.1 quarterback hits per game. Hurts is also running a touch less than last year. He’s averaging 35.1 rushing yards per game in 2023 compared to 50.6 in the 2022 regular season, and continuing his hot streak through the air — eight TD throws in his past three games — will be tested by Dallas Goedert’s absence due to a fractured forearm. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who have combined for 109 catches, 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns, will draw even greater defensive attention, and they can only pick up so much slack. Philly’s other WRs have combined for 12 catches, while the TE room outside Goedert has contributed two. More assets will need to step up to give Hurts the best chance at being his heroic self.
- Chiefs O seeks an end to its funk. Kansas City has managed just two offensive touchdowns in its past two games. The team is averaging 23.1 points, 368.7 total yards, 264.9 passing yards and 1.9 giveaways per game, all of which are its worst marks since Patrick Mahomes became starter in 2018, per NFL Research. The crux of the issue has been an undependable group of wide receivers failing to develop enough chemistry with the two-time Most Valuable Player. Rookie Rashee Rice has been the best of the bunch with 32 receptions for 378 yards and four touchdowns, but no other WR has collected more than 20 receptions or scored more than once. Not a single one of Mahomes’ wideouts has managed a five-reception game yet this season. And even though Travis Kelce has had six such games already, the tight end is not immune to the ill effects of an uninspiring WR corps. He’s slumped along with them the past two outings, resulting in just nine catches for 72 yards during that span. Luckily for Kansas City, Philly’s secondary is vulnerable. It ranks 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. The Eagles are first against the run, though, so Mahomes, Kelce and Co. would benefit from snapping out of it rather than resorting to a slugfest for running lanes.
- Can Philadelphia get to Mahomes? The Eagles entered Super Bowl LVII needing just two sacks to tie the 1984 Bears’ single-season record for sacks (72). Instead, the Chiefs blanked them and went on to capture the Lombardi Trophy. Philadelphia isn’t on the same torrid pace it was then — it is tied for the fifth-most sacks in the league with 30 — but the defensive line is still plenty dangerous. As of Week 10, it ranks third with 154 QB pressures. That effort has been paced by Josh Sweat (50 pressures with 6.5 sacks) and Haason Reddick (43 with 7.5). Jalen Carter has been disruptive, as well, with 31 pressures, four sacks and an average pass rush get-off time of 0.82 seconds — second only to the Chiefs’ Chris Jones (0.80) among defensive tackles, per Next Gen Stats. It’ll be difficult once again to get home against Kansas City, which has allowed a league-low 12 sacks, but pressure alone could change the trajectory of the game. Patrick Mahomes’ passer rating drops from 113.6 in a clean pocket to 49.4 under duress, and his five interceptions under pressure this season are tied for second-most.
- SB LVII storylines return. A couple of the same narratives were covered ad nauseam in the lead up to last season’s big game, but they still resonate. Andy Reid is inextricably linked to the Eagles after serving as the team’s head coach for 14 seasons from 1999-2012. He led the Eagles to four straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance while racking up a franchise-record 130 wins. It’ll be up to Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni to stop Reid from going 5-0 against his former team. Since Sirianni took over in 2021, K.C. and Philly possess the league’s best records — 33-10 and 31-12, respectively. Center Jason Kelce, one of the few holdovers from the Reid era along with Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, will also suit up against his brother Travis once again. The two have more combined first-team All-Pro selections (nine) than any brother duo in NFL history. They’ve both put together illustrious careers, although Travis can hold a few things over his older brother. The tight end currently leads the Super Bowl ring count, 2-1. Also, just as the Eagles are winless against their former head coach, Jason is still in search of his first victory in this friendly sibling rivalry.
