Fans of the Philadelphia Eagles should be happy after their team defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 21–17 on Monday night. The Eagles’ victory in a rematch of the previous year’s Super Bowl is equally amazing as their method of victory.
This was the night the Eagles defense really came to life. The defense of Philadelphia did not allow a point in the second half of Monday night’s game, following their 38-point loss to Patrick Mahomes and company in the Super Bowl. The only two touchdown drives the Eagles’ offense would muster in the second half were from Jalen Hurts and the defense.
Hurts’ second touchdown run of the half gave the Eagles their first lead with 6:30 remaining in the half, trailing 17–7 at the break. Hurts’ 41-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith one play earlier set up the score.
With less than two minutes remaining, Marquez Valdez-Scantling missed a certain touchdown pass from Mahomes, giving the Chiefs a chance to win the game, but they were unable to capitalize. Philadelphia’s defense then forced consecutive interceptions out of Mahomes, who finished the game with 177 yards passing, to seal the victory.
The Eagles’ two forced turnovers in the red zone contributed to their rally. The Chiefs were unable to extend their lead in the first few minutes of the fourth quarter due to a forced fumble by Bradley Roby on Travis Kelce’s part.
We’ll have a thorough analysis of Monday night’s game soon, but in the meanwhile, you can relive the action in real time by following our live blog below.
The reason the Eagles prevailed
The Chiefs averaged just 3.9 yards per play in the second half, while the Eagles defense was on point, giving up zero points and only 146 yards. In the last thirty minutes, Philadelphia forced Kansas City to punt on four of six possessions after Travis Kelce fumbled in the red zone. A fumble and a turnover on downs accounted for the other two possessions.
In the first half, the offensive line gave up five sacks; in the second, none. Because they were in charge of the trenches in the second half, the Eagles were able to win in the chilly, rainy conditions.
What made the Chiefs lose
After leading 17 at the break, the Chiefs were shut down in the second half and managed just one point in the last 30 minutes. Despite a huge drop by Marquez Valdes-Scantling with 1:50 remaining that could have resulted in a score, Kansas City was left with nothing after six possessions.
They punted on a fourth-and-4 play at the Eagles’ 39-yard line, Mahomes had a red zone interception, Travis Kelce fumbled in the red zone, and Valdes-Scantling missed a touchdown that could have won the game. All sorts of opportunities lost.
pivotal moment
In this one, Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s drop with 1:50 remaining made all the difference. Mahomes completed a stunning deep pass down the field, and although Valdez-Scantling had an advantage of one and a half yards over Bradley Roby, he failed to catch the simple touchdown pass on second-and-10.
The following play, Mahomes was flagged for an intentional grounding, and as a result, the Eagles stopped the Chiefs on fourth-and-25.
The game’s gameplay
In the fourth quarter, with the Eagles trailing 17–14, Jalen Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard pass that resulted in the game-winning touchdown. With 6:23 remaining, Hurts struck Smith on a deep pass downfield to move the Eagles to the Chiefs’ one-yard line.
On the following play, the Eagles used a “tush push” to score and take a commanding lead. Smith finished the game with six catches for 99 yards.
The quote
“Great game. Good luck the rest of the way man. Do your thing.” — Mahomes to Hurts after the game. Hurts has won 13 straight games against teams with a winning record and seven straight trailing by 10-plus points — the longest streak in NFL history.
Up next
The Eagles (9-1) host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field while the Chiefs (7-3) travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders (5-6).
