Chiefs Eagles Week 3: Defense offers reason for hope after 0-2 start

Nothing about this looks quite right. The offense feels stale. The defense lacks playmakers. The whole thing just feels off https://www.chiefsfullapparel.com/Chiefs_Patrick_Mahomes_Jersey. Maybe this is the year the Kansas City Chiefs don't have enough to get back on track. I think those statements generally capture the way nonChiefs fans feel about the team. It's hard to completely deny the critiques. Many of the greatest concerns about this year's team have, indeed, come to fruition. A healthy Isiah Pacheco hasn't fixed the running game. Travis Kelce looks better, but he's certainly not his old self. The Arizona Cardinals might be the only 20 team that doesn't have multiple receivers better than the Chiefs' top the way, who is the Chiefs' best receiver right now? Tyquan Thornton?And what about the defense? It has a serious lack of pass rush, paired with exactly zero takeaways through the first two of it has led to the Chiefs' first 02 start since 2014. It is just the fourth time in head coach Andy Reid's lengthy NFL head coaching career that his team has started with two how concerned should we be? And how likely is it that the team will get things back on track?Unfortunately, we won't know the answer to either of these questions until we get more information on what this team is going to look like at full strength. But we can begin by looking at recent history. A year ago, the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams each started 02. All three teams reached the playoffs. The 2022 Cincinnati Bengals also did it, along with the 2023 Houston Texans. In all, 12% of the 42 teams to start 02 since 2020's postseason expansion made the no team has started 02 and reached the Super Bowl since the New York Giants did it in 2007. The New England Patriots pulled it off in 199and 2001, as did the Dallas Cowboys in 1993. But that's the odds are not in the Chiefs' this is nothing new, right? It's been years since the odds were in their favor. Patrick Mahomes was the first quarterback to reach the AFC Championship in every one of his first seven seasons as a starter https://www.chiefsfullapparel.com/Chiefs_Deon_Bush_Jersey. Kansas City has reached five of the last six Super Bowls and won nine consecutive AFC West of this is likely. And it's not going to be easy to continue one of the most dominant stretches of football in NFL 's OK. It's supposed to be hard. It is exactly this difficulty in sustaining greatness that makes the Chiefs' current run so darn City's seasonopening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers made me nervous. The offense didn't look much different from last season, and the defense couldn't seem to get a stop. Mahomes' performance was the only glimmer of hope in the team's overall 's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was different. And while it might sound strange, that game did provide a small sense of these losses piling up, Andy Reid might acknowledge some of his own shortcomings. It's no longer just about style points. The team is not evolving on offense and it's catching up to the Chiefs on the scoreboard and in the standings. Reid could previously point to the record as an indication that everything is fine. That coping mechanism is now 's time for some sort of evolution. My saying so doesn't guarantee it will happen, but my hope is that it are also offensive reinforcements on the way. The return of wide receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice will change the outlook for the passing game. Shifting to a downhill rushing attack would go a long way toward getting more out of the offensive while it could be a few weeks before the offense starts to click, there are still reasons for , the defensive performance against the Eagles really stood out. Steve Spagnuolo's unit looked quite different than it did in Week 1. Wide receiver A. J. Brown gained only 27 yards on eight targets. His teammate DeVonta Smith collected 28 yards on a prayer and otherwise produced just 25 on five targets. Running back Saquon Barkley's longest touch of the day went for 13 yards https://www.chiefsfullapparel.com/Chiefs_George_Karlaftis_Jersey. Jalen Hurts gained just 15 on the ground. The Eagles' 220 total yards were their fewest in a game since back to 2010, Kansas City is 131 when allowing 220 or fewer total yards. The last time the Chiefs allowed 3. 8 or fewer yards per play was the 2023 New Year's Eve matchup against Jake Browning and the 's a lot of statistics to tell a simple but important story: the Kansas City defense did a great job. A week ago, it didn't seem like the unit was still capable of that kind of , the schedule won't do the Chiefs many favors. They need to stay afloat until Rice's return against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. That would take at least two wins over the Giants, Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions, giving Kansas City a record of 24 or better. Getting into the playoffs will likely require at least 10 wins. After Week 6, the schedule opens up enough to make that odds are not in the Chiefs' favor but the odds have never been in their favor. Kansas City's latest Jason Voorhees act would simply require the team to be hovering around. 500 by the time it reaches Eagles game provided just enough evidence to believe that it can and will pull that off.