Quote:
Originally Posted by Direckshun
I'm kind of leaning more and more KC this game. I was thinking the Eagles had the edge, but I've seen All 22 of a few Eagles games, and this is not the Eagles team of last year, despite very similar personnel.
1. Jalen Hurts is not Jalen Hurts when you blitz him well, and that's Spags' strength. And Spags is undefeated this year.
2. AJ Brown is a top 3 WR this year, but he's the only weapon that can really beat you this year. Devonte Smith is really good but I don't think he's Pro Bowl caliber right now. And the Chiefs specialize this year in neutralizing elite WRs, so the Eagles are going to need weapons to step up.
3. The Eagles best hope is to grind us down with the run game, and I do think they can do that if they commit to it -- I think they will try, and have some success. Sirianni has not shown a propensity to stay committed to the run all season, and again, I just think he's an overrated coach.
4. The Eagles are a bit underrated in some parts of their defense -- I don't think their corners are that bad, so long as they're on the boundary. Where their secondary is getting chewed up is across the middle, and the Chiefs would rather pass there this season than anywhere else.
The X factor, for me, is how well we can counter the Eagles DL. Reid usually has very strong gameplans for that, and he's coming off a bye.
I still think the Eagles, given the right set of mistakes and a typically crap game from Chiefs WRs, can take this game.
But I think the Chiefs have the edge.
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1. Agree that Hurts is not a tremendous passer against the blitz. He reminds me a lot of Alex Smith - when things are on schedule, he's effective. When it's off, his effectiveness drops. The separator is how much more dangerous Hurts is as a primary running threat, well, that and him being more willing to take chances than Smith was.
2. I think the Chiefs CBs actually match up really well against the Eagles. I'd like to see Sneed follow Brown, with safety help frequently available, and McDuffie matched up against Smith. Smith is a crisp route runner with quickness, and McDuffie seems to match up really well against that type of player.
3. Grinding the run game is definitely the best prescription against this Chiefs' D; getting the Eagles off schedule and avoiding short yardage is even more critical due to their efficiency in short yardage.
4. I think the Eagles DL is pretty good. They are not special on the back 7 this year, though. Age is showing a bit on the boundary corners, their slot situation isn't great, their LBs aren't as good as last year, and the safeties aren't, either.
If KC keeps things clean and executes, it's a win. If they're -2 or worse in TO margin or have a penalty-ridden game, it's a loss.
I generally expect crispness and a strong plan and good execution from them, coming off a bye. So that's what I'm expecting.