Eagles Grind Out Win in Kansas City Behind Jalen Hurts’ Growth vs Blitz
William Weir | NILvana Sports
The Eagles can leave Kansas City with a win. This was a tough environment to play in because the Chiefs really needed a win. It was also the first home game of the season at Arrowhead and the Super Bowl rematch; none of that really helped the Birds in this game.
Jalen Hurts went 15/22 with only 101 yards passing. Once again, the stats do not show what he could do for the team. Steve Spagnuolo, defensive Coordinator for the Chiefs, blitzed Hurts on 16 of his 25 dropbacks (64%). This was the highest blitz rate from Spagnolo since 2019. Hurts was able to limit the pressure with a career-low 2.11-second time to throw against the blitz; this was the quickest of his career per Next Gen Stats. This shows Jalen Hurts’s career improvement. He often struggled against the blitz in years past. This game, he did a good job of not taking many sacks, only taking 2. One of the sacks, he was able to avoid the pressure and was trying to switch hands with the ball, and he just dropped it, but the Eagles were the only players near the ball, so it did not cause any trouble.
The biggest play on offense was on a 3rd and 10 from the KC 31. On 3rd and long, KC has been blitzing all game, and they planned to do it again. This time, they brought 7 blitzers, and the Eagles were only blocking 6, so Hurts had to get rid of the ball quickly. The play had DeVonta Smith lined up in the slot and on a fade route. Hurts threw the ball when Smith was about 5 yards off the line of Scrimmage. Hurts had to put enough air under the ball so that Smith could find it and also run under the throw. He did that. It was slightly underthrown, but Smith saw the ball before the defender and could turn around and get into position to catch the ball inside the 5-yard line.
The Eagles tried to throw it to Smith on a vertical route earlier in the game, but he dropped it and fell hard on his back. Hurts spoke highly of Smith in the post-game presser, saying, “He came down on his back, but he came up in the clutch.”
A.J. Brown had eight targets this week, and he caught 5 of them. Saquon Barkley had 22 carries for 88 yards and a touchdown. Both of them were good in this game, but we have also seen both of them play better than this game.
The only issue I have is that on offense, we do not have an identity, and the playcalling feels predictable. This is similar to how it was at the beginning of last year. I believe that they will be able to figure it out and start scoring a bunch of points like they did to end the year last year.
The defense continues to ball out. Having Jalen Carter back was a big bonus to get back after his one-game suspension. He only had 2 tackles, one of them being a tackle for loss, but you still felt his presence in the game. The team’s tackling was amazing all game. Cooper Dejean led the team in tackles with 8. Za’Dauris Smith, in his first game with the Birds, had a good game, having four tackles, one being for loss, and half a sack.
The defense in this game changed what they have usually been doing. That is, they have mostly zone coverage with not a lot of blitzes. However, this game, they changed it up a little and ran more man coverage and 5-man blitzes. That strategy caught the Chiefs off guard, and it limited their offensive production.
Once again, it looks like Howie Roseman did it again with his draft picks. The first-round pick played another good game. He had 7 tackles and a quarterback hit.
In the second round, Andrew Mukuka was the best player in the game and really won the Eagles the game. He had 6 tackles, half a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and an interception. His interception was in the 4th quarter while the Chiefs were driving, and it was on the goal line. He returned it 41 yards. Early in the game, he also stopped Hollywood Brown on a 3rd and 1. Brown ran a drag route where he had to run under Zach Baun, and Mukuka ran over Baun. Mukuka was able to run and hit Brown when he caught the ball, preventing him from getting the first down.
Another win for the Eagles. There is room for improvement, which can be good because you do not want to peak too early and flame out later in the season.
