The Chiefs throttled the Patriots in New England in the season's opening night kickoff game, scoring 42 points while the Patriots lost key players on offense and defense to injury. The Eagles also managed a tough road win in Week 1, heading to division rival Washington and coming away with a 30-17 victory.
Now Andy Reid welcomes his old team and his old coaching protege to town when the 1-0 Eagles face the 1-0 Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. The Eagles figure to serve as a tougher test for Alex Smith and the Chiefs offense this week, while the Eagles are facing a clear step up in competition in their second straight road game.
Here's what you need to know.
How to watch, stream
- Kickoff: Sept. 17, 1 p.m.
- TV: FOX (Check local listings)
- Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free)
Familiar faces on the sidelines
Both teams should have a pretty good knowledge of what to expect, considering Eagles coach Doug Pederson played and worked under Chiefs coach Andy Reid for a number of years.
"I think more just knowing the people, knowing the personnel, knowing the coaching staff, how they think, how we think is the biggest similarity," Pederson said.
Alex Smith knows that if he has success, it'll be because his offensive line is winning up front.
"All that stuff starts with those guys up front," Smith said of his offensive line. "They don't always get a ton of the credit but certainly where it all begins for us."
You can read more quotes from each sideline here.
Missing pieces in the secondary
Both teams will be missing key players in their defensive backfields this week.
The Chiefs lost the heart of their defense, safety Eric Berry, to a ruptured Achilles in the team's big Week 1 win over the Patriots. Daniel Sorensen is expected to replace Berry next to Ron Parker at the safety position, and it's obviously a downgrade for the unit. Berry's absence could make the middle of the field more friendly for tight ends, starting with Eagles weapon Zach Ertz.
The Eagles' primary weak spot heading into the preseason was likely at cornerback, but they managed to address that issue by trading for young Bills corner Ronald Darby. Unfortunately, Darby couldn't make it one game without suffering a serious injury to his ankle. While anyone watching the play feared the worst, Darby is only expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a dislocation.
Who will win?
This game opened at Chiefs -4.5, but bettors were quick to back Kansas City after their impressive Week 1 showing, pushing it up to Chiefs -5.5. Will Brinson loves the Eagles at that number, making it one of his best bets this week:
This is me taking advantage of a public approach to this game with the Chiefs winning in New England on Week 1 and the Eagles having a fairly quiet victory over the Redskins.
The Chiefs are getting a major bump as a result of throttling the Patriots, although there is plenty to like here. Kareem Hunt is the truth and Alex Smith appears intent on pushing the ball down the field. The Chiefs have had 10 days to prepare and Andy Reid knows what Doug Pederson (his old OC) will try to do.
And yet, this Eagles team is going to keep it close because they are capable of getting pressure on Smith in a way that the Pats could not do. Additionally, Eric Berry's injury will open things up some for Carson Wentz's passing attack.
