Kansas City Chiefs trying to find their way in rematch against Philadelphia Eagles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Predicting the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs is nothing new.

Even before the Chiefs became the NFL’s newest dynasty, many pundits insisted they wouldn’t make it this far. Now, just two weeks into the season, the Chiefs’ critics are at it again.

As the Chiefs prepare to play host to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, they’re facing intense national scrutiny after their season-opening 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Raising the stakes in their home opener, the Chiefs face the formidable Eagles – an opponent that dominated them in Super Bowl LIX.

Although many league observers argue that the Chiefs are already on the ropes, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes – as always – is embracing the challenge.

“This is a really good football team. I mean, there’s no way around it,” Mahomes said of the Eagles on Wednesday during Kansas City’s media availability. “They’re good at every aspect on defense and obviously on offense as well.

“You learn from the mistakes that you make. That’s a part of playing the game – you learn from your failures. You learn from the positive things that you do, and you try to come back and play better football. It’s going to take our best football to go out there and get a win.”

Against the Chargers in São Paulo, Brazil, the Chiefs failed to do that during the league’s kickoff week.

Adding to the Chiefs’ disappointment, television cameras caught sideline tensions erupting among players following a string of blown assignments and miscommunications. Late in the game, All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones – Mahomes’ leadership counterpart on the Chiefs’ defense – was seen in a heated exchange with linebacker Drue Tranquill. A picture came into sharp focus: frustration was boiling over.

Among teammates, in the heat of competition, that sort of thing happens weekly in the NFL. But with the Chiefs, everything is magnified. Mahomes gets it.

“It’s football. It’s passionate. We love the game. I’d rather have guys that are passionate about it and want to win than the other way around,” the three-time Super Bowl MVP said. “We hold each other accountable. At the end of the day, we know that we love each other.

“When you have that, you can hold each other accountable and then push forward to be even better the next time you step on the football field. There’s no ill will anywhere. It’s just a bunch of guys that want to win and want to do whatever they can to win. Whenever that happens, sometimes passionate moments, outbursts and stuff happen.”

To avoid an 0-2 start, the Chiefs will have to play it much cooler against Philadelphia.

In Super Bowl LIX, the Eagles routed the Chiefs 40-22. They sacked Mahomes six times as their defensive line overwhelmed the Chiefs’ offensive line.

After defeating the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII to become the NFL’s first back-to-back champions since the New England Patriots in 2004 and 2005, the Chiefs set their sights on an elusive Super Bowl three-peat: no team had ever won three straight. Despite losing the last Super Bowl, Kansas City – by virtue of winning consecutive Super Bowls and returning to the game the next season – broke new ground in the Super Bowl era.

It just wasn’t the sort of history the Chiefs wanted to make.

Reviewing the game was about as much fun for Mahomes as one might expect – but doing so was necessary, he said.

“I mean, it sucks that you lose the game. But in order to progress and to be better next time, you have to watch and learn from it,” the two-time Associated Press league MVP said. “You watch it, and then you watch it in the offseason with the team and with the coaches. Then you watch it, obviously, this week as well. They had a great game plan.

“They played hard and did a great job of disrupting my timing. I have to learn from that [and] find ways to get the ball out of my hand. Then when the opportunities are there … that’s something I did miss early in the game. There [were] opportunities to make plays. You got to make those plays. If you don’t, they’re not going to allow those opportunities again.”

Their smackdown at the hands of the Eagles helped prompt the Chiefs to revamp their offensive line. The Chiefs and Eagles made a draft-day trade that resulted in the Chiefs selecting offensive tackle Josh Simmons from Ohio State.

The rookie starts at left tackle, while second-year lineman Kingsley Suamataia is the new left guard. They’ve joined All-Pro center Creed Humphrey, Pro Bowl right guard Trey Smith – the highest-paid guard in league history – and penalty-prone right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who struggled against the Chargers. The Chargers sacked Mahomes twice.

Now, the Eagles’ talented pass rushers will provide another major test for the Chiefs’ revamped offensive line.

For Kansas City, then-rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy was a bright spot in the Super Bowl: He had eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Worthy suffered a dislocated right shoulder against the Chargers. He’s not expected to play this week.

The Chiefs were already without Rashee Rice, their No. 1 wideout, who will miss the first six games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Their receiving corps has been unsettled for years, so moving pieces around is nothing new for the Chiefs, Mahomes said.

“You try to rep and give guys opportunities at every single receiver position, but there’s only limited reps during practice, the six-time Pro Bowler said. “When you have an injury, you have guys going in different spots that they haven’t had those reps in before. The guys did well as the game went on of adjusting to that, stepping up and making plays. They did really good in the second half of giving us a chance.”

The Eagles enter the rematch in a much better place.

They opened with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys while playing without Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was suspended six seconds into the game for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Carter is eligible to play against the Chiefs, the NFL ruled.

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts started this season right where he left off the last. The MVP of the Super Bowl, Hurts was sharp in the passing game and rushed for two touchdowns against Dallas.

He welcomes another matchup with the Chiefs.

“It’s just another opportunity,” Hurts said. “Just focusing on the things that we can build on as a team.”

After dismantling the Chiefs in the Super Bowl last season and getting off to a good start to this season, the Eagles have that luxury. The Chiefs don’t.

They’re trying to find their way. And after Sunday’s game, more of their critics are hoping to say, “I told you so.”