Week 2 game recap: Costly turnover dooms Chiefs in Super Bowl rematch
Missed opportunities undo Kansas City despite stout defense. One turnover proved to be one too many against the Eagles in the defensive slugfest.
The Chiefs couldn’t overcome their own mistakes, as a turnover and a missed field goal contributed to a 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The most significant error occurred in a play involving two of the Chiefs’ biggest stars.
Facing a second-and-goal at the Eagles’ 6-yard line, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pass that tight end Travis Kelce couldn’t haul in.
The ball ricocheted off Kelce’s arm and into safety Andrew Mukuba’s arms in the end zone, resulting in Mukuba returning the ball 41 yards to set up the offense.
The game’s lone turnover was a back-breaking moment for Kansas City. When Mahomes took the snap, there were just over 13 minutes left in the game after chewing up over eight minutes and 74 yards on 14 plays.
Kansas City was down 13-10 at the time, and while it was thrown low, had Kelce caught it, the Chiefs would have taken a 4-point lead.
“We got the defense that we wanted,” Mahomes said. “We expect them (Philadelphia Eagles) to play that zero-zero (defense) with the hole player – with the safety. I think I threw it just a tad too early, just trying to put it on his (Kelce) body low before that hole player got there and I think if I can put it more on his body and not so far out in front of him then he can catch it, take the hit and get in the endzone.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts wound up making sure Makuba’s big play swung the game by 14 points.
The Eagles signal-caller led his team on the game-changing 10-play, 59-yard drive, which Hurts capped off with a 1-yard plunge for a touchdown and a 20-10 lead late in the game.
When Mahomes and the offense got the ball back, they did not respond. The drive resulted in Kansas City’s fourth three-and-out of the ballgame.
It was after a stop by the defense on the ensuing Eagles drive that Mahomes took the top off the defense.
Mahomes found Tyquan Thornton for a 49-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter to close the gap and keep the Chiefs in the game.
However, it proved too little, too late after the Chiefs failed to stop Hurts on a third-and-short attempt on the last of many successful tush push attempts. The 20-17 defeat dropped the Chiefs to 0-2 for the first time in the Mahomes era.
Defensive tackle Chris Jones spoke on the mood of the locker room after dropping its third-straight game.
“I think it’s a little frustrated,” Jones said. “We’re all very competitive and we all want to win, but we’re still 0- 2. A lot of players holding themselves accountable. We’re a competitive team, we’re eager to figure this thing out and get back on the right track.”
The hyped Super Bowl rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles didn’t result in offensive fireworks.
Instead, a defensive battle broke out on the field with the two teams trading heavyweight punches throughout the matchup.
The Eagles' first two drives of the game stalled, while the Chiefs went three-and-out on their first possession. The Chiefs’ second possession resulted in Harrison Butker missing a 58-yard field goal attempt, which gave the Eagles excellent field position.
Hurts engineered an eight-play, 52-yard drive, which running back Saquon Barkley capped off when he burst off the right end for a 13-yard touchdown run. Hurts converted on a third-and-1 situation, thanks to the tush push, and found wide receiver DeVonta Smith for a 13-yard gain during the possession.
The Chiefs responded on the ensuing possession on a drive that featured Mahomes connecting with Kelce for a 16-yard gain and a 22-yard run. The drive stalled, resulting in Butker drilling a 56-yard field goal for Kansas City’s first points of the contest.
Mahomes wasn’t finished hurting the Eagles with his legs in the first half.
The Chiefs’ star quarterback marched his team down the field on a 10-play, 69-yard drive, which boasted multiple highlight-worthy plays. Mahomes found Kelce for an 18-yard gain on a fourth-and-4 play.
Three plays later, Mahomes rushed for a 6-yard gain and he got there after running over Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba to earn a new set of downs.
On the very next play, Mahomes ran through the Eagles for a 22-yard score to give the Chiefs a 10-7 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the first half.
Mahomes finished the game completing 16-of-29 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown with an interception, adding seven carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
This marks the second week in a row Mahomes has led the team in rushing by a wide margin.
“He goes after it and he’s not going to not take an opportunity if it’s given,” coach Andy Reid said. “So, obviously, he wasn’t accounted for on some of those plays and he took advantage of it. I don’t want to see him get the big hits, but he’s a pretty competitive guy.”
The Eagles, however, tied the game at 10-10 when kicker Jake Elliott hit a 58-yard field goal to end the first half.
The Chiefs did not do much to take the momentum in the ball game after turning it over on downs and gaining eight yards after receiving the ball to open the half.
It was an aggressive call by Reid to go for it on fourth down in their own territory to begin the second half, but he did not walk back his decision.
“They (Eagles) were going to stay aggressive, likewise,” Reid said. “I think it’s important against that crew to just stay aggressive. I probably could dial up some different things there. But I think against them, you’ve got to do that. Obviously, I thought the plays we called were available, but it didn’t get done the way I wanted it.”
The Chiefs went 4-for-12 on third downs and 2-for-3 on fourth downs against the Eagles.
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The Eagles only gained two yards on their first drive of the second half, but they were already in field goal range. Elliot drilled the 51-yarder and Philadelphia never gave up the lead again.
The Chiefs outgained the Eagles by 78 yards and their defense only allowed an astonishing 3.7 yards per play.
Kansas City played a much more competitive game than they did last February. But the one turnover loomed large in the Super Bowl rematch.
The Eagles' defense made it difficult for the Chiefs to operate all afternoon. Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for 18 carries and 53 yards, good for 2.9 yards per carry.
Outside of Thornton’s late-game deep ball, the passing game felt disjointed, too. Mahomes missed a wide-open tight end, Noah Gray, down the field on the first drive, as well as Thornton on the drive where Thornton eventually hauled in a long touchdown.
Mahomes broke down what plagued the offense after the game.
“I think just little things here and there,” Mahomes said. “Getting the ball batted, missing some deep shots. Things here and there that we just didn’t do at a high enough level. Even like the first throw – overthrowing Noah (Gray) on that Cover 2 look. I mean, seeing it right, just not making the throw. In this league, you got to make those throws and I’ll be better as the season goes on.”
Kelce led the way in receiving yards, catching four passes for 61 yards. Thornton was not too far behind him with 59, but Hollywood Brown was third on the team, tallying five catches for 30 yards.
The Chiefs' defense came to play and it was a group effort. Cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Chamarri Conner led the team in tackles with 9.
They kept the bottle on running back Saquon Barkely for the most part. The star running back totaled 88 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnolo’s unit suffocated the Eagles' passing game, too. There were a lot of short passes in which defenders rallied to the ball. The defensive backs held wide receivers DeVonta Smith to 53 yards and AJ Brown to 27.
“I thought Spags (Spagnuolo) had a nice game plan, very aggressive, and I thought our secondary rose up to that part of it,” Reid said. “And they’ve (Eagles) got good receivers. I thought they stayed aggressive on the receivers within the framework of things, and I just saw it all-around. It was a good defensive performance.”
NORMAN-LOTT ANNOUNCES PRESENCE
Chiefs rookie defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott made an electrifying play midway through the third quarter.
Norman-Lott, who didn’t play in Week 1, made his presence felt when he caught Hurts starting to scramble behind the line of scrimmage.
Norman-Lott executed a perfect hit on Hurts, who lost his feet before landing hard on his back for a sack. The crowd let out a roar on the hit.
“It felt good,” Norman-Lott said after the game. “It felt so good to get the man down and make a play for the team.”
The rookie finished the game with two tackles, a sack and a quarterback hit.
“It was a very physical sack,” Jones said of his teammate. “He’s a huge guy with that ability. I think we drafted him in the second round just for that and he came out and made a big statement today. It’s something we can build off of and add him to the rotation. I’m glad to have him back.”
INJURIES
Cornerback Kristian Fulton (ankle) and defensive end Mike Danna (hip) left in the first half before being ruled out.
The Chiefs designated wide receiver Xavier Worthy (shoulder), wide receiver Jalen Royals (knee), tight end Jared Wiley, running back Elijah Mitchell, offensive lineman Hunter Nourzad and defensive end Malik Herring as inactive before the game.
UP NEXT
The Chiefs are on the road in Week 3 to take on the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday Night Football.
KC Sports Network’s Herbie Teope contributed to this report.
