My brain is too scattered to form a connected, intelligent stream of thought, so I’m just going to fire off takes until I run out.

Football is gone after this. I know it wouldn’t be the best sport ever if it were around all year, but man is it rough when football leaves us for six months.

Last Week:   2 – 0 – 0
Playoffs:       5 – 6 – 1

Sunday, February 7

Chiefs at Eagles [6:30PM ET, FOX]
Can we stop with the Chiefs run defense not allowing a 100 yard rusher in 18 games or whatever the number is? It’s kind of a fraudulent stat. In the Divisional Round, Joe Mixon rushed for 88 yards on 18 carries. A week later James Cook rushed for 85 yards on 13 carries. That’s 4.9 and 6.5 yards per carry, respectively. Cook had one rush in the 4^th quarter. Mixon had one rush in the 4^th quarter. Come on. Those numbers do not reflect the force of a lockdown run defense. If Saquon Barkley finishes the game with at least 22 rushes, he’s surpassing 100 yards.

The greatest advantage Kansas City has over the Eagles is at quarterback and coaching. Two years ago I compared facing Patrick Mahomes to a tiger exhibit and the Eagles were the prey. Mahomes is a zombie now. You can take away his weapons, his run game, you can age his reliable tight end, and you still can’t stop him from winning 23 of his last 24 starts. He’s the ultimate winner in sports right now. He does not blink. He will not panic. He just keeps coming. No lead is safe. When you think you’re in striking distance you’re really not. You’re just another notch on his Hall of Fame belt. Andy Reid won’t panic either, and Steve Spagnuolo is the best Defensive Coordinator in the game. Vic Fangio’s defense is death by a thousand cuts, but he won’t bring an elaborate blitz like Spagnuolo. The Eagles will see coverages and rush schemes they haven’t seen all season. How they adjust and how they limit mistakes in those moments will go a long way in determining who emerges as NFL champions.

I think it’s important for the Eagles to understand that a tight game late in the 4^th quarter favors the Chiefs. Mahomes is a killer. He wins game after game in the 4^th quarter. The Eagles also have a kicker that has had his struggles this season. Jake Elliott hasn’t missed a field goal in the postseason but he was a mess on extra points against the Rams. Nick Sirianni should be aggressive all game long at getting a lead and extending that lead. I know that’s an obvious statement, but the Eagles have been good enough to play it slow this season and not force things. I’m not saying they should be reckless on 4^th downs or pass on every field goal opportunity, but this is the time to completely unleash the talent on offense. Throw Barkley the football early and often. Get him the football in space. The Chiefs will be keying on Barkley, so that box will be crowded. There is no next week. Barkley is the Eagles best player. He needs 30 touches. If that means double-digit receptions than so be it. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith deserve similar opportunities. Obviously a dominate run game is the preferred method, but it wouldn’t be surprising for the Eagles to take a quarter or a half to get the run game in gear. Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert can carry the offense assuming Jalen Hurts is getting the ball out in rhythm and not sitting in the pocket for too long. A few early targets to Jahan Dotson would also be a welcomed curve ball to the Chiefs defense.

I think the Eagles win if they don’t turn the football over. They haven’t turned it over at all in the playoffs. They’re too good to beat if they don’t contribute to their own demise.

I don’t think the Eagles necessarily want the game to boil down to Jalen Hurts, but I don’t think they’d be in a panic if they arrived at that moment. Hurts played the greatest game of his career two years ago in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. He was near perfect against the Commanders two weeks ago. Kellen Moore has to call a game conducive to Hurts’ strengths. Quick, decisive and in rhythm is the ticket for Hurts. He’s not a progression quarterback. If he’s hanging in the pocket progressing through reads time after time that’s not ideal for the Eagle offense.

The biggest wild card is how the Eagles handle the Chiefs tight ends. Zach Ertz was a menace in the NFC Championship. Outside of Travis Kelce, I think Mahomes trusts Noah Gray more than any of his outside receivers. I would expect two tight end sets where Kelce draws attention and then Gray is the targeted receiver. I think the Eagles should have no problem making the Chiefs a one-dimensional offense. Kareem Hunt is a bowling bowl but he won’t move the chains much. Isiah Pacheco is either still injured or has fallen out of favor since his return. He’s more of an explosive back but his touches have falling off a cliff since his return. Making Kansas City one-dimensional isn’t that a much of a win with Mahomes back there, but it will add pressure to him and the offense to make plays. The Eagles could find some turnover fortune there, especially if they can establish a nice lead in the 2^nd half.

All signs point to the Eagles being the team of destiny this year. Barkley signing with the Eagles as a forgotten superstar and then putting on a legendary season will live on as one of the greatest seasons from any Philadelphia athlete ever. He’s beloved by fans and his teammates more than any Eagle I can recall since Brian Dawkins. Eagles legend Brandon Graham will be playing in his final NFL game. The turnaround from an ugly 2-2 start and Sirianni rising from the ashes of 2023 after many called for his head (myself included) is a great redemption story. Rookies not only contributing right away, but at an elite level made this defense elite. The Exciting Whites tandem and how the team has embraced it is the funniest thing. Jalen Hurts sacrificing stats to play mistake free ball. AJ Brown reading his book on the sideline. Surviving the snow game against the Rams thanks to Jalen Carter’s clutch sack. Carter playing like Reggie White and Jerome Brown makes watching defense fun again. Zach Baun coming from nowhere to be the best linebacker in the league. CJ Gardner-Johnson returning and giving the defense some much needed attitude and swagger and the continued excellent play of Darius Slay despite his age and nagging injuries were both huge boosts for a sluggish defense. I know I’m a homer, but there are just so many things that point to this team finishing the job. EAGLES +1