On Sunday, Arrowhead Stadium will play host to “Andy Reid Bowl 2” as the Philadelphia Eagles come to town to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. KC, who has had 10 days to rest up and prepare, look to go 2-0 against the Eagles under Reid’s command and 2-0 on the season. Kickoff in Kansas City will be at 1 P.M. ET.
The Eagles (1-0) thrashed divisional rival Washington Redskins last week and look to carry that momentum into Kansas City. Head coach Doug Pederson is going up against his mentor and former coach in Andy Reid, and you have to think he’s excited to defeat his Jedi master.
The Chiefs (1-0) shocked the world by defeating the New England Patriots in convincing fashion 42-27. They return home the conquering hero and look to defeat the Eagles for Big Red. The Chiefs are always tough to beat at home, and given that they had a few extra days to prepare, you can bet they will come out firing on all cylinders.
Kansas City opened as a 4 point favorite. Sine then, the spread has gone up to 5.5 points. The Over/Under has remained the same since it opened at 47.5 total points.
It’s always more fun to watch games when there’s extra drama sprinkled in. For this one, it’s all about how Philly jettisoned Andy Reid after the 2012 season and how Reid’s mentor Doug Pederson is now coaching the Eagles. These two have similar philosophies and offenses. They also have a strong desire to get the “W”.
Let’s start with the home team Chiefs. They put up 42 points against the defending Super Bowl champs – the Patriots. And, they did it on the road. Now, they come home in front of a raucous crowd that will demand the head of Pederson.
KC will, once again, need a big game from Alex Smith to defeat the Eagles. Smith put up 368 passing yards and 4 TDs, while rookie running back Kareem Hunt smashed the Patriots for 148 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs will need that kind of balanced attack to beat a feisty Eagles defense that has a better pass rush than the Patriots. However, they did lose starting corner Ronald Darby and that will definitely hinder their defensive success.
For the Eagles, Pederson will have the team confident and prepared to play in a hostile environment. Due to his time in KC, Doug will be able to keep second year quarterback Carson Wentz calm and under control. The Chiefs are without their top safety Eric Berry for the season and that will definitely open up the field for Wentz’s security blanket – Zach Ertz. The tight end tallied 8 catches for 93 yards last week and could see similar production this week.
The Eagles defense was able to completely shut down Washington’s run game, but they will have a more difficult time this week against Hunt. The Chiefs allowed 124 yards rushing to the Patriots and could see the Eagles reach that number behind the trio of backs: LeGarrette Blount, Wendell Smallwood and Darren Sproles.
The Over is 4-2 in Philadelphia’s last 6 games, 10-3 in their last 13 road games, and 8-1 in their last 9 games in Week 2. The Over has also hit in 4 of the last 6 games between these 2 teams.
Both teams combined for 72 points last week and I See them hitting the Over this week. Look for a score somewhere in the range of 28-24, with the Chiefs getting the victory at home. Both offenses will have success this week as each team’s defense looks to move forward without key pieces in their secondaries.