By: Jack Johnson
Kansas City snapped its two-game losing skid on Sunday afternoon with a 42-30 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. It was also Andy Reid’s 100th win as head coach of the Chiefs — making him the first coach to have 100 wins with two different franchises. Here are three takeaways from the victory.
1. This is the best offense in the NFL
The Chiefs’ defense didn’t force a turnover or punt on Sunday and Kansas City had a 19-point lead with less than a minute to go. Despite an interception from Patrick Mahomes in the third quarter and the final kneel down, the Chiefs scored on every possession. That’s…something.
Tyreek Hill led the team in receiving with 186 yards on 11 catches and three touchdowns and Clyde Edwards-Helaire rushed for 100-or-more yards for the second consecutive week.
It’s an offense that put up 30-plus points against the Ravens in three quarters. It’s an offense that had four turnovers and still had a chance to win late against the Chargers. It’s also an offense that erased a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter against the Browns in less than four minutes. Up to this point, no defense has held the Chiefs’ offense down. It’s a possibility that no one can either.
2. KC’s pass rush is a problem (not in a good way)
Blame it on the health of Frank Clark or Chris Jones moving to the edge, but Kansas City’s biggest problem on defense is the pass rush or lack thereof. In Sunday’s game, Jalen Hurts threw for 387 yards on 48 passes — which was largely due to having time in the pocket. He was sacked twice by Mike Danna and three times overall, however, there isn’t enough consistent pressure.
For a defense that is second-worst in the league in percentage of drives that end in a score, having seven sacks isn’t going to cut it. Even if the end result isn’t a sack, generating heat on an opposing quarterback subtracts the time he has to make reads.
The fix may be creativity on blitzes or moving Jones back inside. At the moment, though, it’s going to take more than just one or two changes.
3. Jody Fortson is becoming involved
If we’re being honest, there wasn’t a huge expectation for Fortson to be contributing on offense this early in the season. However, the 25-year-old now has a touchdown in back-to-back weeks
Fortson only has four catches for 20 yards on the year, but it’s clear that getting him the ball in the red zone is working. The team is 2-for-2 in that regard. The wide receiver-turned-tight end is not going to be an every down weapon — especially with Josh Gordon being activated in the coming weeks. Where he can shine is taking advantage of Kansas City’s misdirection and trickery in the red zone. It’s hard not to be impressed with his ability to do so through four games.