On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs host the Philadelphia Eagles. We welcome site manager Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation — our sister SB Nation site covering the Eagles — for Five Questions with the Enemy.
1. Is it worrisome that the Eagles are now on their fourth offensive coordinator in as many seasons?
I don’t think it’s ideal but offensive coordinator stability is the exception and not the norm in today’s NFL. The longest-tenured offensive coordinators in the NFL were hired in 2022. Three of those four don’t call plays and the one who does (Mike Kafka) has gone on and off as a play-caller.
If a team has a good OC, they typically get hired to be a head coach elsewhere. If a team has a bad OC, they typically don’t have a very long leash (see: the Eagles firing Brian Johnson after 2023).
Given this reality, having a play-calling head coach seems ideal. But that’s obviously not the setup in Philly. Nick Sirianni called plays for several games in 2021 before relinquishing that duty to Shane Steichen, who was hired away by the Colts after the Eagles’ Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Kellen Moore was hired away by the Saints after the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.
Current OC Kevin Patullo could very well be in line for a head coaching job if the Eagles are really successful again this season. If not, he could meet a similar fate to Brian Johnson. Patullo showed some promise early in Week 1 before the Eagles’ offense went cold in the second half.
To this point in time, it’s hard to argue the OC changes have been a major hindrance to Eagles success. Sirianni is ultimately 49-20 in the regular season (fifth-best winning percentage of any NFL head coach ever) and 6-3 in the playoffs with two Super Bowl appearances since he was hired in 2021.
Stability would be nice. But I don’t think it’s ever really going to happen unless the Eagles can find the offensive version of Vic Fangio.
2. What did you like best about Philadelphia’s performance in the season opener against Dallas?
Jalen Hurts’ Week 1 performance was pretty encouraging. If you take away three throwaways and one drop, he was 19/19 as a passer. He consistently made good decisions as both a passer and a runner. With the Cowboys playing a soft zone, he remained patient and took what the defense was giving them. When it was time to unleash a deep shot to Jahan Dotson, his throw was right on the money. I’m feeling good about Hurts entering Week 2 — especially since he didn’t even need to rely on A.J. Brown, who only had one target (on Hurts’ final passing atttempt) to have a good game. Brown will undoubtedly be more involved moving forward.
That the Eagles won in Week 1 — despite not needing big contributions from two of their very best players (Brown and Jalen Carter) — seems like a positive to me.
3. Like the Chiefs, the Eagles didn’t get much production from their offensive line in Week 1. What’s the problem?
To me, the problem was less about the offensive line (although Landon Dickerson being banged up isn’t ideal) and more about the offensive design.
Against the Cowboys, Saquon Barkley faced stacked boxes at the highest rate (66.7%) in a game since 2019. And it’s not just like Dallas decided to stack the box regardless of what the Eagles intended to do on offense. The Cowboys were able to do that with such a high frequency since the Eagles oddly insisted on utilizing heavy packages (12 and 13 personnel) over and over. And the results weren’t very good with Barkley limited to just 60 yards on 18 carries (3.3 average).
The Eagles need to spread out the Chiefs’ defense and run out of 11 personnel more often. No reason for them not to when Dotson, who had a good offseason, looks like a capable third wide receiver. Not to mention that Dallas Goedert is now banged up — and his backup, Grant Calcaterra, just isn’t a good blocking tight end.
Again, I will be more concerned about the OL if Dickerson can’t play or has to leave the game early again like he did in Week 1. Backup left guard Brett Toth is largely untested.
4. Who is the Philadelphia rookie that the team’s fans are most excited about?
Easily Jihaad Campbell.
I can’t stop thinking about this rep where the 21-year-old dropped into coverage to break up a pass nearly 30 yards down the field:
Though he’s primarily playing as an off-ball linebacker, this is someone the Eagles will also line up on the edge to rush the passer. He has some real intriguing potential as a blitzer, which was seen during training camp and preseason games.
Pairing Campbell with Zack Baun, who received Defensive Player of the Year votes for his excellent 2024 season, is pretty exciting. For years, the Eagles were desperate to have a single linebacker who was at least solid. Now they might have the best off-ball linebacker duo in the NFL — and quality depth behind their starters as well.
The Eagles’ defense could be really good when it comes to defending passes over the middle of the field.
5. How do you see the Super Bowl LIX rematch playing out?
I’d be a fool to bet against Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead, right? The Chiefs can’t possibly go 0-2 for the first time in his career. And Andy Reid’s first time since 2014?
Well, call me a fool, then. I’m taking the Birds. I’m sure the Chiefs (and that Kansas City crowd) will be up for this game after what happened the last time these two teams met. But motivation alone doesn’t fix the very real problems that the Chiefs have going on right now.
The Chiefs being so thin at wide receiver right now is a bit of a relief for an Eagles secondary that has an obvious weakness at CB2. The Eagles’ pass rush logged zero sacks and just one quarterback hit in Week 1, but that was without Carter playing; his return figures to make a big difference for this Philly pass rush. Adding Za’Darius Smith to the edge rush rotation could also help.
The Chiefs’ defense looks vulnerable and Steve Spagnuolo has struggled to stop Hurts in the past.
There’s no way the Chiefs go down easy in this spot. But I like the Eagles to edge them out 23-20 with a game-winning Jake Elliott field goal.
Be sure to check out the answers I gave to their questions by clicking here.
