Just as they did in Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles once again came up victorious against the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's Week 2 showdown. The Eagles' 20-17 win moved them to 2-0 on the season, while the three-time defending AFC Champion Chiefs are now 0-2.
Unlike the Super Bowl, this was a close and competitive game throughout. The biggest difference between the two teams on this day was the game's only turnover. The turnover was the result of a juggled pass by Travis Kelce that was picked off by Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba. The pick set up a Jalen Hurts touchdown, which would eventually be the difference in the game.
Down 20-10 late, Patrick Mahomes gave the Chiefs hope with a 49-yard bomb to Tyquan Thornton. But it was too little, too late, as the Eagles chewed up the rest of the game clock after Hurts converted on yet another quarterback sneak.
The game's first touchdown was courtesy of Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, whose 13-yard scamper was longer than any of his carries in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs responded with a touchdown run by Mahomes before both teams traded field goals to end the first half.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Sunday's game.
While they were down 13-10, the Chiefs appeared to have momentum at the start of the fourth quarter. Mahomes was finding his rhythm and had Kansas City in position to take the lead.
But the 14-play, 74-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock ended with Kelce juggling Mahomes' pass in the end zone. The pass was instead secured by Mukuba, who would have likely scored on the play if not for an incredible play by Chiefs rookie tackle Josh Simmons.
The Eagles offense took full advantage of the turnover on their ensuing possession. Facing a third-and-10, Hurts lofted a 50-50 ball deep downfield to DeVonta Smith, who outmuscled Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie for possession.
With the ball inside the Chiefs' 5-yard-line, everyone knew what was coming: the Tush Push. The Chiefs stopped Philadelphia's controversial play on third down, but Hurts and Co. found pay dirt on fourth-and-goal.
This sequence by the Eagles was complementary football at its best, which helped Philadelphia win last year's Super Bowl and is a big reason for its 2-0 start to 2025.
A big question heading into the game was whether or not the Chiefs' defense would once again focus on containing Barkley while forcing Hurts to beat them. The Chiefs decided to focus on Hurts this time, and while the strategy worked for a while, Barkley and the rest of the Eagles' offense ultimately prevailed.
Sans his touchdown run, Barkley was a forgotten man in the first half, gaining 30 yards on six carries and catching two passes for six yards. In the second half, though, the Eagles fed their 2,000-yard back, who responded with a hard-earned 58 yards on 16 carries.
All told, Barkley ran for 88 yards on 22 carries, seven months after rushing for 57 yards on 25 carries in the Super Bowl. While Sunday wasn't his best day from a statistical standpoint, it was nonetheless a vintage performance from the NFL's best running back against one of the league's better defenses.
Barkley's success on Sunday was not only a reminder of the versatility of the Eagles' offense; it was also a reminder of everything the Chiefs' offense currently lacks. While Mahomes outplayed Hurts from a statistical standpoint, he doesn't have nearly enough help. That is the biggest reason for Kansas City's 0-2 start.
Sure, the Chiefs didn't help themselves when Harrison Butker missed a field goal in the first half. Kelce's mistake on the interception was a massive moment in the game, too. But because of their lack of playmakers, the Chiefs need to play an almost perfect game if they are going to win. That wasn't the case Sunday.
With Rashee Rice suspended and fellow wideout Xavier Worthy injured, Mahomes had to lean more on Kelce, who caught four passes for 61 yards. In addition to having a weakened receiving corps, Mahomes also had to shoulder the load in terms of the Chiefs' running game. His 66 yards rushing (on just seven carries) was 35 yards more than Kansas City's second leading rusher, Kareem Hunt.
In Mahomes, the Chiefs still have one of the NFL's best players. But until they get him more help, Mahomes will be fighting an uphill battle.
Hurts sneaks for a first on third-and-1, and with the Chiefs being out of time outs, the Eagles will leave Kansas City with a 20-17 win.
The play of the game was undoubtedly Andrew Mukuba's pick of Mahomes that set up Hurts' game-winning TD on a QB sneak. That was the game's only turnover.
Chiefs aren't out of this one, yet, not after Mahomes hits Tyquan Thornton for a 49-yard TD that makes it a 20-17 game with 3 minutes left.
Unfortunately for KC, their onside kick attempt didn't go the required 10 yards, to the Eagles take over in KC territory. The Chiefs are out of time outs, which is surely why KC decided to attempt the onside kick.
Philly took full advantage of Mukuba's pick, taking a 10-point lead moments later on Hurts' TD on fourth-and-goal while running the famous Tush Push. The score was set up by Hurts' 28-yard strike to DeVonta Smith, Hurts' first completion of the day that was past six yards off the line of scrimmage.
Kelce appeared to be on his way to a go-ahead TD, but he juggled Mahomes' pass that was picked off by Andrew Mukuba, who then raced 41 yards downfield.
Momentum-turning play for the Eagles, who didn't allow a point on KC's 14-play drive that took over half a quarter.
The Chiefs are threatening to take the lead as we head to the fourth quarter. Mahomes has found his rhythm and is now up to 117 yards on 14 of 21 passing. A reason for his success has been Travis Kelce, who leads both teams with 61 yards on fourth catches.
As expected, the Eagles fed Barkley more that quarter, who responded with 30 yards on 7 carries. But he didn't get much help, has Hurts has been unable to get anything going downfield.
The Chiefs started the half with a turnover on downs after an unsuccessful run on fourth-and-1. The Eagles got the ball on the KC 35 but could gain just two yards. It was enough, though for Butker, who drilled a 51-yard field goal.
Score: Chiefs, 10, Eagles 10
Tota yards: Chiefs, 137-113
First downs: Chiefs, 9-8
Third down: Chiefs 2-6, Eagles 2-7
Red zone: Both teams 1-1
Turnovers: 0
TOP: Eagles, 16:02
Hurts: 12-17, 62 yards, 1 sack
Mahomes: 6-11, 51 yards, 1 sack; 5 carries, 60 yards, TD
Barkley: 6 carries, 30 yards, TD; 2 catches, 6 yards
Kelce: 2 catches on 2 targets, 34 yards
AJ Brown: 5 catches on 7 targets, 27 yards
Philadelphia tied the score just before halftime on Jake Elliott's 58-yard field goal. The Eagles end the half with just 113 yards compared to KC's 137.
Barkley had just eight touches in the first half. Expect that number to go up big time in the second half.
Mahomes' running has been Kansas City's best offense so far. His 13-yard run just gave KC the lead with 2:44 left until halftime. Of KC's 137 total yards, Mahomes has accounted for 111 of it. He's been lethal on the ground with 60 yards and a TD on five carries.
A 22-yard run by Mahomes sets up the Chiefs' first score on a field goal.
So far, the Eagles have out-played the Chiefs, but the odds of the Chiefs stealing this game will increase as long as it's still a one score game. It'll remain that way for a while as the Chiefs' defense just forced an Eagles punt.
The Chiefs' lack of support around Mahomes is glaring. He's got 41 of KC's 60 yards on the ground.
Defense told the story during the opening quarter. The two teams combined for just 100 total yards (61 for Philly, 39 for kC) and were just 2 of 7 on third down. The big difference was Philly's time of possession, as the visiting team had the ball for nearly 10 minutes.
Really slow start for Patrick Mahomes, who went 1 of 4 for three yards in the opening quarter. Jalen Hurts wasn't great either, going 6 of 9 for 32 yards while taking a sack.
Saquon Barkley's longest SB run against the Chiefs was just 10 yards. Well, he's already topped that in the rematch with his 13-yard TD that gave Philly an early 7-0 lead.
The score capped off an eight-play, 52-yard drive by the Eagles, who capitalized on KC's missed field goal.
A sloppy opening drive for both teams, the Eagles started the game with a punt after picking up one first down that was a byproduct of a penalty by the Chiefs' defense. Jalen Hurts fumbled on the game's second play after getting sacked, but his fumble was scooped up by TE Grant Calcaterra, who is starting in place of Dallas Goedert.
The Chiefs also punted on their first drive after Patrick Mahomes misfired on his first two throws. The Chiefs decided to air it out on two straight plays after Isiah Pacheco gained seven yards on first down.
In the Super Bowl, KC's defense was committed to containing Saquon Barkley, who had 97 total yards but just 57 yards on 25 carries.
The Chiefs contained Barkley, but it came at the expense of allowing Jalen Hurts to carve them up to the tune of 221 yards and two touchdowns in the air and 72 yards and a score on the ground. It'll be interesting to see if the Chiefs once again focus primarily on stopping Barkley or will they pay more attention to Hurts?
This is the 11th game in NFL history between teams that played each other in the previous Super Bowl. Of the previous 10 showdowns, the team that won the Super Bowl also won the rematch.
The last time it happened was last season, when the 49ers somewhat avenged their Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Chiefs by recording a 28-18 win over Kansas City.
Like his career has been to this point, Travis Kelce's pregame attire is certainly unique. Like Brown and Smith-Schuster, Kelce is also expected to continue to see a nice amount of targets given the Chiefs' lack of receiver depth. Kelce only had two catches in Week 1, but he did record his 78th career regular season TD.
The loss of Goedert is a significant one for the Eagles. His absence will lead to more work for Grant Calcaterra, a 2022 sixth-round pick who set career-highs with 24 catches for 298 yards and a TD last season. He's got good hands, as evidenced by his 80% catch rate last season.
No surprises here, as the Chiefs continue to deal with injuries at receiver. Because of this, fans can expect more targets for Hollywood Brown, who had 10 catches for 99 yards in KC's season-opening loss to the Chargers. JuJu Smith-Schuster was second on the team with five catches for 55 yards in Week 1.
