Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Eagles in Philadelphia Thursday night looking to start the season 3-0.
Last season the Chiefs went 2-14. Under new coach Andy Reid they look like a legitimate playoff contender . If Kansas City can stop the Eagles high-powered offense, and Alex Smith doesn’t turn the ball over, Reid should be triumphant in his first return to Philadelphia.
Andy Reid, or course, spent the last 14 seasons coaching the Eagles. He led them to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. He was fired after the Eagles went 4-12 last season and ownership decided a fresh start was best.
With new head coach Chip Kelly, the Eagles are 1-1 and feature one of the NFL’s most explosive and fast paced offenses. Under Kelly’s leadership, Michael Vick looks like a new player at quarterback and LeSean McCoy looks unstoppable at running back.
Andy Reid’s Chiefs have one major advantage over the Eagles though, balance. The Eagles might have the third best scoring offense in the NFL, but they also have the 28th worst scoring defense. Opposing teams can rack up the points and stay in games. It’s why the Eagles have lost a game.
The Chiefs problem last year wasn’t the defense. Kansas City sent six defenders to the Pro Bowl. Their problem was offense. With Alex Smith under center this season, the problem looks solved. Smith doesn’t turn the ball over and is 21-5 as a starter. All he does is win.
Alex Smith and the Chiefs should keep up the winning trend tonight. The Eagles are good, but the offense hasn’t been tested by a good defense yet. The Chiefs have a great defense. Philadelphia will score, just not the 30 plus points they’ve put up the first two games. A score in the low 20’s is more realistic.
Against the Eagles poor defense, Alex Smith should have no trouble getting Kansas City in the red zone enough to score. Welcome back to legitimacy Kansas City!
[image via Wikimedia Commons]