Tim McManusESPN staff writer4 minutes to read
“Listen, I’m really happy,” Jason Kelce said. “I probably would have been happier if we had a really dominant performance offensively and played great. I think the fact that we didn’t do that makes it bittersweet. I think defense is largely why we won the game.” “Today. I take my hat off to these guys, and I’m definitely happy with the 9-1 result.”
With the wind and rain a constant presence throughout the night, none of the passing attacks performed particularly well. Jalen Hurts threw for 150 yards and an interception and was sacked five times while Patrick Mahomes went for 177 yards with two touchdowns and a pick.
Hurts breathed life into Philly’s passing game midway through the fourth quarter when he hit DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard completion down the right sideline, setting up Hurts’ rushing field goal — his second of the night — to put the Eagles ahead for good. .
“I don’t think we played clean tonight. I don’t think we played at our level – not near our level,” Hurts said. “But I think the thing you can’t test or measure is the resilience that a team has, the ability to persevere and see things and overcome them, and this team has that.
“When you win games like we won games, it builds a lot of character. I think we’re in a character development mode kind of with the games we’ve played and how we’ve won. That can only serve us for great things in the future.”
Meanwhile, the Chiefs were held scoreless in the second period for the third straight game. They averaged a league-leading 5.3 points per game in the second half.
Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling could have provided points on the Chiefs’ final possession, but he dropped a perfectly placed pass inside the Eagles’ 5. Those were the four biggest drops by the Chiefs in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs’ wide receivers have dropped 9% of the passes thrown their way this season, the highest percentage over the team’s first 10 games in the past 10 seasons.
“Guys I’ve seen catching before haven’t necessarily caught. These are good players and we’re good,” Reid said. We just have to put this into perspective.
Mahomes lost a touchdown pass in a similar fashion in a Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos when wide receiver Skyy Moore dropped a pass deep in the end zone.
“They know I’m going to keep shooting. That’s just who I am,” Mahomes said. I’ll call it the open man and they usually make plays.
“Offensively, we’re not where I want to be at this point in the season, and that’s how everyone is. It starts with me.”
However, the Chiefs (7-3) are tied for the fewest losses in the AFC, while the Eagles have the best record in football. The possibility remains that they clash again in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
“These guys are going to be out there chasing, like us, so we’ll see how it goes,” Kelce said. “Maybe it will be similar in February.”
ESPN’s Adam Teicher contributed to this report.
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