Eagles-Chiefs 2017: Game Predictions

NFL Week 2 is here.

The Philadelphia Eagles enter today’s game with a 1-0 record after defeating the Washington Redskins in Week 1. It was a very important start to the season for the Birds. I had a good feeling about that game and it turned out to be true.

I don’t have a strong feeling on today’s game. I think that’s partially because the outcome of this game doesn’t really matter a ton. As I explained yesterday:

If the Eagles lose to the Chiefs, they’ll be 1-1. But they’ll be 1-0 in the division/conference with a Week 3 home matchup against a New York Giants team that looked awful in Week 1. So the Eagles could still easily be 2-1 with a 2-0 record in the division/conference even if they lose in Kansas City.

The stakes just aren’t very high. The Eagles don’t have a ton to lose.

With that said, the Eagles can sure prove a lot by winning this game. The Chiefs are a good home team. Philadelphia struggled to win on the road in 2016. The Eagles can prove that the Week 1 over Washington wasn’t just a blip on the radar.

Jim Schwartz’s unit can show what they’re really made of today. With Ronald Darby out, the challenge of covering Tyreek Hill has become even more difficult. Stopping Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce won’t be easy, either. It’s up to this Eagles defensive line to come up big yet again and get regular pressure on Alex Smith, who is prone to taking sacks.

On offense, the Eagles need a better performance out of Carson Wentz today. Philadelphia’s offense flashed a deep ball element in Week 1. The only issue is that Wentz couldn’t hit his receivers, namely Torrey Smith, with an accurate pass. In addition to making these plays, the Eagles might need Wentz to break out some of the magic he pulled off against Washington. The good news is he’s special and has the ability to do things like that on a weekly basis.

This might be a game where Wentz really has to step up and win it himself. It could be up to the second-year quarterback to make up for some of the other deficiencies on the team: a non-existent running game, a burnable secondary, a backup kicker, etc. That’s what franchise quarterbacks do; they win in spite of less than ideal circumstances.

I know moral victories aren’t very satisfying, but personally I’ll be OK with the outcome of this game as long as the Eagles play hard and keep it competitive. Anything more is gravy; a win would be excellent. A loss here sure isn’t ideal but I hardly think it ruins the Eagles’ season.

For more predictions, check out BGN’s weekly NFL game predictions and our NFL picks against the spread.

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Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: Eagles lose, 28-21.

Bold prediction: Alshon Jeffery scores three touchdowns.

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