Until recently, Kansas City’s identity was all about Patrick Mahomes and his high-scoring offense. Mahomes has the ability to outscore any opponent, and he has often needed to do just that to cover for the Chiefs’ defensive deficiencies.
The storyline has changed. The team’s identity shift this season has been dramatic. Mahomes still can do his thing, but now the defense has his back. Kansas City is tied for first in the NFL in scoring defense (15.9 ppg) through 10 weeks. At this point, it’s not a fluke or a small sample size — the evidence shows the Chiefs are winning mostly due to their defense.
The Eagles are headed to Kansas City for and a Super Bowl rematch, so it’s worth reflecting on their meeting in February. When Mahomes hobbled off the field trailing by 10 points at halftime, the outlook was bleak. The Chiefs had one offensive and one defensive touchdown, and Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was controlling the game, aside from one costly turnover. Mahomes rallied and passed for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter before leading a drive for a last-minute field goal and a 38-35 win.
The Kansas City defense is better now than it was then, and the Philadelphia offense is not quite as electric. Hurts, who rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, has averaged only 21 rushing yards in the past three games while bothered by a sore knee. Hurts also has thrown eight interceptions in nine games after throwing only six picks all of last season.