It's a Super Bowl rematch: NFC-leading Philly visits AFC-leading KC on Monday night
PHILADELPHIA (8-1) at KANSAS CITY (7-2)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. EST, ABC/ESPN/ESPN+.
OPENING LINE: Chiefs by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Eagles 5-2-2; Chiefs 6-3.
SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead series 6-4.
LAST MEETING: Chiefs beat Eagles 38-35 in the Super Bowl on Feb. 12, 2023, in Phoenix.
LAST WEEK: Eagles bye; Chiefs bye.
EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (8), PASS (10), SCORING (T3).
EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (1), PASS (28), SCORING (18).
CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (19), PASS (5), SCORING (13).
CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (17), PASS (5), SCORING (T2).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles minus-2; Chiefs minus-4.
EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Jalen Hurts probably enjoyed having last week off as much as anyone after taking a helmet off his already bruised knee during the Eagles' win over Dallas two weeks ago. Even though he was hobbled in that one, he still threw for 207 yards and a TD while running for 36 yards and another score. He will be facing one of the NFL's stingiest pass defenses when he arrives at Arrowhead Stadium, though.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: Rashee Rice had a slow start to his career, but the second-round pick out of SMU has started to emerge as the biggest playmaker among Kansas City wide receivers. He has 32 receptions for 378 yards with three TD catches in his past five games. It is incumbent upon him to take some pressure off TE Travis Kelce, who was held to three catches and 14 yards by the Dolphins during their game two weeks ago in Germany.
KEY MATCHUP: Eagles WRs A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith against the Kansas City secondary, which held the high-flying Dolphins under wraps — Tyreek Hill had eight catches for 62 yards and Jaylen Waddle had three for 42. Brown is coming off a seven-catch, 66-yard performance against the Cowboys, and Smith had three for 51 yards, while both had TD receptions.
KEY INJURIES: The Chiefs come into the game healthy. The Eagles placed LB Nakobe Dean (foot) on injured reserve and will be without TE Dallas Goedert (fractured forearm) for at least the next few weeks, while RG Cam Jurgens (foot) could return after spending five games on IR and CB Bradley Roby (shoulder) also could be back.
SERIES NOTES: The Chiefs have won four straight against the Eagles, all since former Philadelphia coach Andy Reid took over in Kansas City in 2013. That includes the biggest game of them all, when the Chiefs rallied in the second half for a 38-35 win in the Super Bowl last February. ... Philadelphia has not beaten the Chiefs since Sept. 27, 2009, and has not won in Kansas City since a 37-31 victory on Oct. 2, 2005.
STATS AND STUFF: The Eagles have the best record in the NFC and the Chiefs have the best record in the AFC. Both were off last week. ... The Eagles have shared or held the best record in the NFL every week going back to Week 1 of last season. ... Philadelphia has won eight of its first nine games for the second straight year but only the seventh time in franchise history. ... Eagles QB Jalen Hurts is 25-2 over his past 27 regular-season games. He has won 12 straight regular-season games against teams with winning records, tied with Peyton Manning and Vinny Testaverde for the longest streak by a QB since at least 1950. ... Eagles WR A.J. Brown is second in the NFL with 1,005 yards receiving. He is the fastest player in franchise history to reach 1,000 yards, doing it in nine games. ... Kansas City has the longest active streak in the NFL with at least 15 completions at 99 games. Another game would make the Chiefs the third team in history to reach 100. ... The Chiefs have had multiple sacks in eight straight games, while a ninth would match the fifth-longest streak in club history. ... Chiefs coach Andy Reid can pass Hank Stram (124) and become the first winningest coach for two different clubs. Reid had 130 wins with the Eagles. ... Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and TE Travis Kelce have connected for 50 TDs. They need two more to pass Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham for the third-most QB-to-TE touchdowns in NFL history. ... Kelce reached 10,941 yards receiving for his career against Miami, passing Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record. ... Mahomes will pass Len Dawson with his 44th consecutive start at QB, the second-longest streak in Chiefs history. ... Kelce needs two TD receptions to pass Jason Witten (74) for fifth most in NFL history by a tight end.
FANTASY TIP: If there is one weakness for Philadelphia, it is the pass defense, which is better than only four other teams in the league. Kelce is always a must-start player, but this could be a good week to stick Rice into the starting lineup, and perhaps take a flyer on big-play threat Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
___
AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
