The Eagles muscled out a 20–17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday, leaning on defense, situational offense and Jake Elliott’s big leg in a tight Super Bowl rematch.
“Our job…is find a way to win,” coach Nick Sirianni told the media afterward. “Take pride in winning any way you can.”
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Eagles showed resilience on both sides of the ball. Here’s a breakdown of their performance by position group, with letter grades:
Quarterback: B
Jalen Hurts wasn’t flashy but protected the ball, despite an early fumble. He was 15 of 22 for 101 yards and punched in a fourth-and-goal tush push in the fourth quarter.
“The defense played lights-out. Offensively we played well when we needed to,” Hurts said.
When Hurts was kneeling to end it, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones barked at him, “You didn’t even throw for 100 yards!” Hurts responded, “We won the (expletive) game.”
Running backs: A-
Saquon Barkley carried the load, rushing 22 times for 88 yards and a score. A.J. Dillon (3-19) added some touches late to help salt the clock. Not explosive overall, but Barkley picked up tough yardage late without a ton of help.
Wide receivers: B-
The Chiefs mostly strangled big plays. DeVonta Smith (4-53, long 28) and A.J. Brown (5-27) moved the sticks, but red-zone targets favored the run game and QB sneak. Depth pieces Jahan Dotson and John Metchie III combined for two short grabs.
Tight ends: Incomplete (or a C)
With Dallas Goedert inactive, the Eagles got modest production — Grant Calcaterra 1-6, Kylen Granson 1-5 — and asked this group to block more than catch. Assignment-sound but limited impact.
Offensive line: B-
Not a clean sheet, but enough. Allowed a pair of sacks for seven yards and created just enough creases for 122 rushing yards. The late short-yardage surge and sneak touchdown were the difference.
There was criticism that the Eagles committed a false start on the tush push TD score, but they actually scored the play before and weren’t credited with it.
Defensive line: A-
Rotational punch showed up: Moro Ojomo (one sack) and Za’Darius Smith (0.5) shared the headlines, with strong safety Andrew Mukuba coming down to add 0.5 on a pressure look. Interior hands Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis disrupted and forced a condensed route tree.
Linebackers: B+
Jihaad Campbell flew around (seven tackles, five solo) and Zack Baun (six, five) timed a couple of good pressures. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ run game still leaked out (7-66, TD), but was held in check in the second half.
Secondary: A-
The play of the night belonged to rookie Mukuba, who ripped an end-zone interception off Travis Kelce for a 41-yard return to tilt the fourth quarter. Kelce finished 4-61, and the lone Chiefs explosive through the air was Tyquan Thornton’s 49-yard TD late. Sydney Brown played admirably in base and dime packages.
Nickel Cooper DeJean and No. 1 corner Quinyon Mitchell continued to hold up, though both had some misses. No. 2 corner Adoree’ Jackson bounced back from an atrocious opener to turn in a solid performance. Strong safety Reed Blankenship was quiet on the stat sheet but strong in coverage to help limit Mahomes’ options.
Special teams: A-
Jake Elliott bombed 58- and 51-yard field goals. Braden Mann averaged 54.8 yards on five punts (one inside the 20). Metchie was good returning punts (3-69, 26 long).
Long snapper Charley Hughlett committed a false start, and the Eagles’ kick and punt coverage could have been a little better.
Coaching: B+
Nick Sirianni leaned into identity: ball security, field position, and a quarterback sneak at the goal line. Vic Fangio mixed pressure early, then adjusted to Mahomes’ scrambles. Kevin Patullo’s offense still hasn’t hit its stride and drags down the grade.
“Take pride in winning… and continue to build,” Hurts said.
Overall: A-
The Birds won the narrow turnover battle (Mukuba’s pick), hit two kicks from 50-plus, and closed in four-minute mode. The Chiefs, without some key passing weapons, outgained the Eagles 294-216, but put up only 17 points. The Eagles owned the game’s defining snaps and time of possession on the road in one of the league’s toughest environments.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.
