The betting odds (via FanDuel) for the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 2 game against the Kansas City Chiefs looks familiar.
Where have I seen the Birds as 1.5-point underdogs to KC before?
Ah, that’s right!
That was the opening line for Super Bowl LIX.*
You know, before the Eagles ultimately annihilated the Chiefs by a final score of 40 to 6.
One would think Andy Reid’s team will be highly motivated to not only avenge that loss but to also avoid losing their first two games.
The Chiefs have never started 0-2 in the Patrick Mahomes era. You have to go back to 2014 to find the Chiefs’ last season that began with two straight losses.
Extra motivation might be on Kansas City’s side. But that alone likely doesn’t make up for all the issues they’re currently dealing with.
The Chiefs seem short-handed at wide receiver. Rashee Rice is suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season. Xavier Worthy is “day-to-day” with a dislocated shoulder. Jalen Royals missed Week 1 and it’s unclear if he’ll play in Week 2. Our associates over at Arrowhead Pride had the following to say after the Chiefs’ Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers:
Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton are fine role players. But if they are the team’s starting wideouts, there’s a problem.
Steve Spagnuolo’s defense looks vulnerable. Despite missing starting left tackle Rashawn Slater, the Bolts’ offense put up 394 total yards and 27 points. Justin Herbert had his way with the Chiefs’ secondary. With KC struggling to stop Jalen Hurts in the past and the Eagles quarterback looking good in Week 1, there’s reason to believe the Birds can move the ball effectively.
Slowing down Mahomes could prove to be a challenge, especially if a suspension prevents Jalen Carter from playing. The Eagles have a clear weakness at CB2 and their pass rush needs to be more effective than it was in Week 1. Probably hard to count on it being as good as it was in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs need this win more, so, they’re dangerous. But the Eagles could be up for the challenge.
What say you?
*The difference here is that the Eagles are 1.5-point underdogs in a road game as opposed to being 1.5-point underdogs on a neutral field (that actually wasn’t so neutral with a lot of Eagles fans in attendance at the Superdome).