The Eagles prepare to take on the Chiefs in Week 2. Take a look at some of their key players to watch.
QB Alex Smith threw for 368 yards and four touchdowns on an efficient 28-35 passing performance against the Patriots in Week One. Since joining the Chiefs in 2013, Smith has led the Chiefs to the playoffs three out of four seasons.
TE Travis Kelce not only led the Chiefs in receiving yards last season but also led all NFL tight ends with 1,125 receiving yards to go along with four touchdowns.
WR Tyreek Hill became the first NFL player in history to record five consecutive regular season games with at least one 60 or more yard touchdowns. He finished Week One with 133 yards off 7 catches and one touchdown.
CB Marcus Peters in just two seasons has intercepted 14 passes, forced two fumbles and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2016.
RB Kareem Hunt had an impressive rookie debut. Hunt totaled 148 yards rushing on 17 carries for a touchdown and 98 yards receiving on five catches for two touchdowns in the Chiefs' Week One win.
WR Chris Conley embarks on his third season with the Chiefs after finishing third on the team in receptions in 2016.
LB Justin Houston enters his seventh season with the Chiefs. The four-time Pro Bowler has been among the NFL's elite at getting to the quarterback. Last time Houston faced the Eagles in 2013 he exploded for 4.5 sacks.
LB Derrick Johnson has spent his entire 13-year career in Kansas City. During that span, Johnson has tallied up 1,088 tackles, 14 interceptions, and four Pro-Bowl appearances.
DT Bennie Logan will line up against the Eagles after spending his first four seasons in Philadelphia. Logan started in 51 contests for the Eagles and totaled 163 tackles.
The offense was far from flawless in the Sunday's win but it was a promising start nonetheless.
The Eagles put up 30 points against the Redskins. The team reached the 30-point plateau just once all last season. Offensive coordinator Frank Reich expressed his pleasure in the team's potential.
"One of the things we said to the offense today was, 'It's great to be able to go on the road in Week 1 against a division opponent and win and still have some things you have to work out because we have to get a lot better. And we will get better,'" Reich said.
The offense's next test will be the Chiefs who bested the Patriots last Thursday. Reich has an idea of what the Eagles will be facing in Week 2. Prior to joining the Eagles, Reich spent three seasons with the Chargers, a divisional rival of the Chiefs in the AFC West. Reich is familiar with just how difficult an environment Kansas City is to play. Although the Chiefs will be without one of the league's best safeties in Eric Berry, they went 6-2 at home and allowed the seventh-fewest points last season.
"The pressure that they put on the passer. Playing in that environment on the road. You know obviously I've coached in that division, played against that defense a number of times. It starts for them up front. They're very talented at linebacker. (Marcus) Peters is a great corner," Reich said. "Obviously Berry being hurt is a significant loss but they're very well coached and they play good team defense. They're aggressive and it all starts with the pressure that they put on the passer."
Here's what else Reich said Tuesday afternoon:
On wide receiver Nelson Agholor's 86-yard performance:
"I think we always talked that Nelson on third down is you're going to get a lot of man coverage. Nelson is fast, explosive, good off the line versus press. Good route runner, good feet, and good separation at the top of routes. Just playing with a lot of confidence right now and Carson (Wentz) has a lot of confidence in him. That's building and that needs to keep building."
On the offense throwing the ball deep this season:
"I think we really worked hard on getting some players in the building that we felt comfortable throwing the ball deep to. We've worked on that throughout the entire offseason. Throwing it, design plays for it, thinking personnel. Coach (Doug Pederson) made it abundantly clear. We're going to be aggressive all year and we're going to take our shots. A lot of times those are lower-percentage throws but you just have to keep throwing them. You've got to have the confidence."
On the evolution of tight end Zach Ertz and his chemistry with quarterback Carson Wentz:
"It's just gotten better. They connected and had pretty good chemistry pretty quickly and that's just growing. That's just growing and I think it's good. I think that chemistry is growing as an offensive unit. Not just with those two guys but everyone knows that Zach is a key playmaker for us and we count on him every week to do that for us."
On the touchdown play to running back LeGarrette Blount:
"Sometimes down in the red zone you do little stuff like that that for us is really just eye candy as some people would say. You know the final formation you're getting into. You're just trying to put a seed of doubt in their mind for a second. They happened to go goal-line defense so we got a good matchup. We felt pretty confident that the guy that was going to cover LeGarrette. Carson identified it right away, knew where he was. We had good leverage on him and so it was well executed."
