Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Bold predictions vs. Chiefs in Week 4

1. Jalen Hurts doubles the rushing yards of Chiefs’ leading rusher

Philadelphia’s offense has not clicked so far this year. Since taking apart an Atlanta defense that is being exposed weekly as one of the league’s worst defenses, the team has scored four touchdowns in two weeks. They were consistently shut down by the 49ers, and the Week 2 game was filled with mistakes.

To follow this up, the Eagles were suffocated by a Dallas team that had its way on offense. The Eagles could not apply sufficient pressure on Dak Prescott, and the quarterback threw for three touchdowns.

A major factor in the defensive performance against Dallas was the time of possession. The Philadelphia offense could not manage to stay on the field for sustained drives early in the game and had 10 minutes less with the ball. Depriving an opposition offense of time lowers their chances for success. Philadelphia has not been in sync, and much of this is down to their quarterback.

Jalen Hurts has entered his second season with the Eagles. There is a lot of hope that Hurts can reproduce the quality and talent he displayed in college. The jury is still out on his overall ability and what his ceiling may be. Hurts is a dynamic quarterback, with excellent legs and out-of-pocket scramble ability. The main concern for the team coming up against the Chiefs will be his ability to connect with targets downfield.

Time in the pocket is Hurts’ biggest issue through three weeks so far. The offensive line has not been able to provide a good platform for Hurts to throw from. He has a decent completion rate of 66 percent so far, but dwelling too long on plays is killing momentum for the Eagles. He consistently escapes the pocket late and turns to his running ability instead of taking on difficult throws. Adding to these troubles for Week 4, the Eagles will likely be without both starting guards, Isaac Seuamlo and Brandon Brooks.

It seems like the Eagles will need an excellent running game to counteract these weaknesses. Hurts has been the Eagles’ leading rusher through the season so far. The Chiefs have struggled to have any running game defense through 3 weeks against some of the league’s best rushing teams. I predict that the Eagles quarterback will have twice the rushing yards of the Chiefs’ leading rusher. This might not help the team to win overall, but Philly fans will pray that it can.