National Football League 2017 Week 2

The Chiefs pass rush sacked Tom Brady three times in the first game.

No, you don’t win a game with just one play, early or late. This game is the biggest game in the young career of Doug Pederson and a win versus his mentor would only enhance his assertiveness throughout the season.

Andy Reid has been a master at scripting plays against his opponents.

Andy Reid specializes in a couple of things: He always beats his former assistants who go on to head coaching jobs; and he always wins when he gets extra time to prepare. Hopefully he can carry that over into next week against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Of course we can’t discuss Sunday’s game without talking about the elephant in the room.

Reid gives the credit to Smith for helping the Chiefs keep their cool in a pressure situation in New England.

With the Chiefs a legitimate Super Bowl contender, it will be one of the compelling offseason storylines to watch if Smith continues to perform the way he did last week and he helps lead the Chiefs past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993, perhaps even to a Super Bowl. His fantastic play earned him AFC player of the week honors, as well as the FedEx Air player of the week.

The Kansas City Chiefs found out this week just how many people were watching their 42-27 stunner over New England last week. Pat Shurmur and Brad Childress were the two offensive coaches to come off of the Reid coaching tree to become head coaches, but they did not run an offense as identical as Reid’s. In Smith’s lengthy career, he has never thrown for 300 yards in consecutive games.

Fifth-round pick Tyreek Hill proved to be the steal of the National Football League draft last season.

The Chiefs offense percolated against the Patriots thanks to their agile offensive line creating running lanes for Hunt and protecting Smith. They are going to have to get something going, especially against the Chiefs, if they are going to be able to build on their success in week one. No matter how many connections there are, fans can expect a well-played game. With Darby out for the Eagles, Hill will look to be a big target for Smith.

The Chiefs return essentially the same line that struggled to find an identity a year ago. Steven Nelson is also on IR, which leaves Kansas City thin in the secondary. Jaylen Mills and Patrick Robinson are going to have to step up big time at corner if the Eagles are going to contain Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt, and the suddenly explosive Chief’s offense. Eric Berry has a history of making game-changing plays.

The Chiefs will be without safety Eric Berry, and his partner on the backend, Ron Parker, is listed as questionable.

CHIEFS RELEASE SPILLER – The Chiefs on Saturday released running back C.J. Spiller, opening a spot for running back Akeem Hunt on the 53-man roster.

After three quarters, the Eagles trail the Chiefs 13-10. Runs extremely well, tough, very smart, doesn’t turn the ball over – everything you want from a quarterback. On third-and-8, a determined Long drove his way to the pocket and sacked quarterback Alex Smith at the Philadelphia 49.