Rookie Andrew Mukuba helps Eagles pull off another win over Chiefs and a 2-0 start

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Eagles rookie safety Andrew Mukuba couldn’t have picked a better time to notch his first regular-season pick.

Early in the fourth quarter with the Kansas City Chiefs looking for the go-ahead touchdown in the red zone, Mukuba was in the perfect position to snag Travis Kelce’s dropped pass 1 yard shy of the goal line. His play helped the Eagles protect their 13-10 lead, which they added to for a 20-17 victory on Sunday.

Mukuba filled up the stat sheet in his second career game, finishing the game with the interception, a half sack, a tackle for a loss and six tackles.

The Eagles have now won three straight contests against Kansas City. Here’s our instant analysis from Philadelphia’s second consecutive win of the season:

Disjointed Eagles offense pulls through

The Eagles offense had an up-and-down afternoon, especially in the passing game. Hurts finished with 15 completions on 22 attempts (68.2%) for 101 yards. He did not have a passing touchdown for a second straight week. Hurts also had five carries for 15 yards, including a Tush Push touchdown.

After gaining just 9 yards through the first nine plays of the game on two possessions, the Eagles finally got on the board on the third. Late in the first quarter on first-and-10 from the Kansas City 13-yard line, Saquon Barkley took advantage of sound blocking up front, dashing into the end zone untouched to put the Eagles up, 7-0.

Barkley fared better against the Chiefs than he did in Week 1 vs. the Cowboys, rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

Hurts wasn’t taking many chances deep for a second straight game. His longest completion of the first half was a 13-yard screen pass to DeVonta Smith on the Barkley touchdown drive in which the receiver generated 17 yards after the catch.

Things didn’t get better to start the second half. The Eagles defense gave its offense a gift when they forced a turnover on downs at the Chiefs’ own 35. Mukuba stuffed Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on a third-and-1 pass for no gain. The Chiefs went for it on fourth down on a split inside zone run, but Nolan Smith sniffed it out, blowing up ball carrier Kareem Hunt in the backfield for a loss of a yard.

But the Eagles couldn’t find the end zone. After two Barkley carries for 1 yard apiece, Hurts was blitzed on third down. He chucked up a desperation heave for Smith, but it was thrown too high for the 26-year-old receiver.

After Mukuba’s interception, the Eagles offense began to get into a rhythm. Hurts completed a 28-yard pass to Smith while facing a zero blitz to bring the Eagles to the Chiefs’ 3-yard line. A second-try Tush Push touchdown put the Eagles up, 20-10.

Mahomes magic not enough

Going into the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was down his top two receivers in Rashee Rice, who is suspended for the first six games of the season, and Xavier Worthy, who was injured in the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

His lack of receiving options was noticeable, especially in the first half. The three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback completed just six passes on 11 attempts for 51 yards in the first half. Travis Kelce was his most effective target, posting two catches for 34 yards, including an 18-yarder on fourth down with Mukuba trailing in his wake. That 18-yard pass was Mahomes’ longest of the first half.

But Mahomes was dangerous with his legs. Whenever the Eagles vacated the middle of the field, Mahomes made them pay. He scrambled five times for 60 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone, just 3 yards shy of his single-game career-high rushing total (63 yards and a touchdown on six carries against the Tennessee Titans in 2022). He added two more carries for 6 yards in the second half.

His final scramble of the first half was the most significant. On first-and-10 from the Eagles’ 13-yard line, Jalen Carter got into the backfield on a stunt, but he fell to the ground, allowing Mahomes to dash down the right sideline for a touchdown to tie the game at 10.

Mahomes got cooking late in the third quarter, completing a 23-yard pass to Kelce on a crosser, but he was eventually thwarted by Mukuba’s interception later on in the drive. Still, the Chiefs quarterback wasn’t discouraged. His 49-yard bomb to a wide-open Tyquan Thornton with three minutes remaining in regulation pulled the Chiefs within three points. Still, the Chiefs fell short of pulling off a comeback.

Za’Darius Smith debuts

In an effort to add reinforcements to the Eagles’ pass rush, Howie Roseman signed veteran edge rusher Za’Darius Smith the day after the season-opening win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Smith made an impact in the first half. Early in the second quarter on third-and-8, Vic Fangio called a delayed safety blitz, allowing Mukuba to rush B gap unscathed. In the backfield, the rookie safety teamed up for a sack of Mahomes with Smith, who beat left tackle Josh Simmons outside off the edge.

But Smith wasn’t just effective as a pass rusher. He also made some plays against the run, posting one tackle for a loss and another at the line of scrimmage for no gain. He finished the afternoon with four total tackles and the half sack.

Injury report

In the fourth quarter, Jordan Davis chased Mahomes out of bounds and pulled up lame. He jogged off the field and went back to the locker room.