Eagles grades: Defensive line comes up as big as Jalen Carter; offense does enough to beat the Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 20-17 win over the Chiefs:

It wasn’t pretty, especially through the air, but Jalen Hurts continued his winning ways as the Eagles beat the Chiefs for a third straight time. Hurts and the passing offense struggled. He completed 15 of 22 passes for just 101 yards.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was more successful containing the quarterback than he was in the Super Bowl. His patented blitzes also created more havoc than they did in February. Some of that was on the Eagles’ O-line and their running backs, but also on Hurts’ lack of recognition. Some of the fault lay with the Eagles offensive coaching staff that couldn’t scheme receivers open downfield.

» READ MORE: Marcus Hayes: ‘The Kingdom’ falls: Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes lose again to Nick Sirianni, Jalen Hurts and Eagles

Hurts wasn’t as dangerous on the ground, either. He got decked dancing in the pocket by Chiefs defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott. He didn’t have a non-Tush Push run until he scrambled for 11 yards just before the first-half two-minute warning. But those short yardage sneaks were huge — one of the last a touchdown that iced the game. Hurts also had no turnovers.

Saquon Barkley did a lot of the heavy lifting with the pass offense grounded. The Chiefs didn’t necessarily sell out to stop him like they did in the Super Bowl, but he faced a lot of crowded boxes. Barkley finished with 88 yards on 22 carries and scored when he motored 13 yards through a gaping hole in the first half.

He broke several tackles and converted a third down in the third quarter. A play later, he cut back against the grain for 11 yards.

A.J. Dillon was second up with Will Shipley out with an oblique injury. He rushed three times for 19 yards. Cameron Latu took some snaps at fullback and had a strong block ahead of Barkley in the fourth quarter.

It took all of one series for A.J. Brown to receive a target after last week’s neglect. He somehow pulled in a catch with one hand after tripping just before the break. Brown, later in the drive, caught a pass that was marked short of the marker, but it appeared he had rolled over the Chiefs defender for a first down. There was no booth review under two minutes. He ended up with five grabs on eight targets for 27 yards.

DeVonta Smith led the Eagles with 53 yards receiving on four receptions. He caught a 13-yard screen in the first quarter. He just couldn’t bring in a jump-ball heave by Hurts on third down in the third quarter. Smith landed on his back and took some time before gingerly walking off the field. He saw a similar pass on a zero blitz and this time came down with a big-time, 28-yard catch at the 3-yard line.

» READ MORE: Cooper DeJean’s path to the end zone on his life-changing pick-six was paved by an unlikely Eagles duo

Jahan Dotson caught just one pass for 4 yards. John Metchie played a fair amount of early snaps as the third receiver, likely because the Eagles favored his blocking over Dotson’s.

Grant Calcaterra was TE1 with Dallas Goedert out with a knee sprain. He was toasted off the edge in pass protection on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage. Hurts fumbled as a result, but Calcaterra fell on the loose ball.

Calcaterra fared better as a run blocker than he did in the opener, but overall, it was a mixed bag. He had one catch. No. 2 tight end Kylen Granson caught a 5-yard pass for a first down in the fourth quarter. He also chipped in at fullback.

Jeff Stoutland’s unit hung in there despite the relative inefficiency of the offense. The Chiefs were able to play downhill with the Eagles unable to make them pay through the air.

Right guard Tyler Steen got driven back into Hurts, who hit his guard as he threw incomplete on a first-quarter third down. But Steen also had some key blocks in the running game, most notably on Barkley’s touchdown.

Center Cam Jurgens and right tackle Lane Johnson also had key blocks on the run. Jurgens was called for holding — negating Hurts’ scramble for a first down — but he might have been victimized by Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis’ acting. Johnson was mostly excellent in pass protection.

» READ MORE: Tom Brady’s Super Bowl memories, Taylor Swift’s secret entrance, Tush Push hate, and more from the Eagles-Chiefs broadcast

Left guard Landon Dickerson made it to the finish line despite a lingering back issue. He committed a second-quarter false start penalty. Left tackle Jordan Mailata seemed to be the culprit on a missed block when Barkley was dropped for a loss on the Eagles’ first drive. Mailata had a key kick-out block on Smith’s 13-yard screen.

Hurts converted the first two Tush Pushes sneaking behind the left side of the line. He was stopped short later on third down but crossed the plane for a fourth-quarter touchdown that gave the Eagles a 20-10 lead.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was under duress for most of the game, while Kansas City running backs averaged few rushing yards. The Eagles’ D-line deserves a lot of the credit.

Jalen Carter got the start at defensive tackle and wasn’t disciplined in terms of playing time for last week’s spitting incident. When he looped outside on a stunt, Carter failed to contain Mahomes, who scrambled 13 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Carter lined up on the edge in the third quarter and nearly got a pressure. He appeared to hurt his right arm at some point but never left the game.

Jordan Davis continued his outstanding play against both the run and pass. He finished with five stops and had several pressures. Davis batted a third-quarter pass incomplete. He cramped up in the fourth quarter.

Outside linebacker Nolan Smith had maybe the defensive play of the game when he blew up tight end Noah Gray on a Chiefs fourth-and-1 try in the third quarter that led to Davis’ stop.

Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo finally got home for his first sack of the season in the fourth quarter, but it was a dagger.

Za’Darius Smith made quite a debut after getting signed just a week ago. He set the edge and made a run stop for a loss in the first quarter and had another tackle near the line later in the first half. He split a sack in the second quarter.

Jalyx Hunt hit Mahomes and forced an errant throw in the second quarter. Josh Uche notched an early tackle of Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.

Byron Young was the fourth in the defensive tackle rotation and got in on a couple of scrums. Rookie Ty Robinson was active for his first NFL game, but didn’t play much, if at all.

Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell were all over the field. Baun had five solo tackles and a pass breakup when Mahomes couldn’t convert the Chiefs’ first third down.

Campbell spent some time covering Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and once dropped him short of first down on a short completion. Campbell’s third-down blitz up the “A” gap was picked up and Mahomes found Kelce for 23 yards. Campbell hit Mahomes late for a personal foul in the fourth quarter.

Adoree’ Jackson rewarded his coaches’ patience with a steadier outing after a brutal first game. He missed a tackle on a short pass that went for a first down in the second quarter. Jakorian Bennett went in for the injured Jackson (left hand) a few plays after his whiff, but Jackson returned that series.

In the third quarter, Jackson answered the bell on a deep pass to receiver Tyquan Thornton. Mahomes went at Jackson playing soft in a quarters zone and receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had an 11-yard completion. Jackson had tight coverage on a long toss late that went out of bounds.

Quinyon Mitchell was up and down. He was called for holding in the second quarter, which offset a sack by Davis. Mitchell had a fourth-quarter pass breakup that was negated by Campbell’s personal foul. He was in coverage when Thornton caught a late 49-yard touchdown, although Mitchell appeared to be looking for post safety help that wasn’t there.

Cooper DeJean played well and led the Eagles with seven tackles. He was closest in coverage on Kelce’s first catch of the game: a 16-yarder in the second quarter. He had a good open-field tackle in the second quarter. And later in the drive, he dodged a block on a screen and made the stop.

He trailed Kelce on his 23-yard reception and got stiff-armed for yards after the catch.

The Chiefs went after rookie Drew Mukuba and he had his challenges but also some solid moments. He played in nickel personnel again. The rookie chipped in on Smith’s tackle for loss in the first quarter. His blitz on third down resulted in a sack split with Smith. Mukuba lost Kelce in man coverage and the end result was an 18-yard catch-and-run before the half. Later in the drive, he bounced off Mahomes, who ran for a first down.

He rebounded after the half with a third-down tackle for no gain on a short crosser. And Mukuba was in the right spot at the right time when Kelce deflected a pass into his arms at the goal line for an interception in the fourth quarter. He went the other way for 41 yards.

Syndey Brown played in base when Mukuba wasn’t on the field, but that meant few opportunities. He also played in dime. Reed Blankenship wasn’t challenged much in the deep third. But his coverage played a large part in Mahomes completing just 55% of his throws.

Jake Elliott boomed a 58-yard field goal before the half for his second successful kick from that distance in the first two games of the season. He added a 51-yarder in the third quarter to give the Eagles a 13-10 lead.

Punter Braden Mann had another strong game. His first punt went 41 yards and out of bounds at the 9-yard line. Mann launched one 70 yards, but the Eagles’ cover unit missed a few tackles on Nikko Remigio’s 25-yard return. He rocketed another for 63 yards, but it went into the end zone for a touchback.

Dotson had a 14-yard punt return and two fair catches. The Chiefs kicked away from the recently acquired Tank Bigsby and took their chances against Metchie, who averaged 23 yards on three kick returns.

Long snapper Charley Hughlett had a false start that pushed Elliott’s first attempt back 5 yards, but his kicker had his back. Hughlett’s snaps were otherwise fine.

Sydney Brown took a holding penalty on an Eagles punt return in the third quarter.

Nick Sirianni has his team 2-0 with an impressive win at a tough road stadium in sweltering heat. It was a gutty victory, despite offensive issues and some defensive sloppiness.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo doesn’t gets the same mark as his boss. The Chiefs defense made it hard, but Patullo’s unit has been lacking something through two weeks. It’s still early.

The first few drives were a little choppy as Spagnuolo used the blitz to hurry Hurts. But Patullo dialed up tempo on the third possession and the Eagles moved the ball on the ground and with the short pass game to score the game’s first touchdown.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio held Mahomes and Co. to 17 points and that’s to be commended. His group played with great effort. Fangio famously didn’t have to blitz Mahomes in the Super Bowl, but the coordinator sent some extra rushers at the quarterback with varying degrees of success.