Eagles safety Rodney McLeod, corner Jaylen Watkins exit with hamstring injuries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Somehow, the Eagles' secondary held up reasonably well Sunday, despite having to make up for two more losses to injuries.

Safety Rodney McLeod and cornerback Jaylen Watkins left with hamstring injuries in the first half of the Eagles' 27-20 loss to the Kansas City. Neither player returned, further decimating an already undermanned unit.

McLeod is a starting safety and one of the key contributors on defense. He was replaced by veteran Corey Graham, who missed a tackle on Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt's 53-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Watkins, who has rotated between safety and cornerback in his career, started in place of top cornerback Ronald Darby. Darby was out with a dislocated ankle. Third-round pick Rasul Douglas replaced Watkins when he went to the sideline.

Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill, a big-play threat, was held to 43 receiving yards and a long gain of 18 yards. Tight end Travis Kelce had a big day (eight catches, 103 yards, one touchdown), but the secondary was not a major problem for the Eagles.

Douglas said he expected the Chiefs to go deep on him quickly, with the rookie matched on Hill, but they did not.

"I think they held up fine, did an outstanding job," coach Doug Pederson said. "There were some great plays and some great efforts on defense. …We've got to eliminate a couple of big plays and try to fix [it] though, but overall I thought the guys stepped in and played well, played hard. Got some great experience."

There certainly didn't seem to be a big difference between Watkins and Douglas.

"Man, I didn't realize Jaylen went out, too," defensive end Brandon Graham said afterward. "This was a good game for guys like Rasul to get out there. … It was an exciting game, a learning game for us."

Jake Elliott made his first Eagles field goal, a 34-yarder that tied the score at 3-3, but late in the first half, his next attempt did not go nearly as well.

After a fluke bounce led to a 53-yard Zach Ertz reception, the Eagles had two seconds remaining in the half and a shot at what should have been an automatic 30-yarder that would have sent them into halftime tied at 6. Elliott seemed to boom the kick straight through, but Kansas City coach Andy Reid had called timeout. And this time, the "icing" ploy actually worked — Elliott pulled the next attempt wide left.

"Really just a pull, and something I've got to forget about right away," said Elliott, who later hit from 40 yards. He said the timeout "just made me sit out there a little bit longer; it shouldn't affect anything. Just not a good kick."

Elliott was signed last week for Caleb Sturgis, who tore a hip flexor in the opener at Washington.

With the need for more help in the secondary, the Eagles made wide receiver Marcus Johnson inactive after playing him last week. That allowed both Douglas and Dexter McDougle to make their season debuts Sunday.

The other inactive players were Darby, wide receiver Shelton Gibson, defensive tackle Destiny Vaeao, defensive end Steven Means, and offensive lineman Chance Warmack.

The Eagles needed only six inactive players because they have one open roster spot after placing Donnel Pumphrey on injured reserve.

With a hand injury sidelining Vaeao, sixth-round pick Elijah Qualls played for the first time. Johnson's absence meant the Eagles played only four wide receivers.

Nelson Agholor's only catch was a touchdown, scored with eight seconds remaining. … Hard to say what officials were thinking, ruling Alshon Jeffery down before he was touched on Jeffery's 16-yard TD. In the days before replay review, this would have been quite a problem. … Chris Long got his first Eagles sack. … Former Eagle Bennie Logan was among the Chiefs victimizing Isaac Seumalo for a sack. … Mychal Kendricks' sack was his first since 2015. … Blitzing Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen, helping make up for the loss of Eric Berry, got three hurries of Carson Wentz.