The Eagles could not have met the Kansas City Chiefs at a worse time after Patrick Mahomes and Co. entered Week 4 in last place in the AFC West after starting 1-2 this season — because the superstar quarterback took out his frustrations on Philadelphia.
Mahomes hung five touchdown passes — three of them to Tyreek Hill — on the Eagles in a 42-30 beatdown in Week 4, relegating Nick Sirianni’s men to a third straight loss.
Hill hauled in 11 catches for 186 yards as Andy Reid’s return to Philadelphia was a successful one — becoming the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different organizations.
Speaking of organization, the Eagles had very little of it as they continued to struggle with penalties. They committed nine infractions on the day with several of them resulting in points being taken off the board.
It overshadowed an otherwise solid day from Jalen Hurts, who passed for 378 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Philadelphia’s Sunday could not have started much better. It took just four plays — and three Hurts completions — to get down into the red zone on the game’s opening drive. But the drive stalled at the 16-yard-line — including an overthrow of a wide-open Zach Ertz in the end zone — to force the Eagles to settle for a field goal to get on the board.
The Chiefs flexed their offensive muscles immediately to provide a strong answer, going 77 yards on just eight plays to take the lead with 8:02 to go in the first. After connecting with Hill for a 37-yard completion to get to the 1-yard-line, Mahomes underhanded a touchdown pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
But the Eagles continued eating up yards against an unorganized Chiefs defense, answering with an 84-yard march to regain the lead just six minutes later when Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for a three-yard touchdown pass at the right pylon.
The tight end showed an extraordinary amount of hand strength to hold onto the low throw at the shoestrings while the hand of a Chiefs defender attempted to rip the ball out while falling out of bounds.
Philadelphia’s defense couldn’t offer much resistance against the Chiefs’ offense, as Mahomes punched right back with another touchdown pass from six yards out to Hill.
Goedert and the Eagles had another touchdown wiped off the board after lineman Andre Dillard lined up illegally. It was his third penalty of the half and the most egregious, as the Eagles had to kick a field goal instead.
The missed opportunity resulted in the Eagles’ deficit extending to eight when Mahomes shovel-passed a two-yard touchdown to Jerry Fortson with 59 seconds left in the half.
With an opportunity to grow their lead even further, the Chiefs were stymied by the rarest of defensive plays made by the Eagles — an interception of Mahomes by Eric Wilson near midfield to give Hurts a shortened field. It was the first Eagles’ interception since Week 17 last season.
Once again, though, they couldn’t take full advantage as penalties played another big role in a missed opportunity.
After a field goal was nullified for a Chiefs’ offside call, the Eagles opted to go for it on 4th-&-3, where Hurts hit Ertz for a three-yard score. However, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside was flagged for offensive pass interference, moving the Eagles back 10 yards and prompting another field goal to cut the deficit to five with seven minutes to go in the third quarter.
That hole deepened before getting to the fourth quarter as the Chiefs extended their lead to 12 with 51 seconds remaining when Damian Williams punched one in from a yard out.
Rather than buckle, the Eagles found a response on their ensuing drive when Kenneth Gainwell brought them back within five with a seven-yard touchdown rush right up the middle three minutes after Kansas City’s score.
But there would be no stopping Mahomes, as he directed another lengthy 75-yard drive in six minutes to redeliver a two-possession cushion to the Chiefs. He hooked up with Hill from 12 yards out for the duo’s second score of the afternoon.
Mahomes put it beyond all shadow of a doubt with 2:30 to go when he hit Hill once again for a 44-yard touchdown.
