NFL WEEK 11
Eagles-Chiefs: Most anticipated game of the NFL season
Monday Night Football has everything in Week 11: Super Bowl rematch, battle of the bros, top of the league teams, and even an added element of Taylor Swift.
The NFL’s Week 11 Monday Night Football game might just be the best one of the season. The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in a Super Bowl LVII rematch at Arrowhead Stadium. If you’ll recall, that game was won by the Chiefs on a late field goal by Harrison Butker. Now, both teams are coming off a bye week and the Eagles will look for redemption. There is no shortage of storylines coming into this exciting game.
Two top teams in the NFL
This Super Bowl rematch is made even sweeter due to the fact that both the Eagles and the Chiefs are at the top of their respective conferences at this point in the season, making a first in NFL history. The Eagles top the NFC with an 8-1 record, with one of the top-scoring offenses in the league (27 points per game). The Chiefs lead the AFC with a 7-2 record and one of the top defenses in the league (15.9 points allowed per game). They are the two teams with the best record in the NFL.
Mahomes vs Hurts
Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are both elite. Hurts, although he’s thrown more interceptions already this season (8) than he did all of last year (6), is playing at an MVP level. He’s completed 68.9% of his pass attempts with 2,347 passing yards and 15 touchdowns. He’s also added 316 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Mahomes has also thrown eight interceptions this season. He has completed 69% of his passes for 2,442 yards and 17 touchdowns. Those are comparable stats if I’ve ever seen them!
The one thing that will make the biggest difference in this game is going to be the defense. Though both quarterbacks are talented, the Chiefs defense has the edge over the Eagles defense, who have allowed a 66.6% completion percentage to opposing teams.
Brotherly Love/Shove
Another matchup between the NFL’s favorite siblings: Travis and Jason Kelce. Between their podcast and all of the celebrity news involving Travis and the Eagles’ “Tush Push”, you’ve surely gotten to know these two brothers this season, if you didn’t already. Travis is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and one of Mahomes’ favorite targets. Jason is the (literal) center of the dog pile in the Eagles’ famous “Brotherly Shove”.
And let’s talk about that Tush Push for a second. One of the reasons that Hurts’ average per carry is down slightly this year could be simply due to their success on fourth downs as a result of this new play. The Eagles have mastered this move more than any other team and are now first in the league in fourth-down conversions and tied for first in third-down conversions. It may be a dangerous game for Jason down there, but it is certainly working for the Eagles.
RELATED: The Tush Push debate: to ban or not to ban, that is the question
Andy Reid’s Chiefs
The Chiefs coach spent 14 years in Philadelphia as their head coach before heading to Kansas City, where he’s spent the last 11. And here’s an interesting fact: Reid has never lost to his former or current team. He went 3-0 against the Chiefs when he was the Eagles coach, and is 4-0 against Philadelphia as the Chiefs coach (including last year’s Super Bowl win).
Taylor and Travis
Although it will be difficult for Taylor Swift to attend the Chiefs vs Eagles game as she’ll be finishing up her last South American show in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, she is reportedly going to try her best to be there because her and Travis Kelce’s parents will meet for the first time, according to Entertainment Tonight and Us Weekly.
“Taylor and Travis have met each other’s parents so it only makes sense that they’d want their parents to meet each other as things between them are getting really serious,” said a source from the US Weekly. “Taylor and Travis both have a very close bond with their parents and it’s really important that their families blend seamlessly, as well.”
If there wasn’t already enough excitement built around this game, the Swiftie element will surely knock it out of the ballpark as the most-watched NFL game this regular season.
The game kicks off at 8:15 p.m. ET from Arrowhead Stadium. Follow all the action live, right here on AS USA.