2. The Chiefs have allowed the fewest offensive points in the NFL through Week 10.
Through 10 weeks, no defense has been better than Kansas City in the most important statistic of all: points allowed.
Kansas City has surrendered only 134 offensive points this season, which are the fewest of any team in the NFL. The Chiefs played one less game through 10 weeks than Baltimore, the next-closest team, to be fair, but the point remains, Kansas City’s defense has been nothing short of outstanding.
The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL to yield no more than 24 points in every single one of their games this year. Kansas City has allowed the fewest plays of 20+ yards of any team (24), and their 31 sacks rank third. It appears to be sustainable, too, as their collective performance hasn’t been buoyed by a high takeaway total (where they rank 16th) or an unreasonably high rate of success in the red zone (where they’re 17th).
This defense has simply been nothing short of outstanding through the first half of the season, and they’ll be tested yet again when Philadelphia – the No. 3 scoring offense in the NFL – takes the field on Monday.
3. Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts has the second-longest average time to throw in the NFL.
Interestingly enough, the Chiefs will go from facing a quarterback with the quickest release in the NFL in Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa (a league-leading 2.31 seconds) to a passer with one of the longest time-to-throw marks in Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, whose 3.14-second release time is the second-longest of any passer with 300+ dropbacks. For example, 61 percent of Tagovailoa’s pass attempts this season have taken place in fewer than 2.5 seconds. Hurts, by contrast, has thrown the ball in fewer than 2.5 seconds on just 41 percent of his dropbacks.
It’s all to say that Hurts plays a much different style of quarterback than what the Chiefs last faced, and because of that longer time-to-throw, there is potential for Kansas City’s pass-rush to have a significant impact on the game. In fact, Hurts has been under pressure on 37 percent of his dropbacks this year, but to his credit, the veteran quarterback has completed six “big time throws” – a subjective measure calculated by Pro Football Focus – while under pressure. His ability as a runner, as evidenced by his 316 rushing yards this season, also comes into play in those situations.
Still, Hurts has been sacked 22 times this season – the 10th-most of any player – while recording eight interceptions and three lost fumbles.
Simply put, the Chiefs’ pass-rush will likely have opportunities during Monday’s game, and when presented, it’s imperative that they take advantage.
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