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The Kansas City Chiefs (7-2) Monday Night Football showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles (8-1) is arguably the most hyped regular-season game of the year.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, discussed the Super Bowl LVII rematch on their “New Heights” podcast.
Jason Kelce gushed over Kansas City’s “unbelievable” defense, a squad allowing just 15.9 points per game, tied for the fewest in the league. It’s no secret that the Chiefs’ defense is the main reason Kansas City remains atop the AFC West and it’s frustrating for Travis Kelce.
“We have quite the challenge going up against the Eagles defense,” he said. “They’ve only allowed 538 yards rushing through nine games. The biggest challenge for us will be getting Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-[Helaire] downhill.”
With the Eagles allowing “the lowest amount rushing yards allowed in the span of 79 years,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and his fellow receivers must dial it up.
The 34-year-old tight end lamented on the November 1 episode that the offense must start pulling their weight. “Our defense is playing their tail off,” he said. “For us to keep turning it over, we’re putting them in bad situations and they’re saving our tail, it’s getting real one-sided.”
“It’s not like what we’ve been in the past. We’ve got, in my mind, the best offensive mind in the game. We’ve got the best quarterback so this is not acceptable and we all feel that way. It’s a challenge at this point in the season to get this thing right right now before it gets out of control and it gets really bad.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Feels the Same Way as Travis Kelce
Travis Kelce wasn’t saying anything about the Chiefs offense that his teammates don’t already know. Mahomes, who’s on pace for the statistically worst season of his career, is aware they need to step it up.
The Chiefs have committed 17 turnovers this season. Kelce leads the offense with just 57 receptions for 597 yards and four touchdowns. In second, rookie Rashee Rice with 32 catches for 378 yards and four touchdowns. For a team led by a two-time Super MVP, the bar is high for an explosive offensive performance.
“We understand that it’s going to take the offense at some point to have to have the big game to win it [but] our defense is holding it down for us right now,” Mahomes told reporters.
Defeating the Eagles, the top team in the NFC, won’t be easy, but this matchup opens the door for Mahomes to make some big plays and blow up the score with deep balls. While the Eagles’ defense ranks No. 1 in the league against the rush, according to Fox Sports, they rank 28th against the pass. Philadelphia is allowing an average of 257 passing yards a game and a total of 19 touchdown receptions.
“You never know how the game is going to go,” Mahomes said. “It could be high-scoring, it could be low-scoring. Two teams that usually find a way to get a win playing on Monday Night Football in front of the whole world, it’s going to be a great game, and I’m glad it’s at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.”
Travis Kelce’s Stats May Get a Boost With Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Stadium
Taylor Swift, Kelce’s girlfriend, last game appearance was during the Chiefs’ 31-17 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on October 22. After the game, CBS flashed a graphic that showed off Kelce’s stats when the 12-time Grammy winner was in attendance and when she was not.
With Swift, Kelce averages 99 yards a game. Without her, his average drops to 46.5 yards per game. While the amount of screen time the “Shake It Off” songstress gets bothers some NFL fans, after seeing the uptick in Kelce’s stats, “Taylor can stay around all she wants,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters.
According to ET Online, Swift will be at Arrowhead on Monday, November 20, along with her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift. Scott Swift grew up an Eagles fan, but based on the Chiefs lanyard he wore while standing next to Kelce at “The Eras Tour” in Buenos Aires, he’s switched allegiances.
Donna and Ed Kelce will also be in attendance for the big game on Monday Night. While the Kelce brothers expressed on their podcast how they “feel bad” about how much attention they receive, their parents’ meet-cute with Mr. and Mrs. Swift may steal the show at Arrowhead.
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