How Eagles ‘character development mode’ helped them come from behind against Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl LVII rematch, the Eagles trailed the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth quarter Monday night 17-14 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The Eagles offense had sputtered for most of the night, stymied by the Chiefs defense and having to claw for every yard possible, getting the occasional chink play here and there.

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With 6:55 left in the game, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw the ball downfield, heaving it in wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s direction. Smith jockeyed for position with Chiefs safety Mike Edwards and gained a step. Concentrating on the ball, Smith hauled in the catch for a 41-yard gain, setting up Hurts for a 1-yard touchdown run to come away with the 21-17 win .

“You have to go out there and make a play because it all comes down to executing,” Smith said after finishing the game with six catches for 99 yards. “I feel like everybody has full trust in everybody and that’s what makes this team even better. When you go out there with that trust and everyone is executing their job, there is no better feeling.”

Smith’s late catch and the final result was the latest example of the Eagles coming from behind again and finding a way to win. The Eagles are now 6-1 in one-score games, with three coming against teams that currently hold a playoff spot. The Eagles have also trailed at halftime in three of their last four games but have found ways to make adjustments and come out on the winning end of those contests. Their 9-1 record may make them look like they have run through the teams on their schedule, but the ability of the team to come up with clutch plays when they have trailed this season is their defining trait, and it has made them look like a team that is poised to make another deep playoff run for a second-straight season.

Hurts has been the main component behind the offense’s ability to make plays late. Heading into Monday’s game, Hurts’ best numbers came when the Eagles were trailing. According to Pro Football Reference , when the Eagles are ahead, Hurts has completed 63.6% of his passes (89 of 140) for 985 yards, four touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 70.1 quarterback rating. However, when the Eagles are trailing, Hurts’ completion percentage is 74.7% (53 of 71) for 663 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 126.7.

Monday was not Hurts’ best offensive output, with Hurts completing 14 of his 22 passes for 150 yards and an interception. However, he began to rely on his legs again, showing no ill effects of the bone bruise that limited his effectiveness rushing the ball weeks ago, finishing with 29 yards and two touchdowns while picking up key first downs in the process. Afterwards, Hurts said the Eagles have yet to play a complete game this season, but each win in tough games is helping the team in a key intangible.

“The thing that you can’t test or quantify is the resilience that a team has and the perseverance and the ability to see through and overcome things,’ Hurts said. “This team has that. We have yet to put up a performance to our standard, but we continue to find ways to win. When you win games like we’ve won games, that builds a ton of character, and I guess we are in character development mode with the games we’ve played and how we’ve won but it will only help to serve great things in the future.”

Hurts’ message has resonated in the locker room, with each player knowing the role they have to do to help facilitate a comeback.

“We’ve been here before,” cornerback Darius Slay said. “This isn’t anything new. We just go out there, play ball, and do our job and not try to do everybody else’s job. It’s like what Hurts always says. We each have to check our box. We checked that box tonight and we came up with the win.”

Left tackle Jordan Mailata said there were things that the players were able to take away from previous losses and use tonight, and it has helped them to weather the storm when things get tight in these close games. Mailata added the traits needed to succeed are from the “it” factor the team has developed and instilled over time.

“Personally, I think you can’t coach grit and you can’t coach determination,” Mailata said. “This is the culture that we’ve set. We have guys who want to rise to the occasion and want to step up to make plays.”

Defensively, the Eagles allowed the Chiefs to put up 17 points in the first half, and shut them out in the second half, giving the offense time to mount the comeback. The defense helped by getting timely stops, including a fumble forced by cornerback Bradley Roby and recovered by linebacker Nicholas Morrow , and on the Chiefs’ final drive, with defensive end Josh Sweat putting pressure on quarterback Patrick Mahomes, forcing him to take an intentional grounding penalty that put the Chiefs in a fourth-and-25 play, which they did not convert.

Safety Kevin Byard was played in two of the close games the Eagles have been involved in, first against the Dallas Cowboys and then again Monday. Byard said the defense has been resilient during the time he has gotten there, and can handle any form of adversity.

“We find ways to get wins,” Byard said. “In my first two games here, as far as a secondary, we didn’t play our best ball. I think coming into this game and the way the game kind of went, I think it’s the belief and the resiliency of this team where we say ‘Hey, no matter what type of adversity we’re faced with, we’re going to fight through it.’ For the defense to get a shut-out in the second half, and the offense coming on late there, that’s the definition of a team victory.”

The Eagles will undoubtedly find themselves in this situation again, especially with their upcoming four-game stretch that has them facing the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, and Seattle Seahawks, teams still in the thick of a playoff race and all of whom they may face in the postseason at some point. Although they may want a win that has some breathing room, they know they can fall back on their makeup to come through and potentially win.

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