The Eagles had better dispose of the Chiefs early. They don’t need to let them hang around and make a game of it in the second half. Kansas City is a bad football team and the Birds must treat them as such.
This means they must move the ball early and produce points. That attack will take place in the air and it means Kevin Kolb needs to start out hot.
Hopefully DeSean Jackson is healthy enough to turn on his speed and young Jeremy Maclin needs to read the coverages, run the right routes and catch the football.
This game is going to be dependent upon the young Eagles. We’ll get a glimpse at what the Birds could look like in the future.
Jackson, Kolb, Maclin, LeSean McCoy and Brent Celek will either encourage us that that future is going to be bright or warn us that we’re headed toward problems.
Defensively the Birds cannot let the Chiefs run the football. A successful running game would take pressure off of quarterback Matt Cassel. It would allow him to throw the ball after play action fakes and keep the Birds pass rush at bay.
Larry Johnson is over the hill but he has some talented backups. If Johnson leaves the field it could mean trouble for the Birds.
