The AP staff weighs in on the Chiefs-Eagles game…

Let’s see what Arrowhead Pride contributors — and our readers — think about Sunday’s game against the Eagles.

For the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 3 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Arrowhead Pride writers largely thought the Chiefs would win; only two predicted a Chargers victory. But most of them at least thought it would be a close game. Our readers were more worried about a Kansas City loss; about one in five thought Los Angeles would win.

Let’s see what our contributors — and our readers — think about Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Tom Childs (@tomchilds56)

With everything that has gone wrong in recent weeks, I do think that the Eagles have drawn the short straw by having to face Kansas City this week. If you have watched any of the Chiefs’ press conferences this past week, you can tell that the team is frustrated — and that they are looking to take their anger out on someone. While I think the Chiefs will win by a couple of scores, I do expect that the Eagles will find some success offensively against this truly awful Kansas City defense. Chiefs 38, Eagles 24

John Dixon (@Arrowheadphones)

On paper — that is, based on what each team has done so far this season — a Kansas City-Philadelphia matchup looks pretty close. But if it weren’t for the turnovers during the last two games — which represented extreme outliers for an Andy Reid Chiefs team — what’s on that paper would look a lot different. Over the last eight seasons, Kansas City leads the NFL in turnover margin. If the Chiefs regress even part of the way towards the mean on turnovers — which has to happen sooner or later — they should be able to handle the Eagles. I’m thinking it will be sooner rather than later. Chiefs 31, Eagles 20

Talon Graff (@CoachGraff34)

Thanks to the hot starts of their AFC West foes — and their own early blunders — the Chiefs are in dire need of a win. The Broncos and Raiders each head into Week 4 undefeated — and with the Chargers nipping at their heels with a 2-1 record. Philadelphia has suffered two straight losses of their own — and don’t look to have the horses to hang with the Chiefs. However, I shared that same sentiment when the opponent was Baltimore, so any given Sunday keeps me from being over-confident. The Eagles’ front seven is anchored by star defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, so I expect this game to be dictated by whether the Chiefs’ offensive line or the Eagles’ defensive line wins that battle. Philadelphia has allowed over 100 rushing yards in each of the first three games — so if the offense takes care of the ball, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the ground game could be a huge factor in this one. Chiefs 34, Eagles 24

Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels)

The Eagles are exactly what the doctor ordered for the Chiefs this weekend. Philadelphia is a complete mess. They lead the league in penalties — and when you combine that with all of the injuries they’ve endured, there’s no reason why the Chiefs shouldn’t win this game going away. And what better way for Andy Reid to become the first coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different teams than to do it back in Philadelphia? As long as the Kansas City offense takes care of the ball, this game will be ugly for Eagles fans. Chiefs 42, Eagles 24

Ron Kopp Jr. (@Ron_Kopp)

Even as early as it is in the season, Week 4 is pretty much a must-win game for the Chiefs — mainly for the sanity of the players and the fan base. Few would have guessed this team would already have two losses already; a third could really cause some panic both in and out of the locker room. I believe Kansas City is the team to beat in the AFC — and I see them proving that against the weakest opponent they’ve faced so far. They’ll finally cover the betting line, earning Andy Reid his 100th win as the team’s head coach in familiar territory. A monster game from Travis Kelce will be the highlight. Chiefs 41, Eagles 23

Rocky Magaña (@RockyMagana)

This is a must-win game for the Chiefs; they cannot afford to fall three games back in the division. Given the way the last two games have ended, it’s fair to be apprehensive about the team’s prospects heading into this one— especially since the last time the Chiefs faced a mobile quarterback like Jalen Hurts, the defense was carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey. But this Eagles team does not utilize Hurts’ legs in the same way that the Baltimore Ravens do. Miles Sanders is a legitimate lead back — but the Eagles have shown that if they fall behind early, they will abandon the running game. They have a pair of first-round wide receivers — Jalen Reagor and DeVonta Smith — along with talented tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Individually, I like each of Philadelphia’s pieces on offense — but if you put them all together, they just don’t seem to work. Philadelphia’s biggest weakness is its linebacking corps, which struggles to stop both the run and the pass. As long as the Chiefs can hold on to the ball, they should come out of this one on top. Chiefs 34, Eagles 28

Kramer Sansone (@KramerTalks)

For the Chiefs to make a 1-2 start seems unrealistic, but it’s happened. This should be a statement win for the Chiefs — one that secures Andy Reid’s 100th win as the team’s head coach — but I see it playing out extremely tightly. For me, the run defense is an extreme question mark; this could be one of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ best games as a rusher. Also, until the Chiefs can prove to me that they can put up 30-plus points and have a two-possession lead when the clock hits 0:00, I won’t be ready to say they are all the way back. Remember: this is a team that is a muffed punt away from being 0-3. I believe the Chiefs win this one — but not by much. Chiefs 24, Eagles 21

Jared Sapp (@TrumanChief)

Not all 1-2 records are created equal. The Chiefs own a victory over a playoff team — and if not for their own mistakes, would likely be 3-0. The Eagles defeated a team that will likely pick early in the 2022 Draft — and in their two losses, have looked badly outmatched. While defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s performance this season has been questionable, this is a situation in which he generally shines. The Eagles are a one-dimensional offense featuring an inexperienced quarterback who has had accuracy issues. The Chiefs will look to build off of the running game’s improved performance in Week 3, riding a balanced offensive game plan to a comfortable win. Chiefs 35, Eagles 24

Stephen Serda (@StephenSerda)

After the Chiefs’ performances through three games, it seems risky to call this a get-right game — but through three Eagles games, that’s how this game shapes up. Philadelphia — also 1-2 — has struggled offensively since its Week 1 performance against the Falcons. When Philadelphia got down early on Monday night, we saw the team immediately abandon the run — and when trailing out of the gate, it just isn’t a team that can pass its way to victory. The Chiefs’ passing offense is just as explosive as the Cowboys — and Tyreek Hill needs a get-right game himself. Against the Eagles, the Chiefs get some things figured out. Chiefs 35, Eagles 21

Matt Stagner (@stagdsp)

This season hasn’t started the way anyone would have liked or predicted — but at some point, the Chiefs absolutely will get back on track. Assuming that’s a given, this has to be the week. They can’t afford to overlook any team, but the Eagles represent a pretty good matchup for the Chiefs. It’s not too difficult to see this as a game where Clyde Edwards-Helaire gets another 100-plus yards and the defense forces a turnover or two — and that when it matters, Mahomes looks like Mahomes. Andy Reid’s squad should come out focused and determined to prove they are who we thought they were. Chiefs 45, Eagles 24

Bryan Stewart (@BryanStewart_)

If the Chiefs’ offense will simply take care of the football on Sunday, they can very well score 35 points against the Eagles without breaking a sweat. I think we will see just that — and although I do expect the defense to make strides as the season goes on, great progress will have to wait a little while longer. This feels like a matchup where the Chiefs will jump up big and then proceed to frustratingly give up more garbage time points than they should. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill will both shine. Chiefs 37, Eagles 27

Pete Sweeney (@pgsween)

Over the last two weeks, the Chiefs have made most of us look bad here in the pick section — and it’s largely because of self-inflicted wounds. Those can be fixed. I also thought the defense took a small step forward against the Chargers. Perhaps that continues. Watching this Eagles team on Monday night against the Dallas Cowboys, I just find that the Chiefs are in another class — even though the Chiefs and Eagles both have the same 1-2 record. As Chiefs players came to the podium this week, the in-house theme became clear: “We’re not letting this happen again.” The Chiefs win (and for bettors, finally cover), avoiding a collective mashing of the panic button in Kansas City. Chiefs 34, Eagles 14

Ethan Willinger (@ecwillinger)

This early in the season, the results of close games between good teams don’t tend to be all that predictive of postseason success. Many contenders are still working out their kinks. A few midseason adjustments can flip early losses into wins later in the season (for example, if the Chiefs protect the football and defeat the Chargers in Week 15). However, at this stage, you can already learn a lot about the outlook of a supposedly good team by how convincingly it defeats an inferior opponent. True contenders typically handle their business against teams they should beat — even if they are still finding their footing in the season. While the Eagles are far from a pushover, the Chiefs have the clear upper hand in this matchup. I think Kansas City reminds us it still belongs among the league’s elite. Chiefs 35, Eagles 23

Ties in the standings are broken with prediction points error — how much each prediction misses the actual point spread and the number of points scored by each team.

Our Tom Childs had the best prediction of Week 3. His call for a 33-30 Chargers victory had 12 points of error. Kramer Sansone was right behind him with his prediction for a 34-31 Los Angeles win; it was off by 14 points. Now all alone with the best overall record, Tom rocketed all the way to the top of the standings, while Kramer rose from last place to fifth.