The Eagles are big home underdogs to a Chiefs team that hasn’t been good at covering the spread

Will this game be more competitive than some think?

After getting blown out by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3, the Philadelphia Eagles are bound to get absolutely stomped by the Kansas City Chiefs (6.5-point road favorites) in Week 4. Right?

Well … maybe not?

It’s admittedly difficult to envision Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts teaming up to top arguably the league’s best head coach-quarterback combination in Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

But maybe the Chiefs aren’t quite as scary as they seem to be.

Through the first three weeks, no team allowed more points (31.7 per game) than Kansas City. There should be some hope that the Eagles’ struggling offense can produce against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

The perception that the Chiefs are this indomitable juggernaut just isn’t exactly reality. Again, this isn’t to suggest they’re bad or anything because they’re obviously not. Their offense ranks fifth in points per game and they have some frightening weapons on that side of the ball.

Since the start of the 2020 season, though, 13 of the Chiefs’ 19 regular season games have ended as one-score affairs. They’re a mere 2-12 against the spread in their last 14 tilts (h/t Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic). Here are some more relevant splits to consider:

• Chiefs ATS after a loss: 1-2
• Chiefs ATS as a road favorite: 3-6
• Chiefs ATS with a rest advantage: 1-5
• Chiefs ATS in non-conference games: 1-4

So, maybe history provides some hope that the Eagles can at least keep it close?

Merely covering the spread shouldn’t offer Philly much satisfaction. The Birds shouldn’t be celebrating moral victories. But in a season about trying to gather information about Hurts and Sirianni, it would be nice to see them keep this game much more competitive than Monday night’s blowout loss. Not going to be a good look if this team continues to get boat raced.