3 Takeaways from Eagles' Week 4 Loss

Although the Kansas City Chiefs entered Sunday with a 1-2 record, they're still the two-time defending AFC champions. And the Philadelphia Eagles knew they were going to have a tough task trying to stop them at Lincoln Financial Field.

The Eagles kept it competitive for most of the afternoon, but the Chiefs ended up being too strong to overcome. Philadelphia took a 42-30 loss, falling to 1-3 as it suffered its third straight defeat. Since winning its opener against the Atlanta Falcons, the team has lost to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys and now the Chiefs.

Philadelphia had a solid offensive performance, racking up 461 total yards and 30 first downs while committing no turnovers. However, Kansas City had 471 total yards and 31 first downs of its own.

The Eagles trailed by only five points before the Chiefs scored a pair of touchdowns in the final six minutes, 44 seconds, both of which were passes from Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill.

Here are three takeaways from Philadelphia's Week 4 loss.

Eagles Can't Struggle This Much in Red Zone

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

The Eagles struggled in the red zone at both ends of the field on Sunday. And that's not something that can continue to happen if they are going to get back on track and have success for the rest of the season.

While the Philadelphia offense had no trouble moving the ball, it frequently stalled once it got inside the Chiefs' 20-yard line. Three of its six trips to the red zone resulted in touchdowns, but it had to settle for field goals on the other three. Sometimes, that 50 percent rate would be good enough, but not when you're going head-to-head with Kansas City.

It may help if the Eagles could get their running game going, but that hasn't been the case of late. Miles Sanders was held to 13 yards on seven carries, while rookie Kenneth Gainwell had 31 yards and a touchdown but only three carries.

At the other end of the field, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on all five of their trips to the red zone. If the Eagles had played better inside the 20-yard line on both sides, this game could have swung their way.

Hurts Bounces Back, Keeps Improving

Terrance Williams/Associated Press

Considering Jalen Hurts is a second-year quarterback with limited experience, there are going to be ups and downs for him throughout the season. The past two weeks, he had some struggles, as he was held to 190 passing yards in the loss to the 49ers and then threw two interceptions while falling to the Cowboys.

But when Hurts is playing well and living up to his potential, he can be exciting to watch. That was the case against the Chiefs, as the 23-year-old went 32-for-48 for 387 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also led the Eagles with 47 rushing yards on eight carries.

It was certainly a performance that impressed Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni, who told reporters:

"I've been around a lot of good quarterbacks, Philip Rivers and Andrew Luck. [Hurts] battled. He made good decisions with the football. He got out of trouble when there was trouble. He made good checks. He made good reads. That's the best I’ve seen him in practice. That’s the best I’ve seen him in a game since I’ve been here."

Hurts is a primary reason why the Eagles kept up with the Chiefs. And if he can start stringing games like this together, it should lead to positive results for the team, both in the short and long term.

Defense Having Trouble Limiting High-Powered Offenses

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Over the past two weeks, the Eagles have had 83 points scored against them. That's not a recipe for success, considering they would have needed to score well into the 40s to win either of matchup against the Cowboys and Chiefs.

Both of those opponents have talented offenses loaded with playmakers. So it's not too surprising that Philadelphia's defense, a unit that is still trying to get better after a tough 2020, is having trouble slowing down the strong players it's going up against.

However, the Eagles can't be giving up almost 500 yards even when playing a team like the Chiefs. Not only that, but Kansas City had five drives of at least 75 yards and another that went 65 yards. It also produced in key situations, converting nine of its 10 third-down opportunities.

"We just have to find a way to clean it up," Philadelphia safety Anthony Harris said, per Reuben Frank of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Get on the film. Continue to come in with the right attitude. Continue to take the coaching and then just continue to self-evaluate. Each player and each coach has to figure out how to come together and be on the same page."

The Eagles' defense wasn't likely to be a top-tier unit this year, but it needs to start showing improvement on that side of the football if it hopes to win some of these games against opponents with strong offenses.