Thursday Night Football: Week 3

Chiefs vs Eagles:

Both new head coaches have settled in well for their respective franchises which makes for a mouth watering encounter on Thursday Night Football. Last year both of these teams had poor seasons but 2013 looks bright for both Kansas City and Philadelphia.

Andy Reid returns to his old hunting ground where he coached the Eagles for 14 years before departing after a disappointing 2013 season. Reid will forever have fond memories of his time in Philly as he helped take the team to six NFC East titles, five NFC Championship Game appearences and one Super Bowl which ended in defeat.  He will lead his 2-0 Chiefs team in to Lincoln Financial Field hoping to knock off the new looks Eagles who are led by Chip Kelly.

Kelly's offensive genius has been a breath of fresh air to the Eagles and he has helped Michael Vick recapture the type of form many people had forgotten he was capable off. Vick threw 428 passing yards and two touchdowns in the 33-30 week 2 defeat to the Chargers as well as 203 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-27 week one win over the Redskins. It is well known the Vick's downfall was his turnover ratio but he has thrown no interceptions in his first two starts under Kelly and lost just one fumble. On the ground he rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown from 5 carries vs the Chargers and had 54 yards with a touchdown from 9 carries during the opening weekend.

His 38/61 completed passes is a welcomed site personally and for everyone involved with the Eagles but can they get the in a high stakes emotional matchup so early in the season? This Eagles offense suits the up tempo style Chip Kelly has implemented as it utilizes the threats of running back LeSean McCoy who has had a monster start to the season as well as dynamic receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson has hauled in 297 yards and two touchdowns already this year so if he can continue this good start with Vick and McCoy then the Eagles could be a surprise package in 2013.

With that being said it is early days and the same can be said for the Chiefs who have matched their 2012 win tally already this season with two straight wins so far in 2013. Alex Smith is thriving in his new environment with the QB yet to throw an interception and helping the Chiefs improve on clock management whilst bringing the best out of their receiving corpse. Jammal Charles has also contributed in both of the teams win and you could argue that Charles Vs McCoy is just as important as Smith Vs Vick come tomorrow night.

The Chiefs first win was straight forward over the Jags but the week 2 win over Dallas showed they have the metal to contend for a spot in the post-season this year. Victory for either team would be beneficial and although it is early days it could go a long way come the end of the regular season. It will be a close call my bold prediction is that you can expect both quarterbacks to throw their first interceptions of the year.

I feel the emotions of facing Andy Reid may be too much for certain players within the Eagles' ranks and keeping their emotions in check will be crucial to any success the Eagles hope to have tomorrow night. As for the result well I'm going to stick my neck out and choose the Chiefs. It will be a close game but I think their defense is more likely to cause turnovers than Philly's which will give Alex Smith the opportunity to manage the game and get Kansas the win on the road with the QB throwing at least two touchdowns tomorrow night.

Predicted Result: Kansas City 27-24 Philadelphia Eagles