Indeed, a handful of self-inflicted mistakes – particularly in the second half – prevented Kansas City from putting the Eagles away on Monday night, the largest of which being a red zone giveaway early in the fourth quarter. It thwarted what was otherwise a strong start for the Chiefs, who amassed a 10-point lead prior to halftime.

Mahomes – who completed 24-of-43 passes for 177 yards and two scores on the night – found wide receiver Justin Watson and tight end Travis Kelce each for touchdowns in the first half to build that initial lead, but for the third-straight week, Kansas City didn’t score in the second half.

Despite those offensive struggles, however, the Chiefs’ defense managed to keep Kansas City in the game throughout. The Chiefs held Philadelphia – which entered the game as the No. 3 scoring offense in the NFL – to just 3-of-11 on third down and only 238 yards of offense. Kansas City also racked up five sacks on Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts, including two each by cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive tackle Chris Jones.

That defensive effort held the Eagles to just seven points in the first half, but to its credit, Philadelphia managed to rally for two scores – including a go-ahead touchdown midway through the fourth quarter – in the second half.

“[It was] self-inflicted plays,” said safety Justin Reid. “We have to stop on the penalties. If we don’t hurt ourselves over the course of the game, I don’t think there is any team out there that can beat us. We just have to hone in and play football the way that the Chiefs know how to play football.”