The Kansas City Chiefs' plan of attack for slowing down the Philadelphia Eagles' offense will look a lot different when the coaching staff reconvenes on Tuesday morning than it did on Monday night.
Now, after another surprise trade by Eagles GM Howie Roseman, what was thought to be an advantage for the Chiefs this coming weekend may have been eliminated long before the title contenders take the field at Arrowhead.
With Philadelphia's addition of veteran running back Tank Bigsby on Monday night, what was initially thought to be an area of weakness on the Eagles' roster that Kansas City could exploit may now be a strength.
Addition of Bigsby Before Week 2 Eliminates Chiefs' Defensive Advantage
With Will Shipley banged up with a rib injury, and A.J. Dillon looking like anything but a dependable contributor, Kansas City was in a position to face an Eagles roster that would have been extremely shorthanded behind All-Pro rusher Saquon Barkley.
Now, even though he won't have a full grasp of the playbook, Bigsby gives Philadelphia a legitimate RB2 option to take some of the pressure off Barkley when it comes to shouldering the load when the Eagles have the ball. That in and of itself is a missed opportunity for the Chiefs to take advantage of.
After giving up nearly 400 yards of offense against the Los Angeles Chargers in their Week 1 loss, it seems safe to say that this Kansas City defense can use any help it can get against Jalen Hurts and company this coming weekend.
This defense has plenty to prove. If they don't come out firing on all cylinders this Sunday afternoon, suggesting that fans could see a repeat of what transpired during the Super Bowl isn't out of the question. Chiefs fans want to see a different result this weekend, and Kansas City's DC, Steve Spagnuolo, knows it.
One thing we can say for certain, entering that matchup, is that Nick Sirianni and his coaching staff will be looking to send a message to the rest of the NFL. Having a second viable option in the backfield to spell Barkley will only aid that effort.
How the Chiefs respond to this move by the Eagles will be something to follow this Sunday as the game plan has unquestionably changed as a result of this trade.