Eagles Need To Be 'On The Same Page Through The Chaos' Of Arrowhead

Nick Sirianni isn’t unfamiliar with Arrowhead Field.

The Eagles’ head coach began his professional career under Todd Haley in Kansas City, and continued it under Romeo Crennel. Ultimately, Sirianni spent his first four NFL seasons in "The Heart of America," meeting his wife in the process.

It wasn’t exactly the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid halcyon days, where it rains wins in between some of the best barbecue in the country, but it was enough for Sirianni to realize the fan base was among the most loyal in the country.

And when the Chiefs are winning, perhaps the loudest fan base in the NFL.

It's Very Loud

“It's very loud,” star left tackle Jordan Mailata admitted. “All I remember is this [the chopping the fans do] and like hearing the ringing sound you get when I guess you get slapped [tinnitus].

“That's how loud it gets."

Sirianni’s second NFL gig was also in the AFC West with the Chargers (from 2013 through 2017), which meant five consecutive seasons of returning to Arrowhead Field (now officially known as GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).

The last two stints on Sirianni’s resume – Indianapolis and Philadelphia - didn't guarantee yearly trips back, but the anomaly of the Eagles and Chiefs being really good at the same time has meant that the two franchises see a lot of each other despite being in opposite conferences.

According to Elias Sports, Sunday’s game between the Eagles and the Chiefs will be the first time since the 1970 merger that an NFC team and an AFC team will meet for five consecutive seasons (including the playoffs).

Obviously, the most high-profile of the matchups have been Super Bowls LVII and LIX. Kansas City won the first two in the mini-rivalry, and the Eagles bounced back in the last two, including the 40-22 drubbing of the Chiefs in February to win the Lombardi Trophy.

Only one of those previous games took place at Arrowhead, and the Eagles won two years ago, although an emotional Sirianni gave it to the fans he once called his own. The gloating wasn’t considered the coach’s finest moment, and Philadelphia followed it with a 1-6 collapse down the stretch of that season.

“I can’t concern myself with that,” Sirianni said when his last visit to Kansas City was brought up on Friday.

The Eagles’ coach, who has built up to the point that he has the third-highest winning percentage in the Super Bowl era (49-20, .710) did entertain a broader question by Eagles On SI about the environment, however.

“It's a loud atmosphere. I know they take a lot of pride in it being loud, and it is loud,” said Sirianni. “Handling adversity is not just bad things that happen, it's putting yourself in situations-- We try to do this at practice, loud situations, and practice and making yourself uncomfortable, so you can be as comfortable as you can when you get into these moments.

“Communication will be key. I'm probably saying something that everybody says when they go in there and play, and what they say when they come in here and play. That communication will be key, and handling adversities will be key, and that's the key to go in there and be on the same page through the chaos.”

In the end, home-field advantage only exists for good teams.

When Sirianni was coaching in Kansas City, the lore of Arrowhead was dormant because the talent just wasn’t good enough, resulting in 23 wins over four seasons.

With Mahomes and Co., Arrowhead has generally been a house of horrors for most. However, the Eagles are clearly the more talented team heading into Sunday’s encounter and that is often the best equalizer any coach can have.

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