Whether or not Chip Kelly's style of offense is successful long-term, it's going to be awfully fun to watch, as the Philadelphia Eagles' 33-27 victory against the Washington Redskins last night indicated.
Philly amassed over 50 plays, 300 yards, and 26 points in the first half of last night's game. A 34-yard touchdown run by standout running back LeSean McCoy early in the 3rd quarter put the Eagles up 33-7, where they took their foot off the gas, which played a large factor in Washington coming back to make the score more respectable.
For the game, the Eagles ran 77 plays for 443 yards (5.8 per), including 180 passing on 25 attempts (7.2 per) and 263 rushing on 49 attempts (5.4 per). They also converted 26 first downs and hung on to the ball for 32 minutes 39 seconds. Quarterback Michael Vick looked a little pumped early in the game, which resulted in some overthrows, but overall, was very efficient. He completed 15 of 25 pass attempts (60.0%) for 203 yards (8.1 per), 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, for a great quarterback rating of 112.6. He also ran the ball 9 times for 54 yards (6.0 per) and a touchdown. His passing numbers would likely have looked even better if the team continued throwing the ball in the 2nd half. However, after building a 33-7 lead early in the 3rd quarter, Chip Kelly and company decided to run the football and take time off the clock.
Speaking of which, tailback LeSean McCoy had a huge day. The tailback ran the ball 31 times for 184 yards (5.9 per), and a touchdown. He also caught one ball out of the backfield for 5 additional yards.
Speedster DeSean Jackson led the team with 7 catches for 104 yards (14.9 per) and a touchdown. Tight end Brent Celek caught the other touchdown - finishing with 2 catches for 56 yards (28.0 per).
Like I mentioned last week in my Eagles season preview, while the offense was generating the most talk, the biggest question mark for me was with the team's defense, as well as special teams. To my surprise, the defense played pretty well throughout the course of the game, except for when they were called on to play prevent to take time off the clock. The defense caused three turnovers, a safety, batted down six balls, hit the quarterback nine times, sacked Griffin on three of those occasions, and totaled six tackles for a loss. They were in Robert Griffin III's face for a good 2.5 quarters before easing off on the pressure of the second-year quarterback. They also held stud tailback Alfred Morris in check, as Morris gained just 45 yards on 12 carries - his career low in yards to this point. The Eagles' defense last year was notorious for not generating pressure on opposing teams' quarterbacks, not stopping the run, and of not causing turnovers. While this was just one game, the fact Philly's defense looked vastly improved in all three areas had to have been a welcome sight for Eagles' fans.
Also, the team's special teams looked quite a bit better than last year. Place kicker Alex Henery was solid as always. Four of Donnie Jones' six punts went inside the 20-yard line. Philly returned one kick 27 yards. Lastly, the Eagles' coverage units played very well. Last year, it was not uncommon to see Philly opponents return kicks back to the 40-yard line or so. In this game, that wasn't the case at all. Washington only averaged 18.7 yards on three kick returns and 7.0 yards on two punt returns.
While it was just one game, it's understandable to hear a certain buzz in the air about the Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly is bringing something new to the game, is prompting a great deal of excitement about the team, and it should be a lot of fun to watch this team progress in the weeks ahead this season. I think the only big questions I have with this new offense are: 1) How will the team pace itself in the weeks ahead? Will they take their foot off the gas like they did in Monday Night's game or go about things in a different manner since Washington made a comeback when that happened?, 2) Was the offense getting worn down in the second half, and if so, what will be done to prevent that from happening later in the season?, and 3) While an increased number of plays on offense usually means an increased amount of productivity, it could also mean more hits and more injuries to key players. Is this a concern at all for the coaching staff and if so, what do they plan on doing about it?
Whatever the answers to those questions are, no one can complain too much about Chip Kelly's start as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The team is 1-0, with a big divisional road win against the NFC East Champion from last year. To put that into perspective, the Eagles won only one divisional game all of last year - finishing 1-5. Up next for the Eagles is a home game against the San Diego Chargers next Sunday afternoon. The Chargers are coming off a heartbreaking 31-28 last-second loss to the Houston Texans, where San Diego led at one point by the score of 28-7. It should be a fun one. We'll see if the Eagles head to their Thursday night contest against Kansas City 2-0 or an even 1-1.
Philly amassed over 50 plays, 300 yards, and 26 points in the first half of last night's game. A 34-yard touchdown run by standout running back LeSean McCoy early in the 3rd quarter put the Eagles up 33-7, where they took their foot off the gas, which played a large factor in Washington coming back to make the score more respectable.
For the game, the Eagles ran 77 plays for 443 yards (5.8 per), including 180 passing on 25 attempts (7.2 per) and 263 rushing on 49 attempts (5.4 per). They also converted 26 first downs and hung on to the ball for 32 minutes 39 seconds. Quarterback Michael Vick looked a little pumped early in the game, which resulted in some overthrows, but overall, was very efficient. He completed 15 of 25 pass attempts (60.0%) for 203 yards (8.1 per), 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, for a great quarterback rating of 112.6. He also ran the ball 9 times for 54 yards (6.0 per) and a touchdown. His passing numbers would likely have looked even better if the team continued throwing the ball in the 2nd half. However, after building a 33-7 lead early in the 3rd quarter, Chip Kelly and company decided to run the football and take time off the clock.
Speaking of which, tailback LeSean McCoy had a huge day. The tailback ran the ball 31 times for 184 yards (5.9 per), and a touchdown. He also caught one ball out of the backfield for 5 additional yards.
Speedster DeSean Jackson led the team with 7 catches for 104 yards (14.9 per) and a touchdown. Tight end Brent Celek caught the other touchdown - finishing with 2 catches for 56 yards (28.0 per).
Like I mentioned last week in my Eagles season preview, while the offense was generating the most talk, the biggest question mark for me was with the team's defense, as well as special teams. To my surprise, the defense played pretty well throughout the course of the game, except for when they were called on to play prevent to take time off the clock. The defense caused three turnovers, a safety, batted down six balls, hit the quarterback nine times, sacked Griffin on three of those occasions, and totaled six tackles for a loss. They were in Robert Griffin III's face for a good 2.5 quarters before easing off on the pressure of the second-year quarterback. They also held stud tailback Alfred Morris in check, as Morris gained just 45 yards on 12 carries - his career low in yards to this point. The Eagles' defense last year was notorious for not generating pressure on opposing teams' quarterbacks, not stopping the run, and of not causing turnovers. While this was just one game, the fact Philly's defense looked vastly improved in all three areas had to have been a welcome sight for Eagles' fans.
Also, the team's special teams looked quite a bit better than last year. Place kicker Alex Henery was solid as always. Four of Donnie Jones' six punts went inside the 20-yard line. Philly returned one kick 27 yards. Lastly, the Eagles' coverage units played very well. Last year, it was not uncommon to see Philly opponents return kicks back to the 40-yard line or so. In this game, that wasn't the case at all. Washington only averaged 18.7 yards on three kick returns and 7.0 yards on two punt returns.
While it was just one game, it's understandable to hear a certain buzz in the air about the Philadelphia Eagles. Chip Kelly is bringing something new to the game, is prompting a great deal of excitement about the team, and it should be a lot of fun to watch this team progress in the weeks ahead this season. I think the only big questions I have with this new offense are: 1) How will the team pace itself in the weeks ahead? Will they take their foot off the gas like they did in Monday Night's game or go about things in a different manner since Washington made a comeback when that happened?, 2) Was the offense getting worn down in the second half, and if so, what will be done to prevent that from happening later in the season?, and 3) While an increased number of plays on offense usually means an increased amount of productivity, it could also mean more hits and more injuries to key players. Is this a concern at all for the coaching staff and if so, what do they plan on doing about it?
Whatever the answers to those questions are, no one can complain too much about Chip Kelly's start as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The team is 1-0, with a big divisional road win against the NFC East Champion from last year. To put that into perspective, the Eagles won only one divisional game all of last year - finishing 1-5. Up next for the Eagles is a home game against the San Diego Chargers next Sunday afternoon. The Chargers are coming off a heartbreaking 31-28 last-second loss to the Houston Texans, where San Diego led at one point by the score of 28-7. It should be a fun one. We'll see if the Eagles head to their Thursday night contest against Kansas City 2-0 or an even 1-1.
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