A 34-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars is about what was expected of the Philadelphia Eagles in their opening-day matchup. It was how they got there that nobody quite envisioned.
Nick Foles ’ three first-half turnovers paved the way to a stunning 17-0 deficit, but the Eagles showed their resilience in the second half. A total team effort helped produce 34 unanswered points to send the Lincoln Financial Field crowd home happy. Philadelphia’s record improves to 1-0 on the season.
As for how the Eagles were able to mount such an impressive comeback, it’s really very simple as second-year head coach Chip Kelly explained to reporters during his postgame press conference.
The Eagles defense held Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne to 266 yards on 24-of-43 passing. Running back Toby Gerhart was limited to 42 yards on 18 carries. That inefficiency caused Jacksonville to convert on just two of 14 third downs.
Special teams had a crucial role to play as well. Defensive end Brandon Bair blocked a field goal. Four of Cody Parkey ’s six kickoffs went for a touchback. Donnie Jones punted six times, five of which were pinned inside Jacksonville’s 20-yard line.
Of course, the comeback never could’ve happened if Foles hadn ’t turned his afternoon around. That’s because Kelly apparently never considered turning to backup signal-caller Mark Sanchez.
After a horrid start, Foles wound up completing 27 of 45 pass attempts for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Foles connected with tight end Zach Ertz on a 25-yard seam route to cut the deficit to three, then hit wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on a broken coverage for a 68-yard go-ahead score.
Between Foles ’ turnaround and the strong defensive and special teams efforts, the Eagles wound up dominating the second half as expected.
While much of Foles ’ struggles were of his own accord, injuries along the offensive line didn ’t help matters. All-Pro left guard Evan Mathis and right tackle Allen Barbre both left the game during the second quarter and would not return. Early reports on both are somewhat optimistic, for what it’s worth.
Barbre is already starting in place of Lane Johnson, who is serving a four-game suspension, so the sooner he can return, the better. As for Mathis, it sounds like he’ll definitely miss some time, but perhaps it’s not a season-ending injury as initially feared—still, a huge blow for the offense either way.
How thin were the Eagles up front? With reserve lineman Matt Tobin inactive with an injury, and Dennis Kelly a healthy scratch, backup center David Molk wound up stepping in for Mathis.
Fortunately, the group—which also saw Andrew Gardner plugged in at right tackle—settled down and performed well in the second half. Had Philadelphia suffered just one more injury to the offensive line, the club would’ve been in a tough spot.
Ever the consummate teammate, Foles didn ’t blame the issues up front for his poor play.
There’s no denying Foles ’ outing was worrisome. The third-year signal-caller held on to the ball way too long. He was inaccurate. He didn ’t see wide-open receivers. He threw into coverage.
That being said, give some credit to Jacksonville’s defense for knocking him off of his game. Defensive ends Chris Clemons and Allen Branch were giving six-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters fits from the outset. The coverage down the field was tight until injuries to safety Johnathan Cyprien and linebacker Paul Posluszny forced the Jaguars to go to their bench.
That being said, it was an unsettling start for Foles to say the least.
Coming back to defeat a franchise that won 11 games over the previous three seasons combined and hasn ’t been to the playoffs since 2007 isn ’t exactly a miracle. Then again, it doesn ’t exactly occur every week, either.
All told, the Eagles should feel thankful to be at 1-0, but also confident that they can overcome such an awful first half and still wind up winning the game with ease. On the other hand, injuries to the offensive line all year offer another reason to feel concerned. If nothing else, it’s a situation to monitor.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1w5BJtZ
via IFTTT September 07, 2014 at 04:12PM
http://wallpaperblast.hol.es/jaguars-vs-eagles-twitter-reaction-and-full-postgame-quotes/
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