For 2 quarters, the Eagles/Colts Monday Night Football game was a boring one-sided mess. The Colts looked to move to 1-1 as they took a 20-6 lead in the 3rd quarter.
But Chip Kelly’s Eagle offense stormed back, outscoring the Colts 24-7 for the rest of the game. Combining for 458 total yards, it was another solid offensive showing for a team that started off rusty, and ended with a Cody Parkey field goal to seal the 30-27 victory.
Chip Kelly and Eagles Win In Indy 30-27
But it was not perfect.
Eagles quarterback Nick Foles threw for 331 yards and a touchdown (along with an Interception), but had 233 of those yards come after the catch. He made some really good throws, including a TD pass dropped by Riley Cooper early in the game, but he was inconsistent and uncomfortable, often ignoring wide-open receivers, overthrowing the ball, and relying too much on screen passes. Overall, it was a disappointing performance, one that won’t show up in the stats for Foles, but he at the least didn’t do enough to kill the Eagles’ hopes of winning.
Star running back LeSean McCoy also looked inconsistent, though he had some good runs, including one for 21 yards. But it was offensive weapon Darren Sproles that stole the show for the Eagles. He caught 7 receptions for 152 yards and 21.7 yards per reception. He also had a 19-yard touchdown run, which featured broken tackles and impressive athleticism. Safe to say that Sproles was a big factor in the Eagles offense taking control.
Not to be left out, receivers Zach Ertz (4 receptions, 86 yards, 21.5 yards per reception) and Jeremy Maclin (4 receptions for 45 yards, 1 touchdown, 11.3 yards per reception) also contributed to the Eagles victory.
On the flipside, the Colts offense was a mess. Andrew Luck started off with 2 touchdown passes, but barely exceeded 50 yards. He did manage to finish off much more respectably, with 172 yards, and 3 touchdowns.
The interception Luck threw during the 4th quarter shouldn’t have counted. Pass interference occurred when wide receiver TY Hilton was taken down long before Luck’s intended pass was to make contact, but it was not called. Again, the stats won’t show this. So Luck actually was the better QB than Foles on the day.
Trent Richardson was better than his usual abysmal self (79 yards, 3.8 yards per carry), and Ahmad Bradshaw provided as a weapon for Luck (70 yards, 5.4 yards per carry, 26 yards 2 receiving touchdowns), but ultimately Indianapolis got outcoached. Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton questionably decided to run the ball before feeding Luck to the wolves on the Colts’ last offensive play of the game, an incomplete pass.
The Colts getting outcoached isn’t anything new, but when the opportunity is in your hands, why run it when you have the comeback king in Andrew Luck himself? Amazingly, both Foles and Luck escaped the day without a sack.
Giving credit where it’s due at the end of the day. The Eagles offense, though unpolished, is extremely dangerous, and Chip Kelly has done a fantastic job of coaching this team to a 2-0 start (while Indianapolis falls to 0-2) and sole possession of first place in the NFC East. The defense wasn’t perfect, but near the end, they did a fantastic job of preventing Andrew Luck from extending plays in the pocket (the officiating might have had a hand in this). After all, no one really expected Philly to win on Indianapolis’ turf.
The Eagles didn’t just fly, they soared with an impressive comeback victory.
MVP: Darren Sproles
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