Game Recap: Eagles 33, Redskins 27

Chip Kelly’s offense opened with a bang as the Eagles busted open a huge lead in the first half. A rusty Robert Griffin III came to life in the second half, leading his Redskins back into the game, but the comeback was too little, too late for Washington.

The Eagles are a completely different team than they were last year. Their wide open offense, team speed, and breakneck tempo were too much for the Redskins to handle. On the first drive of the game, the Redskins scooped up a Michael Vick lateral and ran it back for a score. The Eagles responded with 33 unanswered points behind brilliant running from LeSean McCoy. In the second half, the Eagles played more conservatively on both sides of the ball. Offensively, the Eagles became increasingly run-heavy and predictable while Billy Davis called fewer blitzes defensively, exposing a porous secondary. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick showed excellent accuracy and was able to operate the offense at a brisk pace. He made good decisions in the read option game and forced the Redskins to respect him as a runner. On the downside, he was often slow to recognize blitzes and took too many negative plays.RB LeSean McCoy was magical, and Chip Kelly used him to the max. He had 20 first half carries, and he could parlay his monster workload into ridiculous stats this season. He has elite quicks, but conditioning did appear to be an issue for him. He finished with 31 carries for 184 yards and a score.WR DeSean Jackson was the focal point of the passing offense. He was heavily involved in the screen game and snuck behind the defense for a touchdown. He lost his cool after DeAngelo Hall hit him out of bounds, but other than that, he seems to have turned a corner in the maturity department.TE Brent Celek found the end zone and played the biggest role of the team’s trio of tight ends. Zach Ertz dropped a pass early on and essentially disappeared from that point on.The offensive line paved huge holes in the running game all night long, but the right side of the line struggled to pick up blitzes. OT Lane Johnson and OG Todd Herremans don’t seem to have good chemistry, with Johnson over-setting in pass protection and Herremans failing to compensate. The Redskins consistently exploited that hole with B-gap blitzes.DEs Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton were excellent against the run, pushing Alfred Morris all the way to the sideline on many occasions. Cox was the only lineman who could chase Robert Griffin III around the pocket.OLB Trent Cole excelled against the run, showing discipline, strength, and surprising comfort in space in his new role as a 3-4 rush linebacker.None of the team’s outside linebackers provided consistent pass rush. Instead, the Eagles were able to pressure Griffin by dialing up inside blitzes.ILB Mychal Kendricks had an excellent game, showing sideline-to-sideline range against the run and surprising stoutness against Alfred Morris, who’s a very physical back.CB Cary Williams made a few nice plays in coverage including a clutch pass break-up and a spectacular diving interception. He was the team’s best defensive back.S Patrick Chung is the only starting-caliber safety on the team, but he was exposed in coverage, especially when he gave up a long touchdown in embarrassing fashion. He let Leonard Hankerson slip behind him in a prevent defense, allowing the Redskins to cut the lead to 6.P Donnie Jones did an awesome job of pinning the Redskins inside their own 20. He looks like one of the league’s top punters.K Alex Henery converted his lone field goal attempt, but Chip Kelly went for it on a fourth and one from the Washington 21. Henery may see a decrease in field goal attempts this year, which is bad news for his fantasy owners.The Eagles’ coverage units were rock solid all night and the hands team recovered a crucial onside kick. So far, Chip Kelly’s emphasis on special teams is paying off.

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Game Recap: Chiefs 26, Eagles 16

The Chiefs were the first team the Eagles faced to have an answer for Chip Kelly’s offense. The Eagles were unable to overcome five turnovers despite a solid defensive effort.

The Eagles spent most of the first half shooting themselves in the foot. Michael Vick threw a pick six and a second interception, Damaris Johnson muffed a punt, Jason Kelce botched a snap. The offensive line gave up four first half sack, but despite these miscues, the defense came through with some huge stops and held the lead to 10 going into the break. The offense struggled to move the ball, especially through the air. While the defense made as many stops as could be expected of them, they ultimately faltered in the clutch, surrendering a back-breaking Chiefs drive that ate up a huge portion of the fourth quarter. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick looked rattled at times and never found his rhythm. He completed only 13-of-30 passes, but made some big-time plays with both his feet and his arm. He rushed for almost 100 yards, but threw a pair of costly interceptions.RB LeSean McCoy went down with a scary-looking leg injury in the second quarter, but returned early in the third and went on to explode for 158 yards and a score. He’s a big reason why the Eagles gashed Kansas City for 260 yards.WR DeSean Jackson was less involved against Kansas City than he has been. He caught only three passes, but hauled in an impressive 40-yard reception. He lined up in the backfield a fair amount in the first half, but as a decoy. He’s still a much more dangerous weaponOT Lane Johnson was beaten like a drum, giving up 3.5 sacks to Justin Houston.One of the season’s biggest mysteries has been RG Todd Herremans’ implosion. A reliable veteran starter, Herremans has been a major liability at guard for the Eagles.C Jason Kelce has had difficulty snapping the ball, once causing a turnover and once a sack, but he was an outstanding run blocker throughout the game.OT Jason Peters is no longer the best left tackle in football. He was beaten in pass protection once in a while and was whistled for a penalty.LG Evan Mathis has been an absolute rock at guard for yet another season. He’s got a near-flawless game and is playing at an all-pro level.DE Cedric Thornton has quietly emerged as a solid run stopper. He doesn’t offer much in the pass rush department but has been the stoutest Eagle at the point of attack.DE Vinny Curry was excellent in limited action, drawing a holding penalty and wrestling Alex Smith down for a sack. He’s the team’s top interior pass rusher and should have a role on the defense going forward.OLB Connor Barwin was all over the field, but was usually a half-step late. He’s active in all phases – coverage, pass rush, and run defense – but doesn’t excel in any one area. He predictably struggled to match up with Jamaal Charles in the flats.OLB Trent Cole made a few splash plays and is proving that he can penetrate and disrupt plays even from his stand-up alignment. Even Brandon Graham came alive against the Chiefs, beating the left tackle around the edge for a sack.ILB Mychal Kendricks led the team with 9 tackles, and is the team’s most active and rangy run defender. However, he’s not a very good downhill player and, as usual, missed a few tackles that he should have made.S Nate Allen wasn’t as terrible as usual. He came up with a big sack of Alex Smith early and wasn’t exploited in coverage, which is major progress for him. In fact, fellow safeties Patrick Chung and Earl Wolff were the main culprits when the Eagles missed tackles on the back end.The secondary was generally good in coverage, but they were carved up by WR Donnie Avery to the tune of 141 yards. They are particularly poor when Billy Davis only rushes three men or calls for an outside technique from his corners out of a cover 3 look.K Alex Henery missed another long field goal that the Eagles needed. He’s reliable from short range but is extremely shaky from beyond 40 to 45 yards.

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Game Recap: Chargers 33, Eagles 30

Chip Kelly’s offense sparkled for the second straight week, but it wasn’t enough to make up for a putrid defense that couldn’t get San Diego off the field or keep them out of the end zone.

The Eagles offense took a while to get going, and San Diego capitalized by racing out to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. The Chargers moved the ball at will, both through the air and on the ground. Eventually, the Eagles slowed down RB Ryan Mathews, but they never found an answer for a rejuvenated Philip Rivers. Playing from behind, Chip Kelly deviated from his run-first strategy, giving LeSean McCoy only 11 carries. QB Michael Vick threw for a career-high 428 yards without committing a turnover and showed excellent command of the offense. He led the Eagles back into the game, but the defense simply couldn’t hold up. Aside from two forced turnovers in the red zone, the Eagles did nothing to slow the Chargers down. They were awful on third downs and allowed San Diego to control the ball and pace of the game. Though the Eagles eventually tied the game twice in the second half – once with a long DeSean Jackson touchdown and once with an Alex Henery field goal – the Chargers won with a go-ahead 46-yard-field goal. Here are the individual notes:

QB Michael Vick played one of his best career games and looks completely comfortable in Chip Kelly’s offense. He continues to throw the ball with elite arm strength and pinpoint accuracy and made no glaringly poor decisions. He has functioned as the team’s distributor and has gotten all his best playmakers involved. As long as he stays healthy, he will be a productive player in this system.RB LeSean McCoy received only 16 touches, but took them for 167 yards and sprinkled in a few dazzling moves that Eagles fans have just grown to expect from him. He’s a perfect fit in an offense that wants to get players in space.WR DeSean Jackson has finally found a coach that will use him correctly. Instead of acting as a decoy who runs deep patterns all game long, Jackson caught 9 passes for 193 yards and a score. He catches screens, runs intermediate routes, and has found open space on vertical patterns. His presence will make teams think twice about selling out to stop the run. On the down side, Jackson has been a bit of a hot head. He cost the team dearly with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and has narrowly escaped other flags after pushing and shoving opponents.TE James Casey dropped a touchdown pass. It was a low throw and he nearly secured it, but he cost the Eagles 4 points and earned himself a spot on the bench. Rookie Zach Ertz replaced him as the ‘move’ tight end and ripped off gains of 31 and 27 yards. Ertz will be the starting tight end in 2014 and may very well lead this year’s group in all receiving categories.Overall, the offensive line afforded Michael Vick plenty of time in the pocket and did an excellent job of sealing the edge in the run game. The left side of Jason Peters and Evan Mathis is potentially the best in the league, but RG Todd Herremans and RT Lane Johnson both have kinks to work out. Herremans has struggled so far this season and was beaten badly by Jarius Wynn in a one-on-one situation. Johnson was whistled for an illegal formation penalty that wiped out a DeSean Jackson touchdown and allowed some pressure from Dwight Freeney.The defensive line had a very quiet game. In the first half, they were completely washed out in the running game but became stouter as the game went on. They applied very little pressure on Rivers on their own, although DE Fletcher Cox was able to get near the quarterback on several occasions.OLBs Connor Barwin and Trent Cole look like the strengths of the defense. Barwin notched a sack while Cole forced his second fumble in two weeks. Cole in particular seems to be adjusting well to his role as a stand-up pass rusher.ILB Mychal Kendricks’ assignment in coverage was Antonio Gates and he was beaten like a drum all day long. Kendricks may have great straight line speed, but Gates exposed his lateral movement skills and set him up with some excellent route running.The true issue with the Eagles roster is clearly their secondary. Nate Allen has predictably looked like a practice squad talent at safety, missing tackles and playing too deep in zone coverage. Patrick Chung is a good tackler, but struggles mightily in coverage.At the cornerback position, Brandon Boykin was one of the few bright spots on defense. He forced a big fumble and had tight coverage all day long. He got lost on a wheel route once, but was clearly the team’s best cover man. On the other side, Cary Williams followed up his solid game against the Redskins with a total dud. He was whistled for three pass interference calls and missed multiple tackles. He was repeatedly toasted when playing in an outside technique, giving the receiver the entire middle of the field to work with. It’s unclear if that technique is his decision or the coaches’, but all it does is invite big plays down the field.K Alex Henery has been money from short distances, but hooked a 40-some yard try badly to end the half. Those points would likely have made a difference in the outcome of the game.

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