Eagles Make Right Calls In 30-27 Win Over Colts
MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Philadelphia made all the right calls Monday night.
In the end, Andrew Luck and the Colts made too many mistakes.
The Eagles turned two second-half turnovers, including an inexplicable late interception of Luck, into 14 points and eventually made a 36-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Colts 30-27.
"I just saw the ball and went for that. Sometimes you get calls, and that's none of our concern," Eagles cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said of the game-changing interception. "We just know that was a great play for our defense at that time and for our team at that time. Something that we really needed that allowed us to go down and score and put us in position to win."
The Eagles (2-0) have now won twice this season by overcoming 14-point deficits in the second half — only the fourth team in the NFL over the last 30 years to do that in consecutive weeks, according to STATS.
Sure, there was plenty of credit to go around. From Jenkins' key play to Nick Foles' composure and Darren Sproles' re-emergence as the Colts' nemesis, everything went right for the Eagles when it had to.
Foles finished 21 of 37 for 331 yards with one touchdown. Sproles ran 19 yards for a touchdown, tying the score at 20, and took a short pass 51 yards down the field to set up the touchdown that tied the score at 27, too.
"We felt like we had that all day long. Not all day long but I think what they were giving us coverage-wise," coach Chip Kelly said of the 51-yarder. "When their rush is getting to you, you have to do something to negate the rush and I think to negate the rush you have to use your screen game as a weapon."
Here are some more things that happened Monday night.
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING: For the second straight week, Andrew Luck left the game muttering about making a "stupid" decision. This time, it was the third-down pass with 5:08 to play. Indy was already in field-goal range for Adam Vinatieri and could have taken a 10-point lead. Instead, Luck's pass was picked off and the Eagles drove down the field to tie the score.
STRANGE CALLS: Colts fans were incensed no flag was thrown on the interception. Replays appeared to show Brandon Boykin grabbing T.Y. Hilton, the intended receiver, before he had a chance to make the catch. Two plays later, Colts safety LaRon Landry was called for a 15-yard penalty on a horse-collar tackle even though replays appeared to show Landry pulling down LeSean McCoy by the jersey instead of putting his hands inside McCoy's shoulder pads. The two decisions helped Philadelphia rally, though the Colts were quick not to blame the officials for this loss.
SPROLES RETURNS: Philadelphia knew what Sproles could do when they got him during the offseason. They may not have realized how much time Sproles has spent befuddling the Colts until Monday night. The small, fleet, versatile runner almost single-handedly derailed Indy's 2008 playoff run by leading San Diego to an overtime win. And he was the key to Monday night's comeback, too.
WALK IN THE PARK: Cody Parkey may have had the toughest job in training camp — trying to beat out Adam Vinatieri for a spot on the Colts' roster. But the Eagles were so impressed they forced the Colts to rescind waivers on him and trade him to Philadelphia. After missing an early field goal Monday, Parkey was money when it mattered most, making the 36-yard field goal twice (once as the Colts called timeout) to beat his former team.
BACK-TO-BACK: Indy (0-2) now must figure out how to rebound after losing back-to-back regular-season games for the first time in Luck or chuck Pagano eras. Both had made it 33 straight games without two straight losses.
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