Eagles Defense And Special Teams Ace Week 1 Test Vs Jaguars
By Kevin McGuire
And breathe. The Philadelphia Eagles scored 34 unanswered points to dig out of an awful first half hole and double up the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2014 season opener, 34-17, at Lincoln Financial Field. It was the ugly for a while, but the Eagles continued to battle and took advantage of a young and inexperienced Jacksonville team that has not learned how to put the clamps down on a game. Hey, the Eagles will take it. One game down, 15 more to go. For now, let's hand out some grades to the Eagles for their winning effort on Sunday.
Quarterback
It was a truly abysmal start to the 2014 season for Nick Foles, getting his first opening day starting assignment of his career. After being lauded for his ball protection in 2013, Foles lost two fumbles on Philadelphia’s first two possessions of the game. Foles looked uncomfortable in the pocket throughout much of the first half and was not making accurate throws, which was completely different from the Foles of 2013. But, as was the story for the entire offense, the second half was a different story. At the end of the game Foles had thrown for two touchdowns and 322 yards to help lead the team to a victory. For his season debut Foles will receive a modest grade, but he cannot afford to have slow starts this season the way he did in Week 1 . Better teams on the schedule will take advantage of a slow start from Foles and the offense. Grade: C+
Offense
The first half of the season was a complete disaster for Philadelphia. Turnovers on the first two drives of the game were followed by three straight punts and an interception before halftime. The offensive line got banged up with injuries and running back LeSean McCoy was a non-factor. McCoy did not quite break loose, but he did end the day with 105 yards of total offense. Fortunately for the Eagles, the second half was much better.
Darren Sproles provided a spark on offense after halftime with a 49-yard touchdown run right down the middle of the field early in the third quarter. Big plays were the story of the second half for the Eagles, with Nick Foles completing a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz and a wide-open, uncontested Jeremy Maclin in the open field for an easy 68-yard strike in the fourth quarter, giving the Eagles their first lead of the game. Give the Eagles credit for making adjustments and scoring 24 unanswered points for the win, but there is plenty of room for improvement for next week. Grade: C
Defense
The defense was put in a bad situation in the first quarter, with the Jaguars recovering a pair of fumbles to start with a short field. It would have been good to see the Eagles limit the damage on drives that started at the Eagles 44 and 21-yard line on back-to-back possessions, but take the entire game into consideration and things look much better. The Eagles forced the Jaguars to punt on six straight possessions between the end of the second and the fourth quarter and then came up with a stop on a fourth and short from the Jacksonville 20-yard line late in the game. This game could have gotten out of control if the Eagles did not show up on defense, but despite the early touchdowns, the defense was the unit that kept this game within reach. Fletcher Cox even rumbled 17 yards for a touchdown off a fumble recovery. Grade: A-
Special Teams
Undrafted rookie Cody Parkey connected on his first career field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, and it was a monster one. Parkey connected from 51 yards out for his first career field goal, and it tied the game at 17-17. When the Eagles have a kicker they can rely on in those situations, it removes the possible gamble that can come on offense. It is rather unorthodox for Chip Kelly, but he needed that long field goal in this game. The special teams coverage by the Eagles was in good form as well, never allowing a big return to give the Jaguars much momentum. Grade: A
It's Only One Game
The first week of any NFL season is hardly a barometer for the rest of the regular season, but there can be plenty learned in one afternoon. What transpired at The Linc on Sunday was a team with some moderately lofty expectations come out in a slumber against a team that was one of the worst from the previous season. Not one to push the panic button, head coach Chip Kelly stuck to his usual formula and allowed his team’s talent to prevail over time. Perhaps making some adjustments in the locker room at the half helped, but one thing should be for certain heading in to the second game of the season. The Eagles should be prepared to start the next game against the Indianapolis Colts on a much better pace.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.