An all-around good performance in the first half by all units and a strong defensive performance in the second half helped the Philadelphia Eagles improve their all-time record to 10-0 against the New York Jets on Sunday with a 24-17 victory.
The Eagles jumped ahead to a 24-0 lead in the first half.
After the Eagles didn't put up any touchdowns in the first half of both of the first two games, Darren Sproles ignited the team with a 89-yard punt return touchdown in the second quarter, giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead. The Eagles also scored a touchdown on their fifth and sixth drives, raising their lead to 24-10.
No DeMarco Murray? No problem for the Eagles offense.
Murray tweaked his hamstring during Wednesday's practice. Multiple reports suggested that Murray was going to play, but he decided that his hamstring wasn't feeling right during pregame warm ups. Ryan Mathews started the game in place of Murray, and he helped the Eagles get off to a good start on Sunday. A 27-yard rush on the third play of the game for Eagles offensive helped the team jump ahead to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Mathews finished the day with 25 carries for 108 yards, a fumble and a touchdown reception. Sproles gained 17 yards on 11 carries, including a short touchdown run.
The Eagles defense allowed only one touchdown in both halves of play.
On the very first play for the Jets offense after Mathews scored on a touchdown reception, Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall made a catch and attempted to pitch the football to another Jets player, but then Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks recovered the ball instead. Marshall made up for it on the next drive, scoring on a 16-yard touchdown catch with just over five seconds remaining the first half.
In the second half, the Eagles defense forced the Jets to turn the ball over on three different occasions. The Jets seemed to be putting together a decent drive on their second possession of the first half until Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception to Eric Rowe. It was the first interception of the Rowe's career. He was in coverage on rookie wide receiver Devin Smith on the play. After the Eagles allowed a touchdown reception to Jeremy Kerley, the defense picked Fitzpatrick off on two consecutive drives. Once interception came from Hicks, and the other came from Walter Thurmond.
Brandon Bair did a good job of replacing Cedric Thornton on Sunday game.
Thornton missed the game on Sunday after suffering a broken hand against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. Taylor Hart also missed the game with a shoulder injury. Bair, the former Oregon Duck, did a solid job of putting pressure on Fitzpatrick. He tipped three passes, including one that got intercepted by Hicks.
Although the Eagles had a big lead in the second half, their offense didn't play too well in the second half.
After scoring two touchdowns in the first half, the Eagles offense basically didn't do much in the second half. Of their eight possession in the second half, the Eagles offense accounted for five three-and-outs, six punts and one turnover. Much of this was due to conservative play-calling and just trying to get out of MetLife Stadium with a victory, but the Eagles gave the Jets a chance to comeback and win the game because of the Eagles inability to go kill the clock. Thankfully for the Eagles sake, the opportunistic defense helped the team complete the victory.
The Eagles put themselves in better position to win the NFC East.
After a horrendous 0-2 start to the 2015 NFL regular season, the Eagles now stand at 1-2, which is tied with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants for the second-best overall record in the division. Also, the Dallas Cowboys fell short to the Atlanta Falcons, giving them an overall record of 2-1. If the Eagles win against the Redskins in Washington and the Cowboys lose to the New Orleans Saints in Week 4, then the Eagles will be tied with Dallas in terms of overall record.
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
