Much like their Week 1 game, the first half for the Eagles was forgettable. In the second half, they made it a game again.
Trailing 17-6 at the half, the Eagles notched two quick scores to even the score late in the third. That didn’t stop the Colts from making a quick scoring drive of their own to retake the lead.
But as the Colts were zoning in on icing the game, the Eagles turned the tides with a crucial interception. Within two minutes, the Eagles had tied the game again.
A key defensive stop followed and the Eagles offense, led by Darren Sproles, set up a 36-yard game-winning field goal for Cody Parkey to seal a 30-27 win for the Eagles over the Colts on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Eagles charged down the field on their opening possession, but were stalled in the redzone, settling for a 31-yard field goal by Parkey.
The Colts followed with a drive capped by a one-yard touchdown catch from Andrew Luck to Ahmad Bradshaw.
Adam Vinatieri added a 46-yard field goal to increase the lead to seven. Parkey missed a 38-yard field goal before making a 23-yarder with 6:36 to play in the first half.
Luck found tight end Jack Doyle from two yards out late in the half to give the Colts a 17-6 lead going to the third. The half ended with Nick Foles throwing his second interception of the season to Greg Toler on a deep pass intended for Jeremy Maclin.
The Colts notched the first score of the third on a 27-yard field goal by Vinatieri.
That’s where the comeback trail started for the Eagles. An 80-yard drive lasted seven plays. The last was a one-yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy.
On the first play from scrimmage following the kickoff, Fletcher Cox forced a fumble on a rush by Trent Richardson. DeMeco Ryans recovered, giving the Eagles the ball at the Colts 26.
Five plays later, the game was tied following an incredible 19-yard run.
The Colts wasted no time answering. They regained the lead with 11:49 remaining in the fourth on a seven-yard touch pass from Luck to Bradshaw.
After the Eagles were forced to punt, the Colts were driving downfield and in position to ice the game following a third-down completion from Luck to T.Y. Hilton. But on another third-down play, Malcolm Jenkins came up with a crucial interception.
The Eagles needed five plays to score the tying touchdown, completing the drive with a six-yard pass from Foles to Maclin.
The defense had struggled for most of the game containing the Colts running backs and making third-down stops on short yardage. After a three-and-out from Indianapolis, the Eagles had the ball back with two minutes remaining at their own 40.
Foles opened the drive with a 21-yard pass to Zach Ertz. That was followed by a 17-yard screen play to Sproles, moving the Eagles into field goal position.
That set up a 36-yard attempt for Parkey. He finished off the comeback with a successful kick to move the Eagles to 2-0 on the season.
The Eagles had 458 yards of total offense compared to 341 yards for the Colts.
Foles finished the game going 21-for-37 for 331 yards and one touchdown. Maclin had the receiving touchdown among his four catches for 45 yards.
McCoy and Sproles shined in both aspects of the offense. McCoy had 79 rushing yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Sproles had 26 rushing yards on four carries and a touchdown. Sproles also added 152 receiving yards, a career high, on seven catches.
While the Eagles defense did not record a sack, they did manage five tackles for loss. Ryans led the team with 10 tackles while Cary Williams registered eight tackles.
Luck was 20-for-34 for 172 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Richardson and Bradshaw combined for 149 yards on 34 carries. Hilton led the Colts with 65 yards on six catches.
The Eagles are also the first team in NFL history to win two games to open a season when trailing by at least 14 points in the second half.
They return home for Week 3 to face the Washington Redskins on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
