The Chip Kelly era of Philadelphia Eagles football was the definition of a roller coaster ride. Kelly inherited a 4-12 team in 2013 and– with the help of a fresh perspective and an exciting, fast-paced offense–transformed it into a 10-6 division winner. In 2014, Kelly and the Eagles jumped out to a 9-3 start and were in the process of making plans for a second-consecutive division title and even a first-round bye. However, the Eagles faltered in three of their final four games and shockingly missed the playoffs despite sporting another solid 10-6 record. In 2015, Kelly, who had fought for full control of personnel decisions in the off-season, revamped the Eagles' roster with the hopes of taking the team from "good to great." But Kelly's decisions backfired terribly and resulted in a disastrous 6-9 record and no playoff birth.
On Tuesday evening, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie made the tough decision to fire Kelly after three tumultuous seasons with still one regular season game left to play, spelling a sad end to a once promising era of Eagles football
The Chip Kelly era was littered with exciting, electrifying, and thrilling football. But it was also littered with torture, disappointment, and heartbreak.
While the majority of Eagles fans are rejoicing in Kelly's firing, his tenure as the Eagles' head coach had plenty memorable moments, albeit most of them coming in his first two seasons. Without further ado, here are the top 10 moments during Chip Kelly's tenure in Philadelphia.
10. DeSean Jackson's return to Philly:
The build up to this game was propelled by Kelly's controversial decision to release Pro Bowl wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Now a member of the division rival Washington Redskins, Jackson returned to Lincoln Financial Field for his first game against the team that drafted him.
Needless to say, the former Eagle was looking to make a statement, and he did just that. On his first catch of the game, Jackson didn't take too kindly to a late hit by Malcolm Jenkins and responded with a shove to the safety's chest. Late in the third quarter, Jackson burnt the Eagles' secondary for an 81-yard touchdown.
The return of Jackson combined with the division rival factor caused high tensions between the two sides. Early in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 27, Nick Foles took a cheap shot from a Washington lineman after throwing an interception. Jason Peters pursued the lineman and the two got into a scuffle that resulted in both benches clearing.
The Eagles would eventually take a 34-27 lead on a Fole-to-Jeremy Maclin touchdown and the defense would hold off a Redskins late rally to seal the win and improve to 3-0 on the season.
This game had everything; drama, acrobatic catches, excitement and most importantly, an Eagles win.
After Kelly's offense put up record-setting numbers in his first season, many likely expected the offense to put up a 50-spot on more than one occasion before Kelly's tenure in Philadelphia came to a close. Surprisingly, the Eagles' offense under Kelly scored 50 points or more just once over the course of 48 games.
The one time came in 2013 during a Week 16 Sunday night game against the Chicago Bears. This was one of the more impressive games during Kelly's tenure. The Bears came in with a chance to clinch the NFC North title following loses by both Detroit and Green Bay earlier in the day. On the other hand, the Eagles would still need a win in Week 17 to make the playoffs regardless of this game's outcome.
In a game that meant almost nothing, the Eagles had one of their best performances under Kelly. The Bears' defense could not stop the Eagles on the ground or through the air as the Eagles managed to score 21 points in the first quarter, and 33 by the third. A pick-six by Brandon Boykin gave the Eagles a 47-11 lead, and a touchdown late in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles their first and only 50-spot under Kelly.
2015 didn't have many highlights, but a revenge game against a Tony Romo-less Cowboys proved to be one of the more entertaining games of the season.
The Cowboys and Eagles engaged in one of 2015's ugliest games during Week 2–a game where the Cowboys managed to beat the Eagles 20-10. However, the win came at a hefty price: Losing Romo to a broken collar bone. After starting the season 2-0, the Cowboys proceeded to lose five straight games without their franchise quarterback.
After a 3-4 start, Kelly and the Eagles went into Dallas looking to even their record up at 4-4 and pull within just a half game behind the Giants in the NFC East.
The game had a playoff feel to it. Both teams were desperate for a win and emotions were higher than an average rivalry game because DeMarco Murray was making his long awaited return to Dallas.
Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley punished the Eagles' secondary, Dez Bryant made a ridiculous catch in the back of the end zone over a group of Eagles defenders, and Dan Bailey made a field goal that hit the goal post with just seconds left in regulation to force overtime. But in the end, it was the Eagles who prevailed with a 33-27 victory on a Sam Bradford touchdown to Jordan Matthews on the first possession of overtime.
Sam Bradford and Matt Cassel gave us a thriller! That's all we could really hope for. https://t.co/S8oUfhLjBy pic.twitter.com/Z8tA9paGsY
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) November 9, 2015
The win, at the time, evened the Eagles' record and put them in good position to go on a winning streak with three winnable games on the horizon. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way.
7. Chip's debut:
Kelly's first game as an NFL head coach was one of the most hyped games in recent memory. This was the NFL's first chance to see Chip's offense on the big stage. This was Eagles fans' first game post-Andy Reid, and many hoped it would be the beginning of a special era of Eagles football. There were plenty of story lines for this one.
Every fan, analyst, and player was eager to see how Kelly's lightning fast offense translated to the NFL, which is a big reason why it was scheduled for Monday Night Football. The Eagles' first drive lived up to the hype. They were lightning quick, taking between 18-21 seconds between plays. Even seasoned play-by-play announcers Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden had trouble keeping up. It was something special. However, it ended in a lateral pass that Washington scored a defensive touchdown on, but the Eagles continued to move the ball at will against Washington's defense.
By the half, the Eagles had racked up 24 points and a ridiculous 53 plays. The offense in the first half moved at an unprecedented pace. It was exciting to see Kelly's offense come to fruition.
The Eagles scored just seven points in the second half, which gave Washington a chance to make it close late, but the Eagles held on to win the first game under Kelly in impressive fashion.
6. Foles' seven TDs:
Nobody saw this one coming, even against a porous Oakland Raiders defense.
In just his ninth start in the NFL, Foles, who became the starting quarterback after Mike Vick went down with an injury, threw seven touchdowns en route to a 49-20 win over the Raiders.
On the day, Foles finished 22-of-28 for 401 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. Riley Cooper was the major beneficiary of Foles' record day as he hauled in five passes for 139 yards and three touchdowns—by far his best game in an Eagles uniform.
5. Thanksgiving 2014 vs. Cowboys:
This might've been the peak of Kelly's tenure as the Eagles' head coach. The Eagles and Cowboys met for a divisional showdown on Thanksgiving with both teams sporting 8-3 records.
Many were expecting a game of epic proportions. A true divisional battle that came down to the final seconds of the game. That didn't happen.
Instead, the Eagles, led by Mark Sanchez and LeSean McCoy, decimated "America's Team" on Thanksgiving day by a final score of 33-10. It was one of the better games of Kelly's tenure, and it led to Eagles fans eyeing a second-straight division title and a potential first-round bye in the playoffs with a 9-3 record.
Of course, we know that's not how it played out.
While many of Kelly's highlights were offense related, this game was all about the defense. Under the prime time lights on Sunday night, the Eagles, sporting their all black uniforms, completely shut down a dangerous Giants offense for their first defensive shut out since 1996.
The Eagles' pass rush had Eli Manning running for his life all night long. In just the first half, the Eagles sacked Manning five times and shut down the Giants on the ground and through the air. The Giants had a shot to to score a touchdown on a 4th and goal play, but Victor Cruz dropped Manning's pass and suffered an unfortunate season-ending injury in the process.
The defense was phenomenal, and the offense, led by McCoy's 149 rushing yards, held up their end of the bargain by scoring 27 points.
This was an absolute shocker.
The Eagles were an embarrassment, having lost their prior three games by a combined score of 110-50, and traveled up to Foxborough to take on Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Surely, there was no way the Eagles could win this one.
It didn't look good early on as the Patriots jumped out to a 14-0 lead. But the Eagles' offense cut the lead in half with a Bradford touchdown to Zach Ertz. Then, with just seconds left in the half, the Eagles' special teams scored a touchdown on a blocked punt to tie the game at 14.
Somehow, the lowly Eagles were tied with arguably the NFL's best team at halftime.
Out of the half, the Patriots were knocking on the door to take a 21-14 lead when Malcolm Jenkins intercepted Brady for a 100-yard pick six.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, the special teams stepped up again when Darren Sproles returned a punt for a touchdown to extend the Eagles' lead to 28-14.
The offense would score a touchdown to put the Eagles up 35-14, seemingly putting the game away. However, the Patriots would cut the lead to 35-28 with the help of a recovered onside kick. Brady would get the ball back with a chance to tie it, but the Eagles' defense would hold on to secure an improbable 35-28 win in what was by far the best game of the 2015 season.
This game will live on in Eagles lore forever.
There was no snow in the forecast heading into a Week 14 match up between the Eagles and Lions. But when fans turned on their televisions, a blizzard had consumed Lincoln Financial Field.
The result was one of the best and most unique games in Eagles history. Quarterbacks had trouble handling the football, refs had to shovel away snow to see the yard lines, and players were making snow angels after scoring touchdowns.
The Eagles found themselves down 14-6 in the fourth quarter, but LeSean McCoy stepped up and played the best quarter of football of his entire career.
In the fourth quarter alone, the franchise's leading rusher for 148 yards and finished with 217 rushing yards on the day–which set an Eagles record for most rushing yards in a single game–and led the Eagles to a 34-20 win. The "Snow Bowl" was an unforgettable game and will be talked about for years to come.
1. Eagles clinch 2013 NFC East title:
This was the game that gave the Eagles their one and only playoff birth under Kelly.
After stumbling to a 3-5 record, the Eagles went on a scorching hot 6-1 tear in their final seven games to set up a crucial Week 17 win or go home game for the 2013 NFC East title against the Cowboys at AT&T stadium.
The Cowboys were without Tony Romo, who had his season end the week prior due to a back injury. The absence of Romo meant that Kyle Orton would have to step in and lead the Cowboys to a division title.
The Eagles' offense jumped out to an early 10-0 lead and carried a 17-7 lead into halftime, but the Cowboys' defense stepped up and managed to slow down the Eagles' attack while their offense pulled within one to make it a 17-16 game.
A 4th-and-1 goal line stand by the Cowboys' defense put them in position to potentially take the lead, but the Eagles' defense had a 4th-and-1 stop of their own, which led to a Bryce Brown touchdown to give the Eagles a 24-16 lead with about six minutes left in regulation.
Orton and the Cowboys would respond with a touchdown of their own, but a failed two-point conversion meant the Cowboys were still down two with just over three minutes to go. The Cowboys' defense would give Orton the ball back with a chance to drive down and kick a game-winning field goal.
However, Orton threw a costly interception into the hands of Brandon Boykin to seal the Eagles' first NFC East title since 2010 and Kelly's first and only playoff birth as as the Eagles' head coach.
So there you have it. While the Chip Kelly era will be remembered for it's failures, there were still plenty of memorable moments that fans could collectively cheer for. With Kelly now gone, the Eagles must now find a coach that will bring plenty of energy and excitement to a franchise and a fan base that deserves it more than any other.
