There was a general theme that kept coming to mind while watching the second half storyline develop on Monday. For as bad as the Eagles were in the first half and as bad as their tendencies continued to be in the second half, how were they still keeping up with the Colts?
Last year, the Colts made it past the Wildcard round of the playoffs with a comeback win of their own. It is that character and talent that had them picked as a Super Bowl contender during the preseason. They are now 2-0 after a 30-27 win over the Colts on Monday night.
The Eagles don’t look like a Super Bowl team. But they are one of just three teams in the NFC that can claim to winning both games this season.
The potential is there for the Eagles, knowing the results.
What you saw on Monday was more of the same. Nick Foles was still inconsistent. At times, he made the plays he had to make – as on his 21-yard pass to Zach Ertz on what would be the game-winning drive.
At times, Foles was sloppy. He missed open receivers once again. In many cases, some of his better passes were dropped by receivers.
To Foles’ credit, he looked more comfortable in the pocket, which can help boost his results. But he and his receivers still needs to finish the plays that are given him. The Colts gave the Eagles a lot of opportunities. They couldn’t take advantage.
Part of the offense’s problem was the redzone. From the play-calling to the execution, it was pathetic. Foles seemed focused on getting the ball to his receivers. When he couldn’t, he turned to his running backs, who simply didn’t have enough time and space to make things happened.
Once again, you saw the possibilities of the dual backfield that LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles give the Eagles. The one difference: the tables have been turned. Sproles was the star, not McCoy.
Defensively, it is still a struggle for the Eagles to remain consistent. Holding the Colts and Andrew Luck to three touchdowns and under 200 passing yards is excellent. But the rush defense was horrible.
Still, the defense did what it did many times last season. The big play came when they needed it most. Two second-half turnovers really turned the tide. The three-and-out stop late in the fourth that set up the game-winning drive was also a crucial moment.
Fletcher Cox was a standout on defense. Malcolm Jenkins came away with the big play and DeMeco Ryans made an impact in applying some pressure to Luck and minimizing the run game. He played well on those fronts when many others failed to show up.
Cody Parkey attempted four field goals in the win. He made three. Much like the rest of the Eagles, resilience says a lot. For Parkey to make a kick like that with the game on the line says a lot about his character. His miss was costly. He made up for it in the end.
Ultimately, here it is, Tuesday morning. We’re talking about a pretty disappointing performance by many Eagles. But we’re also talking about a win.
The Eagles are 2-0 and they only played two good halves all season. But beating Jacksonville in comeback fashion wasn’t as surprising. This was very unlikely.
Yes, there was luck. Two questionable calls by officials aided the Eagles comeback efforts. But the resilience of this team, and the character of this team is already alive and well. Once the play on the field is fine-tuned, the rest of the league will be in serious trouble.
That said, there is a long list of things to fix. But if anyone can do it, it has to be Chip Kelly.
He has adjusted well at the half in both games and received the reward for getting his players to buy in to the adjustments.
The Eagles face the Redskins, Rams and Giants in the next four weeks. That should be three wins. That is in question given the first-half performance in both games.
That’s Kelly’s next adjustment. The Eagles haven’t looked like a well-oiled machine yet. Against these teams, it is time to prove they are ready for the grind that will follow the bye week.
Once test is in the books. The next test of fine-tuning the performance is possibly a tougher one.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
