With Chip Kelly and his madcap option offense making the perilous coaching leap from college to the NFL, the Eagles already promised to be an interesting story this season.
Consider them officially upgraded to fascinating.
The Redskins weren’t the only ones staggered by the snap-a-second whirlwind Kelly and the Eagles unleashed on them Monday night. The entire league was set abuzz as Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy ran wild in the first half to build a 33-7 lead (that really should have been 40-0) on the way to an eventual 33-26 win at FedEx Field.
A whopping 53 snaps and nearly 400 total yards just in the first half. McCoy and Vick’s receivers running wild. The Redskins defense gasping for air and faking injuries. It was a sight to behold, and one that no doubt had defensive coordinators around the league sprinting to find the phone number of any college coach familiar with Kelly’s scheme from his days at Oregon.
“We’re going to make mistakes in this offense, but we run so many plays that it’s not going to matter,” Eagles offensive tackle Jason Peters said.
The Eagles ran out of steam on both sides of the ball in the second half and had to hold on for dear life to avoid blowing that huge lead, so the first half might have been a flash in the pan. And the injury-prone Vick still takes too many hits to stay upright for an entire season.
But after Monday, it feels as if Kelly and his team will be eminently watchable — even if they never win another game this season.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. 49ers (1): Still the league’s most complete team, and the addition of Anquan Boldin makes San Francisco downright terrifying.
2. Broncos (3): Peyton Manning is on pace for 112 TD passes. Not too shabby.
3. Seahawks (2): Cross-country road wins are never easy for West Coast teams, but just 12 points against the Panthers is a red flag.
4. Colts (4): Not a great sophomore opener for Andrew Luck, but Indy did what you’re supposed to do at home against the Raiders — win.
5. Packers (8): As long as they don’t have to play the 49ers again, this could be a Super Bowl team.
6. Texans (9): That was a lot harder than it should have been, Houston.
7. Patriots (7): So much for New England not missing a beat without Welker, Gronkowski or the Ex-Patriot Tight End Who Shall Not Be Named.
8. Bears (14): Marc Trestman’s new offense already looks like a comfy fit for Jay Cutler.
9. Saints (17): Wow, that actually resembled a defense out there Sunday against Atlanta. If New Orleans can keep it up, watch out.
10. Bengals (10): Cincy still can’t close, blowing a double-digit second-half lead, but the offense will be a load.
11. Cowboys (18): Six turnovers only translated to a five-point victory at home. Hold off on the Super Bowl parade, Jerry.
12. Eagles (30): That was quite an NFL coaching debut, Chip Kelly. Philly’s fast-break offense is now must-see TV.
13. Redskins (11): Sure, that first half against Chip Kelly was ugly. But this still has the makings of a good team.
14. Falcons (6): Drew Brees can make anyone look bad, of course, but it sure seemed as if the offseason worries about the defense were justified.
15. Giants (12): Six turnovers were an aberration. They hope.
16. Chiefs (20): It was only the wretched Jaguars, but Andy Reid’s squad already has “bounce-back team” written all over it.
17. Buccaneers (16): Just one stupid Lavonte David hit from a road win, but the underwhelming starts by Josh Freeman and Doug Martin are cause for concern.
18. Rams (19): Adding tight end Jared Cook (seven catches, 141 yards, two TDs) already looks like a genius move, Jeff Fisher.
19. Lions (26): It was about time Jim Schwartz’s team played up to its talent level.
20. Ravens (5): The salary cap gets to every team, even one run by Ozzie Newsome.
21. Dolphins (22): We’ll need a lot more evidence than a win over the awful Browns to know whether this team is any good.
22. Titans (27): Sleeper team? Even against the hobbled Steelers, that was still a “sit up and take notice” road win Sunday.
23. Cardinals (21): This could be a very interesting group to watch now that they have a competent QB in Carson Palmer.
24. Vikings (15): Adrian Peterson can be rendered human, after all. That’s not good when the rest of the team is so average.
25. Steelers (13): It’s never good a sign when your IR list looks more talented than your roster.
26. Chargers (24): New coach, same ol’ choking Chargers. You can’t blame Norv anymore, San Diego.
27. Panthers (25): Seven points at home in the opener. It was against the Seahawks, but still …
28. Jets (31): Hey, this season might not be the Rex-gets-fired debacle everyone thought it would be.
29. Bills (28): The second-half collapse is still an art form in Buffalo.
30. Browns (23): The more things change …
31. Raiders (32): Terrelle Pryor was a revelation, but this is still a terrible team.
32. Jaguars (29): Two words: Horror. Show.