Anthony DiBona
Well then, that sure sucked, didn’t it? The Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Chip Kelly had one of the busiest offseasons in the NFL but came out in the season opener and fell flat on their faces in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons. Luckily they bounced back in the second half and almost pulled off a comeback but it just didn’t happen. That’s what happens when you put yourself in a 20-3 hole in the NFL.
Despite the Eagles’ early struggles, there was still a few positives to take away from last night’s game. But it’s also hard to look past a few of the major red flags that showed themselves against the Falcons as well. Either way, here are my five takeaways from last night’s primetime game.
1) Byron Maxwell sucked
There’s no way around this one, the Eagles’ $63 million man looked lost in the first half last night. It almost seemed as though Matt Ryan was intentionally picking on Byron Maxwell. That’s what you expect from a player such as Bradley Fletcher, not Maxwell. According to Pro Football Focus, Maxwell graded out as the fourth worst cornerback in the NFL for Week 1, 96th overall out of 99 players.
Maxwell was charged for giving up 10 receptions on 11 targets for 179 yards and a touchdown. I don’t care who you’re going up against, that’s just plain old bad. Maxwell’s reaction following the game after finding out the numbers star wide receiver Julio Jones put up makes his performance even more frustrating:
Byron Maxwell's reaction to hearing numbers Julio Jones put up. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/z9XNSClNa9
— Jon Johnson (@jonjohnsonwip) September 15, 2015
2) Chip Kelly screwed up multiple times
Not only were the Eagles’ players messing up on the field last night, head coach Chip Kelly made a few costly mistakes of his own as well. Kelly’s play-calling was far too conservative in the first half and that caused the team to get off to a rough start. Then in the second half he goes against his “Big Balls” nickname by electing to send out struggling kicker Cody Parkey on 4th and 1 to make a potentially game-winning 44-yard field goal, on the road…with barely enough time to warm up and kick the ball. That whole situation was awkward and Kelly seemed like a shell of himself on Monday night.
3) You get a penalty, you get a penalty and you get a penalty!
Everyone remembers when Oprah Winfrey gave everyone in her audience a free car years ago, that moment has turned into a viral video such as this one nowadays:
Yet on Monday night it seemed like everyone on the Eagles was getting a penalty. The team was called for 14 penalties total, although 4 of them were declined. Either way, that’s a concerning number and completely uncharacteristic of a Kelly coached team. It’s especially worrying that the offensive line was called for so many holding penalties, right when it seemed like the offense was getting in somewhat of a groove, a penalty was called that killed any momentum the team may have had.
4) Sam Bradford was on fire in the second half
Finally we have ourselves a bright spot and that was quarterback Sam Bradford’s performance in the second half. Bradford completed 21 of his 25 passing attempts for 219 yards and a touchdown. That gave him a ridiculous 84% completion percentage for the half, which almost seems impossible. But Bradford was finally given some time in the pocket during the second half and made the most of it as he picked apart Atlanta’s defense with short and intermediate throws. Hopefully that play can continue next week against the Dallas Cowboys.
5) Holy Darren Sproles!
While newcomers DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews disappointed with their performances in the Eagles’ backfield, an “old” face emerged once again on primetime for the Birds. 32-year old Darren Sproles looked like he was back in college again as he burned the Falcons as both a runner and receiver in the second half on Monday night. Sproles touched the ball 12 times throughout the game, totaling 126 yards on 7 receptions and 5 rushes. That’s insane and proves that Sproles could be a vital weapon for the Eagles this season.
P.S. – Did you know that every Darren Sproles’ highlight is a million times better when put to Super Mario music? If you don’t believe me, just watch this:
https://vine.co/v/eFYAQjaF0P3
All in all it was a disappointing performance from our beloved Birds but there is no need to panic just yet. Check back here later this week when I have my NFC report and preview for the Eagles/Cowboys game. And make sure you keep it at PhillyInfluencer.com for some of the best Eagles coverage around.