Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Observations from Week 1 Win Against Washington

The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the Chip Kelly era with a bang, defeating the defending NFC East champions 33-27 on prime-time football in their stadium. The Eagles jumped to a 26-7 halftime lead behind a high-powered offense never quite seen before in the National Football League.

The Washington Redskins whittled away the lead in the second half, eventually coming to within six, but the Eagles held on for a 33-27 score. It puts Philadelphia tied with the Dallas Cowboys for first place in the NFC East, which is a terrific start for Kelly's Birds.

Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson looked as good as ever, and the offensive line's ability to keep up with the no-huddle offense was impressive. The defense faded down the stretch, but played well enough early on to come away with a win. A mark of truly great teams is often their ability to win close games, and the Eagles were able to do so in this one.

The following breaks down five observations from a surprising and impressive Eagles win.

Chip Kelly's Offense Works in the NFL

In Chip Kelly's first game as an NFL head coach, his offense worked like a charm. The Philadelphia Eagles racked up 33 points, ran 77 plays and totaled 443 yards of offense. Much of that came in the first half, but any team that can put up 33 points and gain close to 450 yards (plus 263 on the ground) will do some serious damage.

Kelly experimented with some of the more unusual offensive formations this league has ever seen. At one point, he had just three down linemen in the center of the field with both Jason Peters and Lane Johnson split out wide. On multiple occasions, he utilized Brent Celek as his right tackle with both Peters and Johnson lined up on the left of the line.

These are formations unseen before at this level. LeSean McCoy was magnificent as a runner, and DeSean Jackson had a breakout game after a two-year absence. It will be difficult for opposing teams to defend the kind of speed the Eagles have on their offense.

Give Jim Haslett credit for the major adjustments he made, and the fact that the Eagles' offense stalled for a great majority of the second half. Time will tell if that was simply a team coasting to a win or if Haslett really figured things out. Regardless, any Eagles fan would have gladly taken 443 total yards and 33 points.

Michael Vick Was the Right Quarterback for the Offense

Michael Vick looked remarkably efficient tonight, accounting for 257 total yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. He completed 60 percent of his passes, averaged an impressive 8.1 yards per attempt, and kept a number of plays alive with his uncanny ability to make things happen with his legs.

Vick's three touchdowns weren't the six he put up in Washington three years ago, but he looked every bit as fast as he did on that night in 2010. Vick ran nine times for 54 yards and a touchdown. The only other time he's thrown for at least 200 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 50 and one touchdown and done it all without throwing an interception was that 59-28 night in Washington.

Vick did struggle with his blitz recognition. He was sacked three times and almost threw a careless interception early in the game when he was being tackled. Some of that can be attributed to the play of the line, as right guard Todd Herremans and right tackle Lane Johnson were overwhelmed for much of the game. Vick also committed a critical turnover that led to seven Washington points, although whether the pass actually went backwards can be heavily debated.

Still, Vick's powerful throwing arm and ridiculous speed make him an ideal fit for Kelly's offense. The key for the rest of the season will be finding a way to stay healthy and minimizing his turnovers.

LeSean McCoy Is as Talented as Any Back in the League

LeSean McCoy played as well as any player on either team in this contest. He was the focal point of the Philadelphia Eagles offense, carrying the ball 31 times for 184 yards and a touchdown. He recorded 115 rushing yards in the first half, a figure that was more than any other player put up in Week 1.

McCoy also caught a pass for five yards, giving him 32 touches. That ties the most touches Andy Reid ever gave him in four years together. The Eagles are now 11-1 all time when McCoy carries the football at least 20 times.

What was most impressive was the number of plays McCoy made simply by his own pure athleticism. He created plays out of nothing, at times taking a handoff, cutting to the right, and then later being pushed out of bounds on the left side of the field 20 yards later. Chip Kelly can't be giving him 30-plus touches every game, but the fact McCoy is able to handle a full workload says a lot about his skill.

Billy Davis' Defense Played with Aggression

Under Andy Reid the last several years, the Philadelphia Eagles' defense really suffered without Jim Johnson and Brian Dawkins. But the team started strong tonight and held on for a win against the defending NFC East champions.

Trent Cole looked like a natural in the new 3-4 defense, recording a forced fumble on his first-ever play as a new outside linebacker. He also tackled Alfred Morris for a safety and had a QB hit in addition to four tackles.

Mychal Kendricks carried over his strong preseason with 10 tackles, and a tackle for a loss, and inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans had a sack and a tackle for a loss. Cornerback Brandon Boykin had his first career interception, a terrific pass deflection late in the game and seven tackles. Cary Williams instilled a level of toughness to this defense with his ferocious play, a tremendous diving interception, a sack and a tackle for a loss. He also knocked the ball away on a late pass to Aldrick Robinson.

In all, the Eagles' defense played significantly better than any recent game under Todd Bowles or Reid. Robert Griffin III certainly wasn't at full strength, and he looked noticeably rusty early on. But still, the Eagles recorded two interceptions, held RGIII to just 6.7 yards per attempt and forced two fumbles from Alfred Morris, who totaled just 45 yards on 12 carries. Griffin was sacked three times and the Eagles recorded six tackles of Morris and RGIII behind the line of scrimmage.

And even as the score grew closer at the end, don't forget the Eagles' defense only gave up 20 points (seven were virtue of the fumble early on that DeAngelo Hall ran back). For a team transitioning to a 3-4 defense and playing a talented offense like the Washington Redskins', that's not too bad at all.

Dave Fipp's Special Teams Played a Huge Role

Special teams can often make or break a team, and they made the Philadelphia Eagles tonight. Every unit of the special teams was terrific.

Alex Henery made his only kick, a 48-yard field goal, making Henery 16-for-17 lifetime from kicks between 40 and 49 yards. Donnie Jones dropped four of his six punts inside the opposition's 20, including one to the four with minutes to play that helped seal a 33-27 win. And the Eagles held the Washington Redskins to just 18.7 yards per kick return and seven yards per punt return.

If the Eagles can continue their fine special teams coverage and coax some big returns out of Damaris Johnson and Brandon Boykin, they will be one of the top special teams units in the league.