Eagles vs. Colts: What Are Experts Saying About Philadelphia?

The Philadelphia Eagles cruised to a 17-point victory at home against one of the league's worst teams from 2013.

At least, that's what the score suggests.

In reality, the victory was anything but easy for the Eagles, who fell behind 17-0 against the Jacksonville Jaguars before rallying for 34 unanswered points.

Give credit to all three phases of the game for the Eagles—their offense, defense and special teams turned in memorable second-half performances. Ultimately, it was Fletcher Cox's fumble return for a touchdown in the final minutes that officially clinched the first victory of the season for the defending NFC East champions. 

This week, Philadelphia travels to Indianapolis to play Andrew Luck and the Colts on Monday Night Football.

Perhaps no game is more of a 50-50 in Week 2. The Eagles look to improve to 2-0 in a weak division, while the Colts look to rebound from a Week 1 loss to the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos. 

Nick Foles Really Was That Bad

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If he played even average Foles might've had 600 yards. I've never seen such wide open guys in an NFL game and it's unreal they are missed

— Chris B. Brown (@smartfootball) September 10, 2014"

This tweet by Chris Brown of Smart Football highlights just how poorly Nick Foles played against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

He wasn't just bad; he was putrid.

Foles' performance in the first half was reminiscent of his game against the Dallas Cowboys last year when he completed just 11 of 29 passes for 80 yards before leaving with a concussion.

He couldn't lead the Eagles to a single point in the first half, continually missing open receivers and even throwing a rare interception in the end zone.

Two lost fumbles gave him three turnovers in one game, just one shy of his entire 2013 season total. 

It's a testament to Foles, or maybe to Chip Kelly, that the Eagles scored 27 offensive points in the second half behind a quarterback who finished the day with 322 passing yards and two touchdowns but never came remotely close to hitting his groove.

You can shut down Foles and the Eagles for a half. Good luck doing it for a full game. 

Eagles Should Survive Their Offensive Line Injuries

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The guys over at Pro Football Focus wrote about the injuries on the Eagles offensive line, saying that the depth on the team is good enough to handle the loss of All-Pro guard Evan Mathis and right tackle Allen Barbre.

The Eagles are hoping to have Mathis back in approximately two months, having placed him on short-term injured reserve with a torn MCL. Meanwhile, Barbre's injury required season-ending ankle surgery. 

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Losing one of the league’s best run blockers is never a welcomed sight, but if any team can handle his loss, it’s likely the Eagles. They’re equipped with two of the league’s best in left tackle Jason Peters and center Jason Kelce as well as a solid option in Todd Herremans at right guard. The entire offensive line graded in the green last season and while it’s certainly due in part to talent, the Eagles’ versatile spread running game has also played a major role in their success.

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Filling in for Mathis will be 2012 fifth-round pick Dennis Kelly, who has since switched from tackle to guard, while journeyman Andrew Gardner is expected to play right tackle. 

Defense a Strength This Season?

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The Eagles ranked 17th in scoring defense last season, yet you'll still hear many talk about this defense like it's one of the worst in the league.

It's difficult for a lot of fans to comprehend the fact that this defense could actually be good even though the offense is tremendous. 

The performance of the defense in the second half on Sunday was extremely encouraging. Defensive end Fletcher Cox and inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks appear well on their way to breakout seasons in their third year, while outside linebacker Brandon Graham rated as Pro Football Focus' best player in the entire league when you adjust his rating to snaps played. 

Here's what Sheil Kapadia of Philly Mag had to say about the game: 

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Sunday's Week 1 win against the Jaguars was a good start. It must be noted that Jacksonville could end up being one of the five worst offenses in the league. But after a couple lapses early, the Eagles' defense dominated in the second half. Jacksonville was held scoreless on eight second-half possessions: five punts, a turnover on downs, a fumble and the end of the game.

The pass-rush, a question mark going into the season, looked like a strength against the Jaguars' below-average offensive line. And players like Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks turned in outstanding individual performances. 

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Andrew Luck and Chip Kelly Have Some History

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Andrew Luck and Chip Kelly share a unique history, which the former No. 1 overall pick recently discussed, according to The Associated Press (via the Miami Herald):

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"Going to school at Stanford, (it) has become a very good rivalry with Oregon in large part because of him and what we did at Stanford," Luck told reporters during a conference call. "What he does, I think, is very inventive and really good football."

Luck beat Kelly and Oregon the first time the two met during his sophomore year in 2009, as he threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns to upset the seventh-ranked Ducks.

Kelly and Oregon returned the favor each of the next two years in matchups of two top 10 teams.

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Imagine Luck running Kelly's system.

With all due respect to Nick Foles, Luck might be the most ideal quarterback in the National Football League to lead the Kelly offense. The former Stanford signal-caller has all the traits you want in a passer: He's big, strong, fast, accurate and extremely intelligent with the football. 

It's highly unlikely Luck will ever have a season in which he throws 27 touchdowns and two interceptions, but his upside would be much higher. He'd be a yearly MVP candidate and a threat to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory every season.

In fact, he'd probably be the best player in the NFL for a half-decade or more in a row.

Gamblers Betting on Eagles to Win

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The bettors at Odds Shark went with Philly over the Colts in a close one on Monday Night Football: "A 26.4-25 result in favor of the Eagles is the prediction by the Odds Shark handicapping pick engine."

Personally, I'm going with the Colts in a shootout. I don't see this team starting 0-2, especially with Luck at quarterback.

No. 12 has never lost two games in a row, and the Eagles have only started 2-0 twice in the last 20 seasons. Those statistics mean nothing when it comes down to this individual matchup, but I picked the Colts to win this game before the start of the season, and I'm going to stick with that prediction heading into the game.