Eagles vs. Colts: Complete Week 2 Preview for Philadelphia
Most people probably expected the Philadelphia Eagles to come away with a 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 1.
But the way it turned out is not how anyone could have scripted.
To sum it up, the Eagles went down early, came back, pulled away late but lost two offensive line starters in the process. With the rest of the NFC East losing, Philly is in sole possession of first place within the division.
There are some injuries, specifically on the offensive line, but head coach Chip Kelly still has an elite group of playmakers who can cause trouble for the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football. Nick Foles is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign in which he threw 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions, and he got the first-half jitters out of the way last week.
All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy is arguably the best in the business, and there’s an emerging mismatch nightmare in second-year tight end Zach Ertz. If the Eagles defense from this point forward can emulate the unit that shut down the Jaguars in the second half last week, then that's good news for Philadelphia.
Defensive coordinator Billy Davis continues to be one of the best in the league at disguising his blitzes and schemes, and he has an underrated three-man front with which to work.
Like every matchup involving Andrew Luck, the game won’t be over until there is no time left on the clock. After all, Luck is a master of the fourth-quarter comeback, and he nearly pulled off an all-timer last week against Peyton Manning and the defending AFC champion Denver Broncos.
Regular-Season Week 1 Recap
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Credit the Philadelphia Eagles for overcoming a brutal first-half performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars to pull away with a 34-17 victory.
Whether it was taking their opponents lightly or Nick Foles’ reluctance to pull the trigger, Chip Kelly’s Birds looked to be in danger to lose their opening matchup. And a loss against the Jaguars would be near-devastating.
Foles’ performance was a tale of two stories. Check out his first-half numbers compared to the second half.
| Comp % | YPA | TD-INT | Sacks-Yds | Fum-Lost | Passer Rating | Score | |
| 1st Half | 54.2% | 5.38 | 0-1 | 5-47 | 2-2 | 52.25 | 0-17 |
| 2nd Half | 66.7% | 9.19 | 2-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 127.67 | 34-17 |
Something happened to Foles, and if he had played well the whole way, the Eagles would have won by 50.
"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"
The Eagles defense was victimized by undrafted rookie Allen Hurns in the first half; in fact, Hurns etched his name into the record book.
".@Jaguars Allen Hurns became 1st player in NFL history with 2 receiving TD in the first quarter in his NFL debut (via @eliassports)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 7, 2014"
The defensive line shut down Toby Gerhart to the tune of just 42 total rushing yards on 18 carries, just a 2.3 yards-per-average clip. The special teams unit played particularly well, getting a blocked field goal, two 22-yard punt returns from Darren Sproles, tremendous punting from Donnie Jones and a perfect day kicking from rookie Cody Parkey.
News and Notes
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Hopefully, the Philadelphia Eagles got their Opening Day jitters out of the way against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they went down 17-0 early in the game. The Eagles rebounded to score 34 straight points, somehow surviving with a win due to a tremendous second-half performance.
Next week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts will be difficult. The Colts don’t have much of a running game, but there’s Andrew Luck, and as he showed in the playoffs last year, he can lead a team back from any deficit.
The Eagles will be without several starters, but then again, the Colts will be without their top pass-rusher. Here are the noteworthy news stories surrounding each team for this coming week.
Philadelphia Eagles Missing Two Starters on Offensive Line
Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles started the same five players for all 16 regular-season games, plus the postseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
This year, they’ve already seen a high turnover.
Right tackle Lane Johnson was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs. Newly extended backup Allen Barbre was lost for the season due to ankle surgery. Top reserve Matt Tobin is dealing with a high ankle sprain. So with Andrew Gardner getting the start, that means the Eagles are technically down to their fourth right tackle.
"According to @caplannfl, Allen Barbre will undergo season-ending ankle surgery. Don't think Andrew Gardner is a downgrade at all though.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) September 9, 2014"
Left guard Evan Mathis has been arguably the NFL’s finest guard since joining the Eagles in 2011, but he’s out with an injury of his own. Mathis suffered an MCL sprain that will sideline him for about two months; he was placed on IR with a designation to return.
"Can confirm that Evan Mathis will go on IR-designation for return, the corresponding roster move to signing Wade Smith.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherCSN) September 9, 2014"
Third-year player Dennis Kelly has filled in at tackle and guard before, and he’s the likely left guard while Mathis is out.
That means the current reserves on the Eagles are Wade Smith, David Molk and Kevin Graf.
Chip Kelly and Andrew Luck Have Faced Each Other Before...in College
The Philadelphia Eagles haven’t faced the Indianapolis Colts since 2010, back when Peyton Manning was still the Colts quarterback.
This time, the Eagles get Andrew Luck, a top-five quarterback who is already one of the most valuable players in the league. Luck is a dual-threat QB; imagine Chip Kelly’s offense with Luck.
"Eagles coach Chip Kelly says Colts QB Andrew Luck is the "smartest" they will face in the NFL. Compared Luck to Peyton Manning & Drew Brees
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) September 12, 2014"
Luck faced Chip Kelly twice in college, losing 53-30 and 52-31. It wasn’t so much the performance of Luck that lost those games for Stanford as it was the fact that Oregon scored over 50 points both times. It’s tough to win games in that kind of a situation.
The Indianapolis Colts Won’t Have Robert Mathis
Take a good look at that Indianapolis Colts roster. Outside of Andrew Luck, they’re not that good at all. The defense is without its All-Pro pass-rusher, Robert Mathis.
"Can confirm reports Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis, currently serving a 4-game suspension, tore his Achilles working out. Gone for season
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) September 8, 2014"
Last year, Mathis registered 19.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles. How rare is that? It’s never been done before. In fact, Mathis was just the second player in league history to post double-digit forced fumbles in one season (Osi Umenyiora in 2010 was the other).
So the fact that he’s inactive will certainly bode well for the Philadelphia Eagles’ makeshift offensive line. Without Mathis, the leading pass-rusher for the Colts is Jerrell Freeman, who posted just 5.5 sacks in 2013. And it’s not looking good for Freeman to even play this coming Monday.
"It's "not looking good" for Jerrell Freeman to play Monday vs. #Eagles, per @mchappell51. Led Colts in tackles last year.
— Robert Murray (@IgglesCoverage) September 12, 2014"
Free-agent signee Erik Walden is a highly ineffective pass-rusher, and 2013 first-round pick Bjoern Werner is looking like a draft bust.
The Colts got to Peyton Manning just once in Week 1, and they will have to pressure Nick Foles to win this game.
Injury Report
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Here is the latest injury report, per Eagles Insider.
"No changes on the #Eagles injury report: WR Huff (shoulder) and G Tobin (ankle) did not participate in practice. Everyone else full go.
— Eagles Insider (@EaglesInsider) September 12, 2014"
| Position | Injury |
Josh Huff | WR | Shoulder |
Matt Tobin | OT/G | Ankle |
Of course, that doesn’t include offensive linemen Evan Mathis and Allen Barbre, each of whom is on injured reserve after Week 1.
For the Colts, they will likely be without defensive end Arthur Jones and inside linebacker Jerrell Freeman.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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This game could very well come down to the matchup between Andrew Luck and Nick Foles at the quarterback position, but here are some other matchups worth watching.
RDE Fletcher Cox vs. LT Anthony Castonzo/LG Jack Mewhort
The Philadelphia Eagles’ former first-round pick is really starting to come into his own. Fletcher Cox was a pass-rushing force as a 4-3 defensive tackle in 2012, then he transitioned to a 5-technique defensive end in 2013 under a new coordinator.
Cox was pretty good a year ago; in fact, he registered more quarterback hurries (39) than J.J. Watt (38).
Cox started 2014 with a bang, picking up six tackles, a quarterback hit and a 17-yard fumble return touchdown. He rates as Pro Football Focus’s fourth-best 3-4 defensive end in the NFL among 40 qualifiers (subscription required).
The Eagles rotate their 3-4 and 4-3 defense pretty heavily, so Cox will line up anywhere from the inside shoulder of left tackle Anthony Castonzo to head-to-head with left guard Jack Mewhort. Cox has a quick first step, and he plays both the run and the pass well, which means he should see action in nearly all of the defensive snaps.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Front Seven vs. Trent Richardson
Seriously, is there any sign of life from Trent Richardson since the Indianapolis Colts traded for him?
General manager Ryan Grigson inexplicably gave up a first-round pick for a player who averaged just 3.6 yards per carry as a rookie in 2012. Even more unbelievable is how offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton has cast Richardson as the focal point of the offense since he’s arrived in Indianapolis.
Last week, Richardson finally saw his snap count severely dwindle; Ahmad Bradshaw played 45 snaps to just 30 for T-Rich. That’s probably because Richardson ran for just 20 yards on his six carries, putting forth a 3.3 yards-per-carry average that is right on par with his lifetime totals.
Richardson doesn’t run aggressively, he doesn’t break tackles and he lacks any sort of vision.
Can Richardson break out of his career-long slump? There were high expectations that made him the third overall pick in the NFL draft, and he’s done nothing to fulfill them. Now he gets an Eagles defense that quietly rated fourth in the league in average rushing yards allowed per attempt in 2013.
TE Zach Ertz vs. Indianapolis Colts’ Back Seven
This is the year Zach Ertz gets unleashed. This could be the game to get him national attention.
Last week, Julius Thomas shredded the Indianapolis Colts to the tune of three touchdown receptions. Ertz had three catches of at least 25 yards in Week 1, with one of those going for a touchdown.
"Freeman is also the #Colts best cover LB. Losing him makes Zach Ertz' matchup even better. He may explode on Monday.
— Robert Murray (@IgglesCoverage) September 12, 2014 "
Ertz has size, speed and leaping ability. There’s no DeSean Jackson this year, which means Nick Foles will look for Ertz on the underneath routes. Corners Vontae Davis and Greg Toler will probably cover Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, which means Ertz will be either the responsibility of a linebacker or safety LaRon Landry.
That bodes extremely well for Ertz.
Prediction
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As a general rule, Andrew Luck doesn’t lose close games. He’s 16-2 in his first two NFL seasons, although that dropped to 16-3 after last week’s loss to Peyton Manning (then again, the Indianapolis Colts should have lost that game by 10-14 points).
It could be a fairly high-scoring game. The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense struggled against Chad Henne and Allen Hurns; now that unit gets Luck and Reggie Wayne/T.Y. Hilton. Kicker Cody Parkey could be huge in this game, as he’s playing his old team in just his second NFL game.
The Eagles will take an early lead in this game and hold off Luck in the end for a six-point win.
Prediction: Eagles 27, Colts 21
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