Jordan Matthews Headed for Breakout 2nd Half with Mark Sanchez at QB for Eagles

No member of the Philadelphia Eagles saw their stock soar higher during training camp in August than Jordan Matthews. Yet in spite of all the hype, the rookie wide receiver was having something of a quiet season until Monday night, when Mark Sanchez got the start under center.

Matthews picked a good night to have a breakout game, his seven receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns leading the way on offense in a 45-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Believe me when I tell you, though, his timing was neither an accident nor coincidental at all.

After all, who do you think was throwing the ball to Matthews all summer long?

Chip Kelly may have all but named Matthews the Eagles' starting slot receiver on draft day, but the head coach made Philadelphia's second-round pick earn his place on the depth chart. The Vanderbilt product ran with the second-string offense almost exclusively at camp and in preseason games.

That's the same second-string offense that was led by Sanchez. That’s the same Sanchez who in his first NFL start since December 2012 completed 20 of 37 pass attempts for 332 yards with two touchdowns—both to Matthews—and zero interceptions in the win over Carolina.

GM	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
Wk 9 @ HOU	3	40	13.3	1
Wk 10 vs. CAR	7	138	19.7	2

The rapport between this quarterback and receiver was obvious from day one and lasted all summer long. There was seldom, if ever, a practice at camp where Matthews wasn’t Sanchez’s favorite target or where Matthews didn’t reciprocate with catch after catch after catch.

Not surprisingly, Sanchez wasted little time finding Matthews once the backup quarterback stepped in for an injured Nick Foles against the Houston Texans last week, hooking up for six points on their very first drive. Now, all of a sudden it appears their connection is on the verge of blossoming, especially with Sanchez at the helm for Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.

There's little reason to think they wouldn't continue working well together. The fast success the two have enjoyed together since Sanchez entered the lineup wasn't lost on Matthews, who spoke to Bo Wulf for PhiladelphiaEagles.com after the game:

"

Of course we had something going on in camp. We kind of had to. We were both on the second team at the time. So, I took the majority of the reps with him. After practice, I made sure I got extra reps with him. I knew that if I wanted to break into the lineup, I had to look good with the second-team first.

That was definitely a point of emphasis for me back then. We continued to have a great relationship. I started building one with Nick (Foles), but now it's Mark's opportunity, so I have to go out and make plays for him.

"

While Matthews hasn’t quite lived up to the enormous hype with which he exited camp, he’s shown enough to prove he belongs here. Prior to Monday’s breakthrough performance, Matthews already had 32 receptions for 313 yards and three touchdowns.

	REC	TGT	YDS	TD
J. Avant	38	77	447	2
J. Matthews (9 GM)	39	52	451	5
J. Matthews (Proj.)	69	92	801	8

Those numbers weren’t setting the world on fire, but they had Matthews on pace to surpass predecessor Jason Avant’s 2013 campaign of 38 catches, 447 yards and two scores with ease—and with less playing time at that. It was perfectly acceptable production for a rookie receiver at 22 years of age.

With one huge performance versus the Panthers, and just nine games into this season and a promising career, Matthews has already eclipsed Avant's totals from '13.

Naturally, the Eagles are hoping the best is yet to come for Matthews, who is 6’3”, 212 pounds and reportedly clocked in at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the combine according to NFL.com. Matthews was ultra-productive in college as well, racking up 206 catches, 2,800 yards and 15 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons.

The only part of the equation where it seems there might be some lingering questions is with Sanchez. Then again, the sixth-year veteran went a long way toward answering those with his outing against the Panthers.

It was only one game, which is far too soon to anoint Sanchez the Eagles’ savior, much less suggest the struggles of the past are completely behind him. After all, he threw more interceptions than touchdowns in four years as the starter for the New York Jets. It wasn't pretty, folks.

Michael Perez/Associated Press

That being said, Sanchez never had a weapon quite like Matthews in his time in New York, either, or a wide-open, fast-paced offense like Kelly’s for that matter. So far, he’s taking full advantage of his second chance.

Should Sanchez continue to play at or near his current level, Matthews appears poised to be one of the Eagles' biggest beneficiaries. When Foles was in the lineup, Matthews was a cog in the offense. With Sanchez under center, Matthews could quickly become the star of the show.