Three Things That Turned the Game for Philadelphia Eagles versus Jacksonville Jaguars
Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Darren Sproles (43) out runs Jacksonville Jaguars free safety Josh Evans (26) on the way to a 49-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The 2014 NFL season is finally underway, and boy, if Eagles fans were looking for some excitement their team certainly delivered. The Eagles are the first team that was losing by 17 points at halftime and came back to win by 17 points at the end of the game, with Philadelphia overtaking Jacksonville 34-17.
It was a tale of two teams during the season opener for the Eagles. Philadelphia looked like a shell of its high powered head coach Chip Kelly ran offense and stingy defense in the first half, but that all changed with a few key adjustments Kelly made at the end of the first halt. In my mind there were three things that turned the game for the Philadelphia Eagles versus Jacksonville Jaguars.
During the first half of Sunday’s game, the Eagles defensive line applied no pressure to Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne whatsoever. The lone sack came during the first quarter on a 3rd and 10 play from Jacksonville’s 17 yard line when safety Nate Allen busted through to sack Henne for an 8 yard loss to end the Jaguar’s drive. Other than that lone play, Henne looked comfortable in the pocket during the first half as he helped rookie Jacksonville Jaguar wide receiver Allen Hurns become the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns in the first quarter of his NFL debut.
However, during the second half, the Eagles D-line started getting to Henne. Philadelphia linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Trent Cole both collected sacks in the second half, and you could just see that Henne wasn’t setting his feet and passing with the same accuracy he had during the first half. I believe the pressure the defensive line put on Henne in the second half changed the tide of the game in Philadelphia’s favor.
The second thing that changed the game’s momentum to the Eagles favor in my mind was the blocked field goal in the second quarter by Philadelphia defensive end Brandon Bair. At that point in the game, the Eagles were still down 17-0 after quarterback Nick Foles threw a crushing interception to cornerback Alan Ball in the back of the end zone for a touchback. The Jaguars then proceeded to ram the ball down the Eagles throats on a 12 play 62 yard drive eating five and a half minutes off the clock.
While a made field goal would have only added another 3 points to the Eagles deficit, I am not sure the team could have mentally recovered from the backbreaking turnover and corresponding points off of the turnover. Bair’s block started the momentum shift in my mind, and prevented the Jaguars from executing a coup de grace on, at that moment, a severely injured Eagles team.
The final thing which shifted the entire game into the Philadelphia Eagles’ favor in my opinion was the long touchdown play by running back Darren Sproles to start the third quarter. The Eagles marched into their locker room at half time with a small moral victory having held the Jaguars scoreless in the second quarter with plays like the aforementioned Blair blocked field goal as a primary example.
When the Eagles took the field for the second half, they put together a decent drive but faced a 4th and 1 at the Jacksonville 49 which could have ended their positive momentum and given the ball back to the Jaguars with good field position. Chip Kelly made a gutsy call to go for it, and Darren Sproles ran the ball right up the gut of the Jaguar’s defense for a 49 yard touchdown. The execution of Sproles’ run was simple enough, but it was exactly what the Eagles needed in order to fully shift the game’s momentum back into their favor.
Applying consistent pressure by the defensive line against Henne in the second half, holding the Jaguars to no additional points in the second quarter via a blocked field goal, and Darren Sproles’ longest touchdown run of his career are all key reasons the Philadelphia Eagles were able to overcome a 17 point deficit to the Jacksonville Jaguars. There were other important plays of course, but I thought those three really turned the momentum of the game. The Eagles face the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night football next week, and Eagles fans hope the team plays both halves the way they played in the second against Jacksonville.