The Philadelphia Eagles Through The First Quarter Of The Season

Sep 15, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Beau Allen (94) and nose tackle Bennie Logan (96) celebrate during the third quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Eagles won 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles loss to the San Francisco 49ers this past Sunday was especially heart-breaking because even after 58 minutes without a single offensive point, the Eagles were able to drive to the 49ers 1-yard line with 2 downs (3rd and 4th) and 2 minutes remaining. Most Philadelphia fans had to feel confident that with the game on the line, head coach Chip Kelly would make the correct call and…RUN IT!!! Who cares that the run-game has been non-existent this year!

They had two chances to get one, stinking yard. At least try running on 3rd-down, chew up more clock, then if need be, use your most creative goal line-play in the book to break the plane on 4th-down. Why not try something like Andy Reid (as bad as that sounds) and bring out a defensive lineman to act like a fullback…then pass the ball!! But anyway, the Eagles failed to score and the rest of the game is irrelevant.

Here are some observations/opinions based on 25% of the 2014 season.

1. Wide receiver Riley Cooper is struggling. Not only does he drop a lot of passes, he drops a lot of important/game-changing passes–dating back to last season in the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints.
2. Chip Kelly is not being creative enough offensively and we all know he is capable of some trickery. Running plays seem to be obvious and the handoffs are so slow that the defense has time to move in on the runner. He also made some questionable decisions against the 49ers. Up until now Chip’s decision-making has been satisfactory.
3. Quarterback Nick Foles is overthrowing receivers often and holding onto the ball too long with an offensive line that can not give him time. Until the offensive line is back in tact Foles needs to dump off the ball much more quickly.
4. Cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher continue to be exposed as the backup-type players that they are.
5. In week 3 the Washington Redskins could not run the ball very well against the Eagles defense, but 49ers running back Frank Gore torched them. This was most likely due to fatigue, seeing that the defense was on the field most of the game. However, without linebacker Mychal Kendricks, opponents can run a little easier on the Eagles.
6. Safety Earl Wolff made a great pass break-up, and then later got tossed like a rag by Frank Gore as he ran for a 55-yard touchdown reception. The Eagles still need to find their strong safety of the future.
7. If running back Lesean McCoy is not doing well because the offensive line is in shambles, then that means a lot of McCoy’s accolades from last season should be mainly credited to the offensive line, correct? It doesn’t appear that McCoy is hurt, but his play is both troubling and puzzling.
8. The bright spots are obvious: wide receivers Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews, running back Darren Sproles, safety Malcolm Jenkins, defensive end Fletcher Cox, the entire special teams unit, and kicker Cody Parkey. Tight end Zach Ertz is doing well even though he fumbled on Sunday. Nick Foles is a good quarterback and he will continue to get better.

A 3-1 record for the Philadelphia Eagles is absolutely plausible. Again, what makes this particular loss so–for lack of a better word–annoying, is that the game was winnable through the last minute. Although, the Eagles have been squeaking by with wins all season. Who would have thought that a Chip Kelly-offense could go scoreless for an entire game? Let’s hope that this ship can be righted because the schedule only gets more difficult after week 5.