Eagles Escape Embarrassment

Let my bias not be unknown, I am an Eagles fan. Watching Nick Foles fumble twice, throw an interception, and Chad Henne connect with rookie Allen Hurns twice for touchdowns -- all in the first half -- was one of the more frustrating ways to start the season. The Eagles were lucky to only be down 17-0 at halftime. On the opening drive of the second half, Philly converted twice and Nick Foles connected with Darren Sproles for eight yards on 3rd-and-9, bringing up a 4th-and-1 at the Jaguars 49-yard line.

Chip Kelly is known for his progressive thinking and he didn't hesitate -- calling for a hurry-up, one of the first times the Eagles really played up-tempo in the game. The Jaguars safeties got crossed and a huge gap opened up as Darren Sproles ran untouched for a 49-yard score. The Eagles would not look back and ultimately went on to win "handily," 34-17. Had the Eagles not converted, though, Kelly would likely have been ridiculed for his call as it could have effectively ended the game (dropping Philly's win probability to 5.4%).

Let's look at the fourth down call, taking into consideration the relative strength of the two teams.

Philly Finishes Strong

Up 27-13, the Eagles stopped Green Bay on a 4th-and-4 from the PHI 7-yard line - a huge stop, keeping it a two-score game. But, with a full 9:32 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Packers still had plenty of time to get back in it... or so they thought. The Eagles took over on downs, deep in their own territory. What followed was a masterfully orchestrated, 16-play, 70-yard drive that drained the entire contents of the game clock.

Here we can see the development of the drive using our Markov model:

Game Notes: Eagles fall to the Saints

Below are some observations the author noted while watching tape of the New Orleans Saints' 28-13 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.

• On the Eagles' first drive, Michael Vick looked quite good when he had time to throw the ball. The drive ended when he fumbled the ball and set the Eagles back twenty yards.