Philadelphia Eagles make a statement in must-win game
With the way the NFC East is shaping up this season, Philadelphia finds itself squarely in the division race following a 39-17 win over the suddenly hapless New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
In reality, it was just a stellar overall performance from an Eagles squad that was reeling after losing three of its first four. Sam Bradford may have thrown two picks, one of which was in the end zone, but he responded big time as the game progressed. The much-maligned signal caller ended up completing 32-of-45 passes for 333 yards with two touchdowns.
Six different Eagles receivers tallied 30-plus yards, including a team high 78 yards from second-year player Josh Huff. Meanwhile, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews put up 156 combined yards and two scores on the ground.
Defensively, the Eagles did yield nearly 400 yards. However, the likes of Jordan Hicks and Fletcher Cox helped this unit hold the Saints to 17 points, including a garbage time touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter.
With both the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys losing on Sunday, Philadelphia finds itself tied for second place, one game behind the New York Giants. Not everything is resolved here, but it’s most definitely a start. For the first time all season, the Eagles played like Chip Kelly envisioned they would. That’s a positive sign.