Five Big-Picture Takeaways from Eagles Week 13 Win vs Patriots
By Somers Price
Dec 6, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly looks on from the sidelines against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
1.) Chip Kelly Is Still Capable of Putting Together a Masterful Gameplan
Were it not for an early flurry of offensive penalties by the Eagles, one could argue they would not have had to make up a 14-point deficit en route to their 5th win of the season. A good chunk of the first quarter looked an awful lot like most of the season has for Chip Kelly’s team. They dropped passes, committed debilitating penalties, and failed to make plays that were on the field. Despite that being the case, anyone watching the play on the field could see how Kelly hoped to attack New England’s defense.
Rather than leaning on a heavy dose of DeMarco Murray, Kelly utilized a combination of Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner out of the backfield. The speedy duo was able to execute Philadelphia’s outside zone game on multiple occasions and take advantage of a Patriots linebacking corps catered towards negating a more physical rushing attack. The Eagles were able to keep themselves ‘ahead of the sticks’ for the better part of the game and put together enough substantial drives to shorten the game as New England tried to complete the comeback.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
On the other side of the ball, Billy Davis made up for a handful of poor showings from his unit by utilizing his players’ strengths against Brady’s attack. The Eagles trusted their defensive backfield to cover an injury-riddled skill group of New England while the front seven got the type of pressure needed to beat the future Hall of Famer. By choosing to double-team Danny Amendola as much as possible, the Eagles forced Brady to target other receivers. When New England loses, it’s often because they are unable to keep Tom Brady upright. Sunday afternoon was one of those instances.
Chip Kelly took a big picture inventory of what he had at his disposal and maximized its potential when he had to. There’s no way of knowing whether Kelly will choose to revert to some of his more perplexing decisions over the course of the season, but it was clear that Kelly’s goal this week was to put feelings aside and let the individuals most capable of carrying out his plan get the most reps. No matter how fired up the Eagles were to play the defending Super Bowl champs, it was going to take a top-notch gameplan to come away with a win. Kelly came through in that regard.