Coming off an offseason of high expectations with the return of star QB Robert Griffin III, the 2012 NFC East champion Washington Redskins were embarrassed at home by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Quickly. The debut of Chip Kelly’s offense had the Redskins defense in complete disarray with a balanced attack of runs and passes leaving the Redskins defenders gassed and on there heels. Although the Redskins jumped out to a 7-0 lead off of a turnover forced by Ryan Kerrigan that was returned by DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown, the Eagles kept the pedal down with 26 straight unanswered points leaving FedEx Field silent and stunned at halftime.
The Redskins were bad on both sides of the ball in the fist half, but even more so on offense. With two turnovers, a safety, and failing to cross into Eagles territory once before halftime, Philadelphia’s defense stood strong and stopped the one-two punch rushing attack of RG3 and Alfred Morris. The Redskins managed to put up a fight in the second half making the final score of 33-27 look respectable, but the game was never really close. With 443 yards of total offense, 263 yards on the ground alone, the Eagles were dominant in a one sided contest.
The Eagles were in excellent condition, well coached, and determined to make a statement. The offense had a clear game plan and executed well for a most of the game. Washington’s defense struggled as any defense in the league would in trying to stop an offense that ran 53 first half plays, while your offense manages only 24. LeSean McCoy led the way for Philadelphia with 31 caries for 184 yards and 1 touchdown.
Defensively, the Eagles wanted to get after Griffin III early to see just how well he could adapt to his first live action since last years playoffs. Philly only managed 3 sacks on paper, but seemed to be all over RG3 forcing him to make rushed throws leading to incompletions and two interceptions. Also, Philly stuffed the run early forcing the Redskins to go away from there bread and butter.
As for the Redskins, lack of execution and multiple penalties stalled just about every offensive series. Robert Griffin III never found a rhythm and did not look like himself at any point in the game. Although the Eagles played well on defense, RG3 made mistakes that had Redskins fans wondering if Rex Grossman was in a number 10 jersey as he threw an interception into triple coverage and had multiple pass attempts off of his back foot. Nothing seemed to go the Redskins way Monday night. Even kicker Kai Forbath, who only missed one FG attempt last year, missed a 40 yard attempt.
On the other side of the ball, the Redskins seemed to make adjustments as the game progressed and held the Eagles to 7 points in the second half. The Redskins defense played well at times, but did not have an answer for a majority of the game when the Eagles went to the spread formation and let McCoy run loose. Michael Vick made good decisions with the football as well, but could of even had a better game himself throwing the ball. The Redskins were able to get pressure on the QB at times, but Vick used his legs and keep plays alive while picking up positive yards on the ground.
Overall, the Redskins were not as prepared as they could of been offensively and defensively. They should be a good team once everyone gets settled into the new season and they clean up the mistakes. The Eagles now have film out on there new offense, it will be interesting to see how teams play them from here on. While the Eagles looked sharp Monday night, expect this up-tempo style to wear down on themselves as well throughout the year. Finding a balance will be key for the Eagles success throughout an entire NFL season. Expect the next game between these two teams on Nov 17th to be a lot more competitive once RG3 and the Redskins get on the same page, and a better idea of what to expect from Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles.