Chip Kelly mints Foles’ Gold— Eagles 31, Tampa Bay 20…

Maybe I should be in transit on a U.S. Airways commute more often? As I shredded my way home from Nashville, with connecting flight stops in Charlotte and Baltimore, the Eagles (now 3-3) pulled off a big win over the  Tampa Bay Bucs (0-5)  with Nick Foles at the helm, 31-20…

I managed to see most of the first quarter in a Charlotte airport bar, and the greater part of the 4th quarter in a Baltimore airport restaurant.

Since I didn't see the entire drama unfold, it would be blasphemy for me to write a game account. So thanks to the courtesy of David Weinberg of the Atlantic City Press,  I will give you his "2-Minute Drill" summary of this big win:

  How it happened—–

Score at halftime: Buccaneers 17, Eagles 14

Score after third quarter: Eagles 21, Buccaneers 17

Team net rushing yardage: Eagles 138, Buccaneers 94

Team net passing yardage: Eagles 287, Buccaneers 257

Penalties-yards: Eagles 3-31, Buccaneers 8-72

Time of possession: Eagles 26:14, Buccaneers 33:14

Eagles' best number: 3 (touchdown passes by Eagles quarterback Nick Foles).

Eagles' worst number: 273 (Mike Glennon's passing yardage).

You had to be there—-

Sunday's game was a sellout in large part because of the thousands of Eagles fans in attendance. The game marked the first time the Bucs played before a capacity crowd at Raymond James Stadium since last season's game against the Eagles on Dec. 9, 2012.

Three stars—-

1. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (three touchdown passes and a TD run).

2. Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper (four receptions, 120 yards, touchdown).

3. Bucs wide receiver Vincent Jackson (two touchdown receptions).

Turning point—-

The Eagles led 21-20 early in the fourth quarter when they took control. Cooper broke two tackles to turn a short pass from Foles into a 44-yard gain. On the next play, Foles hit DeSean Jackson for a 36-yard touchdown that gave the Eagles a 28-20 lead with 9 minutes, 32 seconds left in regulation.

Eagles' best play—-

Their first play from scrimmage was impressive. Running back LeSean McCoy used superb blocking and some nifty open-field moves to turn a screen pass into a 44-yard gain. 

Eagles' worst play—–

Special teams suffered another breakdown when Buccaneers punt returner Eric Page reeled off a 40-yard return late in the first quarter to help set up their first touchdown.

Did you notice? —–

Damaris Johnson caught his first pass of the season on the opening drive. … Eagles cornerback Bradley Fletcher knocked down two passes on the Bucs' first possession. … Patrick Chung started at safety but was replaced by rookie Earl Wolff late in the first quarter. … DeSean Jackson burned Darrelle Revis on his second-quarter TD. … Allen Barbre provided good protection in place of injured Jason Peters on Foles' 47-yard TD pass to Cooper in the third quarter. … The Eagles' defense nearly gave up a 99-yard drive before forcing the Bucs to settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Parting shots—–

Eagles coach Chip Kelly: "The only adjustment we had to make was how loud our fans were today. They were freaking awesome."

Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano: "We're a competitive franchise that's been on the short end of the stick too many times here. We need to get on the right end of the stick."

Foles started in place of Michael Vick, who sat out with a strained left hamstring. He made the most of the opportunity, throwing three touchdown passes and running for a TD in helping the Eagles even their record at 3-3. Foles completed 22 of 31 passes for 296 yards. He threw two TD passes to wide receiver DeSean Jackson and another to wide receiver Riley Cooper. Cooper had a career-high 120 yards on four catches.

The Eagles ended the day tied for first place in the NFC East with Dallas, who beat Washington last night.

The Eagles play host to the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field next Sunday at 1 p.m.

Tampa Bay remained winless at 0-5 despite a solid effort from rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. Glennon completed 26 of 43 passes for 273 yards and threw two touchdown passes to wide receiver Vincent Jackson. He also had one interception.

Anomaly or a sign of things to come with Foles? I don't know, but I have noted in recent comments prior to this game that Foles seems to have worked hard on technique and  playbook/tape study during the offseason and preseason and he has a new QB coach. The dedication seems to be paying off.

The win in Tampa is a nice injection of confidence for both the team, its coaches and the Philly fan base. I will comment no further until I have seen the entire televised tape of the game on Monday.

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