Eagles Sloppy, but Beat Chiefs 20-17 On Late Drive Led by Mike Kafka

"With JasonB, Bob_Q And Jimmy K Injured, Scott K. Writes Eagles-Chiefs Recap"

The first quarter showed what the Eagles defense could do with its collection of up-and-coming rookies and meshing veterans.  The defensive line quickly got after Matt Cassel and forced a fumble, which the Eagles were able to recover.  Brandon Graham was a force off the bat, putting pressure on the Chiefs offensive line that he continued throughout the first half (see a write up on him below in "Impressive").  That fumble helped the Eagles to convert their first successful red zone excursion; an 18 yard run by LeSean McCoy scored the Eagles first team offense's first touchdown of the preseason.  

More after the jump:

Two drives later - following the fumble recovery, a fumble forced (by Akeem Jordan) but not recovered and a 3-and-out - the Eagles defense went to work once again.  Dominant play from Trent Cole and Graham put the Chiefs offense on its back foot.  Rookie cornerback Trevard Lindley took advantage of the defensive line's pressure and picked off a Cassel pass, leading the Eagles to another foray into the Chiefs' half of the field.  A series of unfortunate play calls later (seems like Marty wants a book series of his own), the Eagles handed it off to David Akers, who slotted home a 39 yard field goal.  A 10-0 lead looked like a good sign for things to come.  It was not.  The defense let up a touchdown the next drive.  Blown coverage by Asante Samuel led to Dwayne Bowe catching a Cassel pass just inside the endzone.

An Eagles response was heard in the form of two 3-and-outs.  Between the two drives, the Eagles managed only 6 yards (8 one drive and -2 the other).  Luckily the defense was able to force the Chiefs to punt in between the two drives.  Unluckily, the Eagles defense was not able to prevent Thomas Jones from making his way into the endzone, putting the Chiefs ahead 14-10.  

Sloppy play ensued for the Eagles, as the offense line provided little to no blocking for Kolb, who seemed to find no calm behind the line of scrimmage.  Forced to scramble more than once, Kolb racked up 19 yards of rushing in the first half, showing off the mobility that has been talked about for weeks.  His stats were poor, to say the least, by the end of the first half, with less than 50 yards of passing.  Jason Peters began his reign of terror once again, managing to be called for a penalty in yet another game.  Jeremy Maclin needs to stop dropping the ball.  Kolb put a long throw right into his hands but Maclin could not reign it in.  He also proceeded to stretch for extra yards and put the ball out in the open for a fumble.  Maclin needs to learn to keep the ball protected.

The early second half was not pretty for Kolb, who found his pocket collapsing around him and made a Brett Farve lollipop throw up to Maclin.  Kolb's throw was easily picked off by Kendrick Lewis and was promptly returned for 26 yards.  However, Kolb's play picked up during a drive that began as the third quarter was winding down and continued into the fourth quarter.  His stats prior to the drive were 5/18 for 47 yards and 1 interception.  During the drive Kolb went 6/7 for 56 yards.  Michael Vick and Mike Bell contributed with 11 yards (two runs) and 4 yards (1 rush) respectively.  The long drive of 10 plays ended in another Akers field goal from 27 yards out.

Defensively, problems began to occur after Cole was forced to leave the game because of an ankle injury.  This injury came after DeSean Jackson (upper back) and Mike McGlynn were forced out of the game.  Without Cole the Eagles looked highly susceptible to the run.  Cole's ability to shut down the left side was clearly missing as the Chiefs targeted the left side of the field.  Chiefs runners racked up yardage and, as previously mentioned, made it into the endzone.  Graham was a bright light on defense, as was Nate Allen.  Both rookies played up to their billings as a first rounder and a second rounder, respectively.  Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson both had quiet games.  Stewart Bradley had a game that further cemented his return to form (see a write up on him below under "Impressive").  

Bobby April, when are your guys going to wake up? Sans Quintin Demps, where was your coverage and your punt returning?  It's time for you to completely overhaul the special teams, no matter how much you'd rather just streamline the current structure that is there.  Once again, Akers and Sav Rocca were the consistent parts of the bunch.

Noticeably quiet nights were had by the likes of Brent Celek, Macho Harris (is that a good thing?) and Ricky Sapp.  Celek really only appeared on a throw that was tipped in front of him, which is disturbing considering all the talk of him being Kolb's go-to-guy.   

Finally, when was the last time you saw an Eagles team run a near perfect two minute drill?  Thank Mike Kafka for this one.  The kid has ice in his veins.  Riley Cooper showed some of what he can do with the block for Demps and the slick catch for the winning touchdown.

Impressive:

*Nate Allen: PEPSI's player of the game.  Showed his ability to affect the game through his speed on blitzes and by tracking down players in pursuit.  He was probably the most impressive player on the field besides Graham.

*LeSean McCoy: After a fumble recovered by the Eagles defense, he broke off a run inside the 20 that led to the first touchdown by the Eagles first team offense this season.  He showed his Westbrook-like smoothness as he bounced off of a defender and evaded others on his way to the endzone.  His next three carries, though, led to only eight yards.  A poorly executed Wildcat gave the Eagles basically nothing.  As a receiver, McCoy caught a pass while he was "wide open, I mean WIDE open" according to Don Tollefson, for eight yards.  His only other chance at a reception resulted in an incomplete pass, as a 3rd and long screen pass ended up over his head when a defensive linemen nearly dragged him to the ground.

*Trevard Lindley: The rookie had been close to an interception a couple of times this preseason but finally got his hands around the ball in the first quarter.  His pick led to a 37 yard field goal by David Akers and increased the Eagles' lead to 10 points.  He almost nearly picked off a ball with 7 seconds left in the game. 

*Brandon Graham: On a majority of defensive plays anyone watching the Eagles Television Network feed could hear Graham's name being said, by former Eagles defensive end great, Hugh Douglas in praise.  Almost constant pressure was brought by the Eagles first round draft pick and it helped to lead to the fumble that led to McCoy's touchdown run.  In the early second quarter, Graham batted a pass down, eliciting more praise from Douglas.  On a long drive by the Chiefs offense very late into the second quarter, Graham's pressure found himself with even more of Douglas' compliments.

*Quintin Demps: Big man on campus now, it seems.  A huge return around the 2:50 mark in the second quarter put the Eagles offense on the 50 yard line.  Riley Cooper's excellent block allowed Demps to continue up the field where he broke a defender's ankles with a Madden-esque spin.

*Stewart Bradley: Stewie is up to form.  He was making plays or disrupting the flow of the offense.  It'll be nice to see him in a game that matters.  Quarterbacks and running backs beware:  Bradley is back. 

*Kurt Coleman: The way he has played this preseason will put him in place to make the team as a backup safety.  He showed his grit and football intelligence.  If Harris makes the team it looks like it will be as a cornerback because Coleman has cemented himself and Demps showed his value tonight.

*Mike Kafka and Riley Cooper: Kid can run a two minute offense.  Nuf' said.  I am vindicated! Sunshine wasn't half bad when catching the winning touchdown pass.

Disappointing: 

*Referees: A miss on two different defensive pass interference calls (when Maclin was thrown to in the endzone) and an incredibly blatant offensive pass interference call (when Samuel went for a pick but was pulled a couple of yards away from the ball by the wide receiver).  However, they sure do like calling "71" on the Eagles for penalties.

*Jason Peters: How many penalties is Peters going to pick up before finally getting to a truly Pro Bowl performance?  Enough is enough with the lackadaisical play.  He is more frustrating than Shawn Andrews or Bobbie Williams right now because he can play, wants to play and yet makes some of the stupidest decisions an NFL player can make.  

*Ernie Sims: The shark finally showed himself to be a shark.  Clamping down on his man inside the five, Sims fought him off and proceeded to nearly pick off a poor pass by Cassel.  BUT his coverage after that play was more than lacking.  Still waiting for him to make a monster tackle, as well.

*Chad Hall: Hall displayed very weak punt returning skills.  It's an unfortunate event in Hall's short career but he just is not going to bring anything to the Eagles that necessitates him taking a roster spot.  Sorry Chad.

*Charles Scott: His dropped catch in open field, out of the back field, solidifies in my mind that Scott has no chance of making this team.  

*Joselio Hanson: Demitri Patterson has played well enough this preseason to cut Hanson if Reid believes that Harris can play as the 5th cornerback.  Didn't even realize he was playing during the game.

*The special teams: Do we really have Bobby April as our ST coach?  At least Rocca is having a resurgence.