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One of the biggest issues for the 2012 Eagles was the fact they turned the ball over way too much. They also didn't force many turnovers, which meant they had one of the worst turnover differentials in the league (-24).
It's simple: giving the ball away decreases scoring opportunities for themselves and increases them for the opponent.
On Thursday night against the Chiefs, the Eagles tried to convince everyone it was 2012 again. They committed 5 turnovers and forced none.
After the game, Chip Kelly said the Eagles won't be successful if they turn the ball over.
"No, you can't win a football game when you turn the football over like that. We're not blaming it on anything except our poor execution."
"We have to come back and not put ourselves in these situations. You can't turn the ball over like that in this league and expect to win. We can move the ball up‑and‑down the field. We've proven that. But if we're going to put the ball in the ground as we did in the first half and throw interceptions, that's not going to win a football for us. You can't lose the turnover battle. You lose the turnover battle, and you'll lose the football game. I will credit our defense. I thought they played with a lot of heart. I thought they played with great effort. But to come out of the first half, at least, with just that many points, we held them to, we gave them seven. We gave them seven of those points. After only four turnovers. But we've got to do a better job on the offensive side of the ball executing, and we're not executing right now."
Kelly is absolutely right. Credit to the Kansas City Chiefs who played good defense at times, but the Eagles didn't do themselves any favors by beating themselves with turnovers.
Michael Vick, responsible for 3 turnovers (2 INT and 1 FUM), said the turnovers made it difficult for the Eagles offense to get in a rhythm.
"We had the turnover, then we got a score, and then we come back with good field position and have another turnover. We’re moving the ball, and then we have another turnover. It’s hard to get into a rhythm, and then the next thing you know, it’s halftime. You have to come back out, you’re down, and you have to score points. The good thing is that we know exactly why we didn’t play the type of game we wanted to play. We have to go back to the drawing board, regroup, and figure this out. I’m confident that we will. We have some time to do so, and we have to get ready to go to Denver."
Turnovers aren't the only issue with the Eagles but they are a very significant one. Winning the turnover battle is key to the Eagles' success moving forward.