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Friday 20 September 2013

Reid all about it- The Chiefs halt the high flying Eagles

Last night Andy Reid made his return to Lincoln Financial Field and was greeted with a warm welcome from the city of Brotherly Love but the reactions soon changed as the most successful coach in Eagles history showed the world that he has not lost his touch. 

The Gatorade bath ended an emotional game for Andy Reid
     The game could be summed up by just a single word. Well, maybe two. Mistakes and Turnovers. The mistakes started from the get go when the Eagles received the ball after an impressive defensive drive, Johnson who was meant to catch the ball did not get his elbows tucked in quick enough and the ball slipped from his grasp handing the Chiefs possession and ultimately a 3-0 lead. Things only seemed to get worse for the birds as Quarterback Michael Vick threw his first interception of the season on just his second pass resulting in a touchdown for the Kansas team. 
   From then on it was an uphill battle with glimmers of excellence from both teams being overshadowed by poor quality on both sides of the field. Michael Vick was causing a storm on the running game with a big 61 yard run down the field ending in a Touchdown pass to Jason Avant making the score 10-6. The extra point wasn't missed, in fact Chip being Chip having spent most of his career in the College ranks decided to go for the two pointer which was fended off by the Kansas Defense. 
    But what could overshadow such a great drive early on, numerous impressive runs by Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and the ever exciting LeSean McCoy? Penalties. The Chiefs suffering numerous penalties for illegal formations whilst the Eagles had their own issues with plenty of holding and face mask calls by referee Walt Anderson.
       As mentioned earlier however, the two main words of the day were mistakes and turnovers. Kansas were able to force four turnovers on the Eagles offence but headed into the final quarter leading by a single touchdown. The statistic is quite puzzling as the Chiefs had so many chances given to them on a silver platter yet were unable to convert as the Eagles Defense kept the game within reach. But only just. 
   The Eagles were not the only team struggling with receiving it seems as McCluster dropped the ball on a reception a few minutes after Charles reeled in another 6 points, forcing Alex Smith to start his drive from their own five yard line.The momentum was evidently on the side of the birds but the Chiefs did a brilliant job at running the clock down taking out a massive 8 minutes on just one single drive. They drove it all the way to the 21 yard line and were able to kick for three points, extending their lead and surely putting the game beyond all reach.
   Philly weren't going to go down without a fight however as Vick and the recovering LeSean McCoy (who limped to the locker room before half time) were able to get another touchdown on the board making it a one score game as Shady took it to the house for another touchdown and another 100 yard rushing game for the Eagles running back.
Reid wins on his return and shakes hand with his replacement
Chip Kelly
   The final two minutes, the situation in which you would expect an Eagles team with the ball to excel considering their play style were simply disappointing. Vick had one last chance to tie the game but the Chiefs defense did a fantastic job at keeping the pride of Virginia tech at bay. They also did a great job marking DeSean Jackson all night long, he was able to make one big play for the offense but I'm sure it was in the game plan to make sure he does not get the football and more importantly does not score. A goal achieved by Kansas.
     The night was all about number 5 as Donovan McNabb retired his Eagles Jersey, the legendary Quarterback who worked so close with Andy Reid over his career was given a ceremony at half time. But upon reflection the number 5 cropped up numerous times. 5 forced Eagles Turnovers and 5 sacks on Michael Vick from the Chiefs Defense. 
  
      
 The game finished 26-16 to Kansas City who head off to face another NFC East team, this time the New York Giants who are on a slightly worrying 0-2 record so far. Eli Manning will be hungry to get himself and his team back to winning ways as they face the now 3-0 and surely confident Kansas City Chiefs.
      Philadelphia now have a much needed rest after playing 3 games in just 11 days but the storm may have only just begun as they will face star Quarterback Peyton Manning and his 2-0 Broncos in week 4. A game which is crucial to both parties and will be a spectacle for sure. 
       After a decimating win in week one and a loss in week 2, the Eagles sink to a 1-2 record. Have the other 31 teams finally found away to stop this hurry up offence or are the team just tired? When you play at that kind of pace for three games in eleven days then the offence is going to get worn down extremely easily. This is not an excuse however, a lot of flaws have come to light and they will all be addressed by Kelly in the coming days. But for Coach Andy Reid, he will leave Lincoln Financial Field as he has entered many times before in his fourteen year career at the team, a winner. 

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