The Eagles Made Dubious History in Their Loss to the Chargers

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Now that we’ve had a couple days to reflect on the Eagles’ 33-30 loss in their home opener on Sunday, I actually feel quite a bit better about it. Sure, the defense is an utter mess, but despite conceding 419 yards and three touchdowns through the air to quarterback Philip Rivers and forcing just one punt all afternoon, they only lost by three points – on a last-second field goal at that.

The Eagles are going to have to win games by outscoring their opponents – we knew that going in – but luckily they are built to do just that. Chip Kelly’s warp-speed pace and explosive playmakers Mike Vick, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson all seem up to the task so far. Philadelphia’s offense is ranked second in the NFL through two weeks, averaging 477 yards per game.

In fact, the Birds’ offense accomplished a feat on Sunday that previously happened only 47 times before in the NFL. Unfortunately, on the 48th time, they did something else that none of the previous 47 had. Per Mike Ridley of Football Outsiders:

The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to lose a game in which they gained 500 yards, caused two turnovers and committed zero.

The average score of the previous 47 games to have this happen: 46-16.

I guess the only question is whether this qualifies more as history made by the offense or the defense.

The Eagles weren’t going to build a 16-0 record this season, there’s a good chance they won’t even make the playoffs. And that defense could be akin to a horror flick most weeks. The offense sure should be fun to watch all season long though, so you might as well just buckle up and enjoy the ride wherever it’s headed.

>> Any Given Sunday: Chargers Over Eagles [FO]

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