Instant Replay: Eagles 36, Colts 10

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BOX SCORE

Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley each led touchdown drives, Kenjon Barner found the end zone twice, Nelson Agholor caught his first NFL touchdown and Tim Tebow made his anticipated debut in the Eagles’ preseason opener.

And, yes, Tebow scored a touchdown.

The Eagles overcame an early three-point deficit and scored 26 straight points spanning the first and third quarters in their 36-10 win over the Colts at the Linc.

Agholor, the first-round pick from USC, turned a short pass into a go-ahead, 34-yard touchdown catch late in the first. A deep connection from Barkley to Miles Austin set up Barner’s 9-yard touchdown run and Barner returned a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown as the Eagles pulled away in the first half.

Tebow finally entered late in the third, brought the crowd to its feet several times and found the end zone in the fourth on a keeper.

Rookie corner Eric Rowe forced a fumble and first-year safety Ed Reynolds picked off passes on consecutive Colts drives in the fourth quarter.

But there were some rough patches, too.

Second-year kicker Cody Parkey missed a field goal, missed an extra point and nearly had another field goal sail wide. The rebuilt first-team secondary gave up two third-and-long conversions on Andrew Luck’s 11 snaps. Agholor had a bad drop.

For all the pomp and circumstance surrounding Tebow’s debut, it didn’t exactly fulfill all the hype. He led the offense to 10 points, including his own 7-yard touchdown run, but was sacked three times and struggled in the passing game after completing his first four passes.

QB report
Sam Bradford, you may have heard, didn’t play. Sanchez played but didn’t exactly sparkle. His passes weren’t especially sharp. Even his touchdown to Agholor was more attributable to Agholor’s athleticism than anything Sanchez did.

Barkley, who replaced Sanchez in the first quarter, showed more precision than Sanchez did, although one of his passes helicoptered off a defensive end’s hands and wound up getting picked. He threw a beautiful deep ball to Miles Austin for 39 yards.

Tebow entered in the third, hit a few open wideouts, flipped the ball to a tight end, ran outside for three yards — and received a standing ovation each time. Then he tried to force a third-down touchdown pass to Quron Pratt, who was doubled, and had his pass go incomplete.

Tebow struggled with consistent passing and had some hesitations that led to him hitting the ground hard. He completed 6 of 12 passes for 69 yards and for ran four times for 15 yards. His 67.7 passer rating was the worst of the three quarterbacks.

Key scratches
Along with Bradford, running back DeMarco Murray, linebackers Kiko Alonso, Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans. Zach Ertz is out for the preseason after undergoing core muscle surgery and safety Earl Wolff also sat out.

Pertinent personnel groups
On the offensive line, Andrew Gardner started at right guard with Matt Tobin taking second-team left tackle reps and John Moffit running at second-team right guard. … In the secondary, Byron Maxwell and Nolan Carroll started outside with Malcolm Jenkins and Walter Thurmond at safety. Jaylen Watkins played the slot in first-team nickel. With Wolff out, Reynolds ran with Chris Maragos at second-team safety. Rowe replaced Watkins in the slot with the second teamers and E.J. Biggers took Rowe’s outside spot. … At receiver, Riley Cooper and Josh Huff started but neither played much. … At linebacker, Brad Jones and Emmanuel Acho were the starters. On the defensive line, Vinny Curry logged snaps at defensive tackle in a four-down linemen nickel look. Wade Keliikipi, a practice-squad defensive lineman last year, joined defensive end Brandon Bair and nose tackle Beau Allen on the second team.

Offensive hero
Second-year running back Kenjon Barner, a practice squadder last year, ran for a 9-yard touchdown and returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown, accounting for 12 of the Eagles’ 36 points. He ran six times for a team-high 29 yards and and caught a 3-yard screen pass.

Offensive zero
Technically, Cody Parkey isn’t an “offensive” player but the second-year kicker was very shaky. He missed a 34-yard field goal wide right and an extra point, which is now attempted from the 15-yard line. His 40-yard field goal crossed through just before hooking left of the upright,

Defensive hero
Reynolds, seeing extended playing time with Earl Wolff sidelined, took over the game in the fourth. He picked off Colts quarterback Bryan Bennett deep in Eagles territory on a bomb and then jumped a route to pick off Bennett on the Colts’ next drive. In between, he made a diving pass breakup.

Rowe is runner up. The rookie second-rounder caused a turnover when he strip-tackled Colts wideout Phillip Dorsett after first getting beaten inside. Later, Rowe also stood up Dorsett well short of the first down marker while Maragos helped punch the ball away for a fumble that the Colts recovered for no gain.

Defensive zero
Colts cornerback Greg Toler couldn’t wrap up Agholor on the rookie wideout’s 34-yard touchdown catch despite Agholor's leaping high to grab Sanchez’s almost-overthrown pass. Agholor should have been tackled near the 30.

Injuries
Rookie free agent outside linebacker Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo limped back to the locker rooms early in the game.

Did you know?
Barner’s 92-yard punt return touchdown just before halftime gave the Eagles touchdown returns on special teams in consecutive preseason openers. Josh Huff returned a kick 102 yards for a touchdown last Aug. 9 against the Bears.

Up next
The Eagles have joint practices this week against the Ravens in preparation for their 7 p.m. Saturday preseason game at the Linc.

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