Eagles, Vick On Fire In First Half of Monday Night Football
Week one of the 2013 NFL season started off in a big way with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos rolling over the Baltimore Ravens behind Manning’s seven touchdown passes. Monday Night Football certainly is trying to finish what Thursday night started.
If that wasn’t enough for you, we’ve already seen four safeties this weekend as well as many surprise performances. But one of the most intriguing performances is happening on Monday Night Football where the Eagles, led by Michael Vick are on fire in the first half.
Going into the half on Monday Night Football, the Eagles are up 26-7 over the Washington Redskins who many have high hopes for with Robert Griffin III making a comeback. Unfortunately for the Redskins, it’s Vick and not Griffin making the big plays.
So what’s the secret for Philadelphia? Clearly it’s the up tempo offense, combined with the quickness and speed of the offense, as well as the ball control. In the first half the Eagles maintained possession for 20 minutes and 20 seconds compared to the nine minutes and 40 seconds that the Redskins have been able to manage.
At the half, Vick and the Eagles have ran 52 plays, on pace for 104. The league average is usually around 67-69 plays per games for most offenses. The Eagles could surpass that in the third quarter, and if they keep this up, they surely will.
The Patriots of recent years have ran up to 92 plays in a game incorporating some no huddle style, but mostly using a variation of snap counts and rarely utilizing their 40 second allotment between plays. The Eagles have been running quite a bit of no huddle while also coming out in many different formations that Washington is just not ready for defensively.
The NFL record for plays is held by the 1994 New England Patriots who ran 1,199 plays. Should Chip Kelly and the Eagles offense keep up this pace, they could challenge for that record, one that the 2012 Patriots came close to breaking.
If you started Michael Vick, LeSean McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Brent Celek in your fantasy football leagues this week, you’re in luck. At halftime Vick has completed 13/21 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns for an average of nine yards per play. In case that’s not enough Vick also rushed for a touchdown and has 10 yards on the ground.
Shady McCoy has carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards and has a five yard reception to add, while DeSean Jackson is having a big game catching seven passes for 104 yards and a touchdown already. Brent Celek has only two catches on three targets, but both of been long gains of 28 yards, one of which went for a touchdown.
On the flip side of the ball, RGIII has been struggling. In the limited time he has been on the field, he has completed just five of 11 passes for 53 yards and has thrown an interception. He has not had many chances to run either, rushing just twice for two yards and being sacked twice as well.
Sure it’s only week one and it’s primetime on Monday Night Football, but if you are watching, it looks like Philadelphia Eagles could be quite valuable until a defense figures out how to stop them.
