Eagles fans entered Lincoln Financial Field last night conflicted about whether to cheer or boo Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb.
A few hours later they exited with bigger problems. This current edition of the of the Birds isn’t very good.
In their first two weeks, at least the Eagles were exciting. Last night they were just sloppy in dropping a 26-16 game to their old boss and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The tone was set for this game on the opening kickoff, when their up to this point solid special teams were gashed for a 50-plus yards return. After their beleaguered defense bailed them out, the special teams conspired against them again, when Damaris Johnson muffed the punt, setting up the Chiefs inside the Eagles 10 yard line.
It was pretty much down hill from there.
The Eagles turned the ball over five times. Michael Vick looked very much like the guy who got benched in favor of Nick Foles last year. The QB was a very pedestrian 13 of 30 for 201 yards. He also reverted to a problem that has always been part of his repertoire - batted balls. Last night of those in the 1st quarter was returned for a touchdown. It was one of his two interceptions on the night.
The Chiefs’ offense wasn’t a lot better, even with the gifts bestowed on them by the Birds.
Among the many problems the Eagles exhibited was an inability of Vick and center Jason Kelce to get together on snaps in the shotgun formation, with Kelce bouncing one off his behind that was recovered by the Chiefs, and one that sailed over Vick’s head.
So far as the subplot, Eagles fans showed a bit of class by offering both Reid and Donovan McNabb a warm return home.
Too bad the team decided to play very much like a team on a short week of practice. So were the Chiefs, who also had to travel across half the country. The Eagles must have felt bad because they decided to give them the game.
The Eagles have now lost eight straight games at Lincoln Financial Field. Whatever shred of home-field advantage they may have once held there is long gone, just a memory of the visceral fear most teams had of coming into Veterans Stadium.
Now this team, like its swanky, corporate-themed home, is soft. It relies on guile and trickery. And now Chip Kelly’s souped-up offense.
Last night Vick and the offense unfortunately were running like an old VW, coughing and sputtering. The defense played better, for the most part bailing out the offense after the early turnovers, but it didn’t much matter. If the Eagles offense is not humming, this team doesn’t have much chance of winning.
Chip Kelly now has nine days to figure this thing out and determine if there are any changes he could make to right the ship. That includes his quarterback. Vick last night looked exactly like the turnover machine he has become in recent years.
In the meantime, Andy Reid is 3-0.
All together now: Hail to the Chief.
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