Darren Sproles had a career high in receiving yards against the Colts in an epic 30-27 win Monday. Credit: Getty Images
No NFL team has ever started 2-0 while trailing by double digits in each game.
Until the Eagles Monday night.
The comeback kids struck again, coming back from down by as many as 14 points to beat the Colts 30-27 after Darren Sproles picked up 152 receiving yards and Cody Parkey made a 36-yard field goal as time expired.
“I’ve been excited about having Darren Sproles since we had the chance to trade for him,” Chip Kelly told ESPN after the win.
Nick Foles threw for 331 yards, LeSean McCoy ran for 79 yards and the second half once again propelled the Eagles to an improbable victory in a thrilling contest in prime time.
Trailing by seven in the fourth quarter, the Colts were nearing the red zone threatening to expand their lead. But Malcom Jenkins picked the perfect time for his first pick as an Eagle, giving the Birds the ball with five minutes left and in need of a touchdown.
“You can’t turn the ball over in the red zone,” Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said. “We could have made it a two score game. It was stupid.”
On third down, Darren Sproles broke free for a 51-yard screen pass that led to a six yard Jeremy Maclin TD strike to tie the game at 27-all with just over three minutes remaining.
The Eagles’ offense started how it finished at home last week, but stalled at in the red zone after nearly 70 yards of offense. Cody Parkey put the Birds on the board with a 31-yard field goal to take an early lead.
The Colts were motivated in their next drive going the entire field, using a fourth and goal pass from Luck to Ahmad Bradshaw to snatch a 7-3 lead with 5:18 left to go in the first.Indianapolis extended their lead to a full seven points thanks to a made field goal following Parkey missing one on the previous Birds possession.
Midway through the third the Eagles once again found a potent drive hit a wall in the red zone. After two unsuccessful runs and a going-nowhere screen pass Cody Parkey got the Eagles to within four points with a 23-yard kick through the uprights.
The Colts responded with Luck’s first TD pass of the game and the first of Jack Doyle’s career on a shot two-yard out route to the right-hand side. For the second time in two weeks, the Birds would trail by double digits after the first 30 minutes, 17-6.An Adam Vinateri 27-yard field goal gave the Colts an even bigger lead, 20-6 with just over 18 minutes remaining for another Birds comeback. The field goal was almost prevented when a sure interception int he end zone fell through the hands of cornerback Bradley Fletcher.
McCoy finally found paint for the Birds in their third trip to the red zone, a short dive into the end zone ending a seven-play 80-yard drive to cut the Colts’ lead to just one touchdown, 20-13. With momentum, on the very next play from scrummage Fletcher Cox forced an Indianapolis fumble to give the Eagles a chance to tie the game.
Facing a third and 15, McCoy took the draw from Foles and took the ball all the way into the Colts’ red zone, giving the Birds a fourth chance with goal to go.
And just one possession later, Sproles broke through to score a huge third-quarter touchdown on an 18-yard draw with 2:44 left in the third quarter to tie the contest at 20-all.
“We did a better job executing in the second half,” Kelly said.
