Eagles vs. Redskins, Week 1: Chip Kelly wins in Philadelphia debut

Kerrigan left the game late in the fourth quarter and did not return. He was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. During his postgame press conference, head coach Mike Shanahan said Kerrigan was still being evaluated.

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Chip Kelly turned heads at Oregon for using playcalling signs with wacky images, so that his players could quickly look over to the sideline and pick up plays without having to huddle to keep his team’s pace frenetic. He’s apparently brought that system to the NFL with the Eagles, although with a Philly twist.

Photo via Rob Carr, Getty Images

Kerrigan left the game late in the fourth quarter. According to the team, he was taken into the locker room for further evaluation. His return was initially listed as questionable, but he did not re-enter the game. The team said head coach Mike Shanahan will have an update on Kerrigan’s condition during his postgame press conference.

Although the severity of the injury is still unknown, losing Kerrigan for any length of time would be a major loss for Washington. Entering his third season, Kerrigan has been a consistent playmaker for Washington and is poised for a breakout season. He made the play of the game early on, jumping up to deflect a pass which was eventually ruled a backwards pass and resulted in a defensive touchdown for Washington.

Chip Kelly had the Eagles’ offense humming in the first half. Philadelphia ran 53 plays in the first half, picking up more than 300 total yards and 21 first downs before intermission.

Everyone was expecting Kelly’s offense to give the Redskins some trouble, but the Eagles’ defense was the more surprising element of the game. Philly was able to generate pressure and keep Griffin uncomfortable for most of the night.

No idea why they picked such an arbitrary and unimpressive point total as the coupon threshold, but WHO CARES FREE SAMWICHES YEAHHHHHHHH LET’S GO SKINS

Chip Kelly made his NFL debut with a bang: 26 points. 341 yards on 53 plays.

Oh, and I’m writing this at halftime. That’s nothing short of ridiculous:

Chip Kelly’s offense might translate to the NFL after all.

Throughout the half, Kelly’s offense was moving at a frantic pace. All that could slow it down were a few injuries to Redskins players.

The Redskins first three drives of the year: an Alfred Morris fumble, a terrible throw by Robert Griffin III that ended in a pick, and ... well ... this:

Griffin made the very questionable decision to pitch back to Morris while he was in the end zone, and while the toss wasn’t perfect, Morris still deserves some blame for failing to reel the ball in. Either way, they’re lucky they got to this first so it’s only a safety and not a TD.

Philadelphia holds on to win; Texans vs. Chargers underway

Matt Ufford [11:44 PM]:

Meriweather missed most of training camp and the preseason while he worked his way back from a knee injury. He made his debut in Washington’s final preseason game, but suffered a groin injury upon his return to the field.

The Eagles won’t be missing any starters due to injury considering defensive lineman Vinny Curry the most notable name on the inactive list. Curry is a healthy scratch and Jeff McLane of Philly.com noted Curry spent most of the preseason working with the third-team defense. The former second-round pick appeared in six games for the Eagles last season.

Last season, the Redskins took down the Eagles in both games, on their way to the playoffs. Washington used a 7-0 streak to end their season, and both games against Philadelphia came in that stretch. Game one in Washington was 31-6, while they struggled slightly on the road, but ultimately won 27-20.

Let’s take a look at both teams.