Chip Kelly cites penalties first and foremost as reason for loss
By Jason Rowan
The Philadelphia Eagles lost a close one to the Atlanta Falcons Monday night, going down by a score 26-24 at a raucous Georgia Dome, and Chip Kelly believes the primary reason for coming up just short from eking out a huge road win could be attributed to a whopping 10 penalties the team took. The head coach further stated that if Philadelphia has any hope of beating the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday, there will have to be far fewer flags thrown on the field in the direction of Eagles players.
“First and foremost, penalties,” Kelly said, per NJ.com. “If you go out and get 10 penalties against Dallas, chances are you’re going to wind up on the wrong side of the stick.
“You’ve gotta clean up the things that we can control. We didn’t do a very good job from that standpoint.”
The Falcons amassed seven penalties as well, a sloppy game that typified many of Week 1’s games. But it arguably was how the Eagles’ vaunted offense — as it is cooked up by the mad scientist Kelly — failed to kick into high gear until the second half that sealed Philly’s fate, as it allowed Atlanta to stake itself a 17-3 lead. Sam Bradford’s two picks (who otherwise had a decent game), — not to mention the Eagles’ inability to contain Julio Jones — certainly played a huge part in the loss, as did a handful of other contributing factors that will need to be rectified before a showdown with the Cowboys.
But Kelly is correct in that the Eagles need to a better job of avoiding penalties. While there certainly are other issues with the team, being flagged 10 times rarely serves as a blueprint for success.
More from Sportress of Blogitude:
