In the NFL, knowing your opponent is often the difference between the great teams and the good teams. Studying film in the lead up to the game, getting to the point where you know your opponent better than you know yourself can be the difference maker. For Philadelphia Eagles' coach Chip Kelly, this is not the first time he is facing Indianapolis Colts' star quarterback Andrew Luck. In fact, this is the fourth meeting between the two, with Kelly leading the head to head 2-1.
The last time the two faced off was 2011, Oregon - Stanford. Luck was in his final year at Stanford, and Kelly was in the prime of his college coaching career. Oregon dominated Stanford, 53-30 in that game, and Luck will look to get his revenge in the NFL now, on Monday Night Football.
For these two teams, the word of the past few years has been change. The Colts drafted Andrew Luck with the first overall pick two years ago, and have endured great success, winning 22 games in 2 seasons. In Philadelphia, quarterback Nick Foles took the league by storm last season, throwing 27 TDs and just 2 interceptions in his first season as the majority starter after coming in for Michael Vick.
Last week, the Colts suffered a loss to the Denver Broncos, 31-24, in a game that came down to the final minute. Meanwhile, the Eagles struggled with the Jacksonville Jaguars, at one point trailing 17-0, before finally regrouping to comeback and win 34-17.
Both teams know that they can and must play better, as they appeared out of sync and sluggish in the first half despite featuring highly talented offenses. Rhythm is the key in Philadelphia, as the Eagles were finally able to get things moving and score points in bunches as part of their comeback.
In Indianapolis, the Colts and their fans face one puzzling question that to this point, has yet to be answered: Why do the Colts start so slowly? They spotted Houston a 21-3 halftime lead, the Titans a 17-0 lead, faced a whopping 38 point deficit - St. Louis, and at one point trailed Cincinnati 21-0 last season. So why, many wonder, are the Colts so awful early in games?
The answer, perhaps, is right in front of everyone. The offensive line. The Colts inability to put any run game together due to a terrible offensive line has led to a bunch of 3 and outs to start the game. Most games last season, the Colts found themselves abandoning the run for the pass, and just flinging the ball all over the park by halftime.
Even though the Colts are weak in the run game, the Eagles feature one of the, if not the, best running back duos in football. A quick, speedy, backfield featuring 2013 rushing champion LeSean McCoy and long time Colt killer Darren Sproles is a force to be reckoned with. The Eagles run game directly dictates how the offense will play. Stop the run, stop the Eagles. However, this is easier said than done.
While the Eagles are down Lane Johnson to suspension, Allen Barbre and Evan Mathis to injury on the offensive line, the Colts match them with injuries to linebackers Robert Mathis and Jerrell Freeman. Mathis and Freeman are the leaders of the defense, a defense that struggled mightily last season even with both guys in the lineup. Now the Colts take on the potent Eagles rushing attack without their two best linebackers.
In the absence of Mathis and Freeman, multiple Colts must step up and be prepared to go at the opening kickoff. D'Qwell Jackson, one of the club's newest additions, needs to step up in the run game and become a more consistent tackler. Jackson missed far too many tackles in the opener, and he was beaten badly multiple times by Broncos' tight end Julius Thomas. This is a major issue for the Colts, because Jackson will likely be asked to cover Eagles tight end Zach Ertz as well. Ertz, a former target of Luck's at Stanford, is an athletic tight end with great skills and size. He is a matchup nightmare, and defending him will be a tough challenge for the Colts.
To make up for losing the league's best pass rusher in Mathis, Bjoern Werner needs to prove why he was selected as a first round pick in 2013. Werner has been very quiet since entering the league, but now his his opportunity to prove his value by rushing the passer. He was fantastic in camp and preseason, but was relatively quiet in the opener last week.
As a whole, the Colts defense has been terrible on third downs, which must improve against Philadelphia. Allowing the Eagles to convert third downs, leads to the Eagles getting into a rhythm that makes them very challenging to contain. If you let the two great Eagles backs to get to the outside, it will be a long night for the Colts.
In Philadelphia, all eyes are on Foles. He led them to the playoffs, and was the second hottest quarterback in the league late in the season, behind only Peyton Manning. Foles played clean and smart football in almost every start last season. However, in week 1 against Jacksonville, Foles looked timid, scared and made mistakes all over the field. He missed open receivers, made bad reads and committed 3 turnovers in the first half. So on Monday night, which Foles will show up? Confident Foles who threw 7 TDs against the Oakland Raiders last season, or the one who played poorly and looked lost against Jacksonville last week.
Foles also needs his wide receivers to step up. The Eagles released DeSean Jackson in the offseason and are relatively thin at the position. They do have Jeremy Maclin who has struggled with imjuries in the past. Also, Jordan Matthews has showed promise in the preseason as a rookie. Of course tight end will be a position the Colts will struggle to cover without Freeman. The Eagles not only have Ertz, but Brent Celek who is big, smart and tough to cover.
For the Colts, Luck is the league's best young quarterback. He has it all: arm, brain, feet, toughness, and leadership. He is the prototypical NFL quarterback, and has proven why he was drafted first overall to this point. He has a wide array of wide receivers to throw to, with speedy T.Y. Hilton, reliable Reggie Wayne, and newcomer Hakeem Nicks. At tight end, the Colts have two talented guys, Coby Fleener, and physical Dwayne Allen who caught a 45 yard TD last week.
With all of this offensive firepower on both sides, and both teams have shaky defenses, this game is certain to be high scoring, fun, and competitive. The Eagles will want to run the ball, the Colts will want to spread people out and throw it. Look for McCoy to have some big running plays, and Hilton to get over the top of the defense a few times and threaten the Eagles weak secondary.
If the Eagles get out to a fast start, do not be surprised if Luck leads a comeback. After all, he has done it many times before. This game will come down to the final minutes, but, overall, Luck is better than Foles. That along with home field advantage will be the difference. The Colts will come out on top 30-24.