Photo Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

Photo Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

The first half of the Eagles’ week one matchup against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars was … worrisome. Panic set in almost immediately, calls for Mark Sanchez were all over Twitter before the second quarter even started, and the Birds went into halftime trailing 17-0. The second half was very different however, as the Eagles offense (and defense) responded by scoring 34 points to the Jaguars’ 0. The team finally gelled and everything seemed to be working. The rust was shaken off. And according to friend of the site (and former Onward State beat writer) Drew Balis‘ blog Balls of Wisdom:

  • The only NFL teams to score more points than the Eagles (34) were the Falcons (37), who needed overtime to do it, the Seahawks (36), and the Lions (35) The Vikings and Saints tied the birds with 34.
  • The 34 points in the second half was the highest total of any half throughout the league. San Francisco, the Eagles’ Week 4 opponent, were close behind with 28 points against Dallas in the first half.
  • The 20 points in the fourth quarter was the highest for all 32 teams in the fourth quarter. The Seahawks, Saints, Vikings, Buccaneers, and Colts all posted 14 but none reached 20.
  • The 34 points in a half ties a record in the Chip Kelly era. The Eagles also accomplished the feat last season in the Snow Bowl against Detroit. Even in blowout wins over the Raiders and Bears in 2013 that saw the Eagles eclipse 50 points they never scored 34+ in one half.

So yeah, that first half was an embarrassment. But once quarters three and four rolled around, things changed (note: still, the Jags are terrible). This week’s Monday night game will be an important one to get into a rhythm early, but this team has shown us before, a big deficit at halftime doesn’t equal a loss. There’s no need to panic here, folks.