Eagles Defeat Colts, 36-10

The sun was shining over an electric Philadelphia crowd as the Eagles took on Indianapolis Sunday afternoon for the team’s preseason opener, and fans had more than the weather to thank for a cheerful mood. After a slow start, the Eagles’ offense found its rhythm and dominated, ultimately defeating the Colts, 36-10.

Rookies Nelson Agholor and Eric Tomlinson had standout performances, catching for 57 and 61 yards, respectively. Agholor also added a touchdown to his name, the first of his NFL career. The wide receiver connected with quarterback Mark Sanchez in the first for the 34-yard scoring play. Sanchez, who started the game, completed 2 of 7 passing attempts on the day and was part of a quarterback trio that passed for 285 yards.

With regard to the quarterbacks, all eyes were on the Matt Barkley, Tim Tebow showdown. Barkley played most of the first half, throwing for 192 yards, while the second half was Tebow time. He threw for 69 yards.

Kick returner Kenjon Barner also kept the crowd interested when he returned a punt 92 yards for a touchdown with little time remaining in the first half.

The offense wasn’t the only part of the team clicking either. The Philadelphia defense came up big, holding the Colts to only 10 points on a touchdown and a field goal. The Colts’ touchdown came in the third quarter when running back Josh Robinson dodged through the coverage for a 9-yard run into the end zone.

After that, the defense was locked in. During the fourth quarter, Ed Reynolds intercepted not one, but two Bryan Bennett passes. The first came with 8:34 remaining. The pass was intended for Ryan Lankford, but Reynolds grabbed it at the Philadelphia 2-yard line and ran for 19 yards before he was brought down. He ran his second interception back for 19 yards as well with 6:28 left in the game, allowing the Eagles’ offense to take over at the Indianapolis 13-yard line.

The play resulted in a Cody Parkey 40-yard kick, his third field goal of the game, extending the team’s lead to 19 points. The Eagles’ offense tacked on one final touchdown after linebacker Bryan Braman forced the Colts’ offense to fumble at its own 24-yard line. Tebow ran the ball 7 yards on the scoring play.

The Eagles will return to Lincoln Financial Field next Saturday for their second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens.