Posted: Sunday, October 17, 2010, 4:24 PM | 10 comments |
 

Kolb, Maclin lead offensive charge
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Kevin Kolb threw the ball in Jeremy Maclin's direction seven times during today's 31-17 win over the Falcons.

And those targets produced seven completions for 159 yards and two touchdowns. The catches and receptions are new career highs for Maclin. The two touchdowns match a career high.

When DeSean Jackson left the game after a brutal hit on the Eagles' fourth offensive possession, it was natural to wonder whether the offense would be able to still get the ball down the field. With the Falcons gaining some momentum in the third quarter, cutting the Eagles' lead to 21-10, Kolb found Maclin for an 83-yard touchdown down the far sideline.

Maclin averaged 22.7 yards per reception and is proving to be another big-play threat for the Birds. He has at least one catch of 40 or more yards in three of the Eagles' last four games. Maclin also has six touchdowns, which (as of this writing) is tied with the Giants' Hakeem Nicks for tops among wide receivers.

The efficiency between Kolb and Maclin is remarkable. In the last two weeks, take away two balls that were batted at the line of scrimmage, and Kolb has targeted Maclin 14 times. Thirteen of those attempts have resulted in completions for 254 yards and a pair of scores.

OTHER OBSERVATIONS:

* Kolb had a monster game, completing 23 of 29 attempts for 326 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Two of those incompletions were drops and one was batted down at the line of scrimmage.

* Jason Avant had his best game of the season with five catches for 62 yards.

* The offensive line was a huge concern coming in, but the guys up front held up. I have to go back and re-watch the game to see how much help the tight ends and running backs provided, but the Eagles only surrendered one sack.

* LeSean McCoy had a hot start, but then slowed down considerably, finishing with just 64 yards on 21 carries.

* Jackson had 78 total yards and a pair of touchdowns before leaving the game.

* The Eagles did a much better job on the tight end. Tony Gonzalez had two touchdowns, but finished with just three catches for 19 yards.

* Trent Cole added a pair of sacks. He now has five on the season.

* Asante Samuel picked up his second interception.

* This was the Eagles' first home win of the season.

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Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 4:24 PM  Permalink | 10 comments
10
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:51 PM, 10/17/2010
    Game balls to the O-LINE,Maclin and Kevin Kolb-133 QB rating-80% passing-325 yards WOW!!.....KK is the MAN!!.....wolf.

    — wolf 4
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:08 PM, 10/17/2010
    Little Dinky Sims gave it all he had today but came up just a little short
    — del ravio 100%
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:02 PM, 10/17/2010
    RaRa Sis boom ba, Gooooooooooo Kevin, This is the only way I can get any comments posted by Kapadia. KK played well today props to him but reality is this team will need Vick down the stretch so I hope he's 100% next week.
    — realtruth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:34 PM, 10/17/2010
    Babyarm, huh? More like a baby's arm holding an apple!
    — johnnydomino
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:17 PM, 10/17/2010
    Kolb did a wonderful jobs, I say don't rush Vick back from his injury.... Take a chance and allow Kolb to manage the team for another week.... Kolb was good but not better than we have come to expect from a healthy Vick.... Good job by the O Line today..... Atlanta didn't look like a 4-1 Team today, but the Eagles missed 3 Field Goals and noone would have anticipated Akers misfiring on 3 Field Goals.... Great Game.....
    — Dexter
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:43 PM, 10/17/2010
    If you want to win a championship, then Kolb's the guy. If need a dog electrocuted, hanged, shot or drowned, then ya gotta go with Vick.
    — ej610
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:09 PM, 10/17/2010
    You know who else showed flashes of brilliance? AJ Feeley, Bobby Hoying, Rodney Peete, Ty Detmer and Koy Detmer. Heck, K.D. had a QB rating of over 100 against SF before he was knocked out of the game all those years ago. We all saw Kolb in Week 1 and last week. I want to see him succeed (he is an Eagle, after all) but his body of work is still not impressive. That being said, good game by Kolb. Let Vick rest and give Kolb another week to go. Vick's value is through the roof as it is; a team needing Vick's services could provide premium value at the trade deadline.
    — psv
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:16 PM, 10/17/2010
    check out psv on the excuse train. do you also post political talking points?
    — dpcoz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:52 PM, 10/17/2010
    I knew wiff wanted to give his balls to Kolb. But Maclin and the entire O line? Wiff..really. At least get dinner first.
    — tpizza


10 comments
About Sheil Kapadia
Sheil Kapadia is in his fourth season writing about the Eagles and the NFL for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his Dad. He's not a beat writer or an Insider, but is here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

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