San Diego @ Philadelphia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 15, 2009 ) Philadelphia 23, San Diego 31

Chip Kelly and Mike McCoy each enjoyed one impressive half in their debuts as an NFL head coach. The Philadelphia Eagles hung on for the victory in Kelly’s first game, while the San Diego Chargers were left shaking their heads after a second-half collapse handed McCoy an opening defeat. Both teams will try to put together a complete 60-minute effort Sunday when they meet in Philadelphia.

Under the direction of Kelly’s high-flying offense, the Eagles ran 53 first-half plays against the Washington Redskins on Monday night and extended their lead to 33-7 in the opening two minutes of the third quarter. The Eagles held on for a 33-27 win, though the Chargers were not as fortunate in their 31-28 defeat to the Houston Texans later that night. San Diego led 28-7 with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter before Houston rallied to win on the game's final play.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Eagles -7.5. O/U: 55

ABOUT THE CHARGERS (0-1): Philip Rivers completed only 14-of-29 passes against the Texans, including a 1-for-7 performance with a pick-six in the decisive fourth quarter. Rivers did throw four touchdown passes, but to provide a comparison, the Chargers ran a total of 51 plays against the Texans – two fewer than Philadelphia ran in the first half alone. San Diego, which was ravaged by injuries to its receivers in the preseason, did not have a player catch more than three passes or go over 50 yards against Houston.

ABOUT THE EAGLES (1-0): After his team ran 77 plays and finished with 443 yards against Washington, Kelly actually said of the Eagles’ offense, “I felt like it was too slow, to be honest with you.” LeSean McCoy (career-high 31 carries, 184 yards, TD) and DeSean Jackson (seven catches, 104 yards, TD) looked like they may be the biggest beneficiaries of Kelly’s rapid-fire pace. However, the Eagles’ defense – a question mark all preseason – will have to make adjustments after allowing a hobbled Robert Griffin III to pass for 329 yards, including 169 in the fourth quarter alone.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Following another poor performance from RB Ryan Mathews (13 carries, 33 yards), the Chargers have not run for 100 yards in eight consecutive games.

2. The Eagles, who did not feature the running game heavily under previous coach Andy Reid, paced the NFL with 263 rushing yards in Week 1.

3. It is highly unlikely that Chargers rookie LB Manti Te’o (foot) will play Sunday, though he is expected to return later this month.

PREDICTION: Eagles 34, Chargers 31