Eagles beat Jaguars after slow start

The Eagles retreated to the locker room during halftime of Sunday's 34-17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars to a soundtrack of dissatisfied fans. A season that opened with postseason aspirations started with a scoreless 30 minutes.

"I think everybody was frustrated," said coach Chip Kelly, whose team trailed, 17-0, at halftime. "I heard a few fans who were frustrated, too. Go figure. But they had every right. I was booing myself."

Yet, the locker room was devoid of panic. The Eagles expected the 34-0 second-half onslaught that ensued. There were no overturned chairs. There were not even significant adjustments to schemes.

A few leaders spoke to the team. Safety Malcolm Jenkins' message was that "a team that hasn't been tested can't be trusted."

Players described an inherent confidence.

"When it comes on," Jenkins said, "it's going to be fast."

The Eagles returned to the field and scored 34 points while shutting out the Jaguars. The issues from the first half seemed to vanish.

"Run game wasn't working, pass game wasn't working, [the] guy calling plays wasn't working," Kelly said. "We got it straightened out in the second half."

Quarterback Nick Foles rebounded from a first half that included two fumbles and an interception by throwing two second-half touchdown passes. He finished 27 of 45 for 322 yards, including a go-ahead, 68-yard pass to a wide-open Jeremy Maclin to give the Eagles a 24-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

Maclin led Eagles receivers with 97 yards on four catches in his first regular-season game since 2012.

"A lot of the time, those are some of the toughest catches to make when you are that wide open," Maclin said. "But it was a good play called and good job of Nick finding me, and the rest is history."

The offensive momentum started well before Maclin's touchdown. The Eagles faced a fourth and 1 from Jacksonville's 49-yard line on the first drive of the second half and handed the ball to new acquisition Darren Sproles. The Jaguars were not set when Sproles sneaked behind center Jason Kelce and sprinted through Jacksonville's defense untouched for the longest run of his career to put the Eagles on the scoreboard.

"We knew that they were getting tired, so we tried to hurry up on them," Sproles said. "They were not even set and left a big hole in the middle of the field."

Sproles finished with 71 rushing yards, while LeSean McCoy ran for 74 yards.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, Sproles returned a punt 22 yards to the Jags' 40-yard line. It took six plays to find the end zone again. This time, Foles connected with Zach Ertz for a 25-yard score to bring the Eagles within three points.

The Eagles tied the game in the fourth when new kicker Cody Parkey nailed his first NFL field goal, a 51-yarder. After Maclin's touchdown, Parkey kicked a 28-yard field goal for a 27-17 lead.

Continuing the barrage, Fletcher Cox recovered a fumble after a Trent Cole sack and ran 17 yards for a touchdown.

The play was part of an overall strong performance from the defense and special teams. The defense held Jacksonville to 118 second-half yards and stopped the Jaguars on 12 of 14 third downs.

In addition to Parkey's two field goals and Sproles' returns, the special teams was bolstered by Brandon Bair's blocked field goal in the second quarter.

But the result does not absolve the Eagles from their woeful first half. The Eagles lost Pro Bowl guard Evan Mathis and starting right tackle Allen Barbre to injury, and their status is a concern. Foles' three turnovers also were alarming.

"I just made mistakes," Foles said. "I really just have to get the ball out a little faster. It's as simple as that. It's on me."

The mistakes are easier to digest after a win, though. Boos gave way to euphoria for the 69,596 who came to Lincoln Financial Field expecting to see a team that looked like a contender.

Kelly's message to his players after the game was that "at some point in time, we're going to have to rely on everybody to win games."

The Eagles survived an inconsistent performance on Sunday, but they'll need a better one when they visit the Indianapolis Colts next Monday.

"We're not going to sit up here and celebrate a win like it was something great, and we played great, and we were clicking on all cylinders," cornerback Cary Williams said. "We didn't. We still have room for improvement."