With quarterback Michael Vick dealing with a hamstring strain and Nick Foles a concussion, Philadelphia was down to rookie fourth-round pick Matt Barkley. Foles has been cleared to play and is expected to start Sunday against the Raiders at O.co Coliseum.
The Eagles generated a league-wide buzz after running an incredible 53 plays and scoring 26 points in the first half of a 33-27 win against the Washington Redskins. ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski proclaimed the Eagles had "changed the landscape of the NFL from a philosophical and schematic approach to how the game is played."
Vick told reporters "when the first quarter was over I thought we were going into halftime . . . the only thing I could tell myself is it's going to be a long season.''
Eight weeks later, the Eagles have put some impressive yardage totals, but are 19th in scoring at 22 points per game.
The no-huddle offense is generating 67.8 plays per game, only slightly above the NFL average of 65.3.
The Eagles have the Oregon trait in that they don't have the ball for long — their time of possession is last in the NFL at 25:30 — but without the avalanche of points.
"I don't want to say it's a college game at the pro level, but it's a college theory — get your athletes in space and let 'em make plays," Raiders linebacker Kevin Burnett said.
The Eagles have 45 plays of 20 more yards, the most in the NFL and five more than the Denver Broncos. They are tied for first with 37 passing plays of 20 or more yards and tied for second with nine touchdowns of 20 or more yards.
Running back LeSean McCoy leads the NFL in rushing with 733 yards and wide receiver DeSean Jackson has 45 receptions for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Despite the limited time with the ball, the Eagles are fifth in total offense at 397.1 yards per game.
"They do some things from a tempo standpoint that can make it difficult on you,'' Allen said. "They do some tings where the concept of the offense is really to spread the defense out and get their playmakers in space. Being a great space tackling team will be critical in this game."
Cornerback Tracy Porter hasn't forgotten what the Eagles did in the first half of their first game.
"They had a full game's worth of plays in the first half, so they're definitely up-tempo, slightly more up-tempo than normal no-huddle teams,'' Porter said. "It's going to be a task but if we can stop those guys on third down it's going to limit the snaps the have."
NOTES
Offensive tackle Tony Pashos (hip) and center-guard Andre Gurode (knee) were not on the field during the media window.
Left tackle Jared Veldheer was working with an athletic trainer on an adjacent field.
The Raiders announced Sunday's game is a sellout and it will be televised locally.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: