New Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has started his NFL career in style, with his side holding on for a 33-27 win over NFC East rivals the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field.
Washington struggled in the first half but did get off to a dream start with an early touchdown from DeAngleo Hall, who reacted quickest after Ryan Kerrigan batted down Michael Vick's misplaced pass.
Philadelphia responded swiftly, though, with a field goal, before Vick picked out a clever run from DeSean Jackson for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III then got caught sending a stray pass towards Santana Moss at the end of the first quarter, gifting the Eagles a safety and a 12-7 lead.
From there the Eagles' forward line ran riot, scoring 14 unanswered points in the second quarter as Brent Celek and Vick both found the endzone.
Early in the third quarter Eagles running back LeSean McCoy added his name to the scoresheet, capping a fine display with a 34-yard burst and a touchdown that gave the visitors a 33-7 advantage.
A shellshocked Redskins finally showed some signs of life late in the second half, with Griffin finding his range for a pair of quick scores, helped by a fumble from Jason Avant.
Griffin then made it a six-point game with an 89-yard drive to the line with less than two minutes to play, but ran out of time to avoid an opening-day defeat for his team.
Liam Power
