2013 Monday Night Football Recap —Texans Edge Chargers; Eagles Hold Off Redskins
The Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles recorded victories on the first Monday night of the 2013 NFL season. Here's a recap of the games:
Houston 31, San Diego 28
Randy Bullock kicked a 41-yard field goal as time expired, and the Houston Texans rallied from a 21-point second half deficit to beat the Chargers, 31-28, in San Diego on Monday night.
Quarterback Philip Rivers led San Diego to a 28-7 advantage when he completed the last of his four touchdown passes, a 6-yarder to Eddie Royal with 10:42 left in the third. However, the Texans began their rally minutes later, eventually tying the game at 28 when linebacker Brian Cushing returned a Rivers' interception 18 yards for a score with 9:30 to play in the game.
Houston quarterback Matt Schaub passed for 346 yards and three scores. Texans' receiver Andre Johnson caught 12 passes for 146 yards.
Philadelphia 33, Washington 27
Michael Vick completed 15 of 25 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, as the Philadelphia Eagles used a dominant first half performance to beat the Washington Redskins, 33-27, in Landover, Md. on Monday night.
The Eagles ran the dynamic offense of new head coach Chip Kelly very well early, reeling off 53 plays in the first 30 minutes of the game and sprinting out to a 33-7 lead early in the third quarter. The rapid-fire snaps and unusual formations often took advantage of an overmatched Washington defense. Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy torched the 'Skins for 184 yards on 31 carries, while teammate DeSean Jackson had seven catches for 104 yards and a score.
Redskins' quarterback Robert Griffin III looked tentative upon making his return from off-season knee surgery. He finished with 329 passing yards, but most of that total came in the fourth quarter with the Eagles yielding yardage to help run down the clock.