Still, it was an impressive performance for a guy starting his first game in two years. On the other hand, Brees was just selected for his eighth Pro Bowl and threw for more than 5,000 yards for an NFL-record fourth time. He makes it difficult for top defenses, so the Eagles are going to need play their best to have a chance.
"He's just so talented and has such a great command of what they're doing," coach Chip Kelly said. "He understands coverage and he understands how you're playing them and he's very, very difficult to fool. He's been around for a long time. It's a lot like the matchup when you're playing Peyton Manning. They are so skilled in their offense and what they're doing. You've got to present a lot of different looks to him and he's got a lot of weapons to throw to, and I think that's what makes them so diverse is you just can't hone in and say, 'Hey,Patriots Super Bowl 53 Jersey, we take away this one guy, we are going to be in pretty good shape.'"