Chip Kelly Coached The Eagles-Lions Game Like He Was Playing Madden Because Of The Snow

Eight inches of snow fell during the Eagles-Lions game in Philadelphia yesterday.

It was spectacular to watch, but it turned the game into a bit of a farce.

The two teams combined for nine fumbles (including four by the Lions in the first quarter alone). Throwing the ball was all but impossible, and the rare completed pass left receivers with a face-full of snow.

The conditions did make for some fascinating coaching decisions though.

Most notably, the Eagles decided not to attempt any field goals or extra points. Coach Chip Kelly told WIP in Philly this morning, "It was kind of like Madden football, we put the no-kick on."

As Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders pointed out yesterday, it's a smart move. If the conditions make the chance of a successful extra point fall even a few percentage points, the stats say you should go for two.

The Eagles were 2 for 4 on two-point conversions, and 2 for 3 on fourth downs.

Kicking isn't advised when the field looks like this:

The Lions initially appeared to have the Madden "no-kick" policy on too, but in the third quarter they attempted an extra point.

It did not end well:

The Madden comparisons don't stop there.

In the second half, Kelly kept running the same play - the "inside zone" run - over and over again. The snow stymied Nick Foles, so Kelly just gave it to Lesean McCoy and had him run up the middle.

As any seasoned Madden player knows, if you find one play that works you just run it every single time. McCoy finished with 29 carries for 217 yards.

Kelly's normal coaching style has Maddenesque qualities - speed, repetitive plays, aggressiveness on fourth down, etc.

But this was a special case.