Doug Pederson presented his Philadelphia Eagles starters with a new opportunity not just during Saturday night's 33-23 preseason win at the Indianapolis Colts, but also in the days leading up to the game.

After the team spent a month's worth of practice spreading out repetitions between young roster hopefuls and established veterans, Pederson mixed things up this week. The Eagles' first-year head coach had his squad treat its third exhibition like a regular-season matchup.

Pederson afforded time for some watered down game-planning. He gave more reps to the first-team offense and defense in practice. And he asked the team to prepare like it was playing a meaningful contest.

The results, Pederson explained, were encouraging.

"When you can allow your starters to practice longer, you get some timing and rhythm with those guys," Pederson said during his postgame news conference. "And it showed tonight."

Stats and scoring recap
The first-team offensive and defensive units played into the third quarter and looked sharp most of the night.

Here are a couple of takeaways from Pederson's postgame chat.

PRAISE FOR BRADFORD  

Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford might have benefitted most from the Eagles' decision to mimic a regular-season practice week leading up to the Colts game.

At least that's how Pederson sees it.

With No. 2 overall draft pick Carson Wentz and highly-paid backup Chase Daniel in the fold at quarterback, the Eagles split practice reps three ways during training camp. Bradford's starting job wasn't on the line, but he didn't get the time and leeway to hone his game in the run up to the preseason the way many veteran first-team signal-callers do.

But this week, the Eagles treated Bradford like the uncontested starter. He took most of the practice reps. He readied to play the Colts defense. And he finished the day with staggering statistics: 17 of 20 (85 percent) passing for 167 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

"Tonight kind of culminated everything, his hard work he's put in all offseason and through training camp," Pederson said. "This is the first week that Sam has had 100 percent of the reps and it showed tonight. His 17 for 20 is a high percentage, obviously, and the touchdowns."

Bradford also had a big game during Week 3 of the preseason last year — he completed 10 of 10 passes for three touchdowns against the Packers that day — but struggled early in the regular season.

So fans and outsiders are likely to temper any hope for Bradford, but Pederson's optimism shined through as he spoke.

"Just seeing the field and putting the ball exactly where he wants to put it I think is just his growth and his maturity and trusting his guys," Pederson said.

'JIM SCHWARTZ STYLE OF BALL'

The Eagles defense, and especially the front four, impressed again Saturday.

Philly held the Colts to three first-half points and sacked Andrew Luck three times. While Pederson is an offensive-minded coach, he was quick to point out that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's unit has been a bright spot for the team in the run up to the season.

"They are playing aggressive, tenacious football," Pederson said. "That's Jim Schwartz style of ball, man. That's what I wanted when I hired Jim Schwartz, and that's what you're seeing. Our defensive line is putting pressure on the quarterback with four guys."

JOSH HUFF

The Eagles featured wide receiver Josh Huff heavily in the offensive attack Saturday, and Pederson explained they got the second-year wideout involved by design.

Huff faced criticism for a tendency to drop passes, and many figured he was on the roster bubble entering the third week of the preseason. The Oregon product said he needed to improve his play to solidify his place on the team.

He might have done that by catching two passes for 60 yards and running twice for 10 yards, including a touchdown, Saturday in Indy. At the very least, he showed how explosive he can be when the gameplan is titled in his direction.

"We wanted to get certain guys in certain situations and [Huff] was one of them," Pederson said. "He did a nice job tonight. Putting the ball in his hands, running it and throwing it on some slants and some intermediate stuff that he's very good at, so I think that's something we'll continue to evaluate him on and put him in those spots."