NFC East power rankings: Cowboys hurdle over Eagles heading into Week 2
2. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Last Week: 34-29 Win vs. Green Bay Packers
The NFC East favorite heading into the season, the Philadelphia Eagles started the season hot. Literally, playing on Friday in São Paulo, Brazil, and finishing the game with a win.
Both the roster and coaching staff saw many changes. That inevitably means the team may take some time until they are running in full stride. In Brazil, there were flashes of brilliance and poor plays that reflected all the changes and talent on the roster.
Jalen Hurts played one of the weirdest games of his career and looked like someone playing Madden. Not in the traditional sense, but rather in a more careless manner. That precedent was set with his first-quarter interception into triple coverage, followed by some great plays.
He made some good throws, like on the touchdown passes to A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley, but his mistakes were costly. A lob into double coverage in the endzone was picked off, and he fumbled the ball on a tush push at the goal line. Both turnovers kept the Packers in the game.
Eagles receivers and running back Saquon Barkley played great, breaking tackles and generating a ton of yards after the catch. One could argue they deserve the credit for the win, not Hurts. I would agree with that. However; it seemed like that was the case for both offenses, with everyone slipping and sliding. Maybe it had more to do with the conditions there.
Hurts' pocket was mostly clean except for a couple of plays, including Rashawn Gary's sack. In the run game, the Eagles' line opened up holes for Barkley and he exploded through them. It is going to be a problem for opposing defenses.
Philly was not bad on defense. Rookie Quinyon Mitchell made some nice plays as the Packers tried to pick on him. The defensive backs played well, covering underneath but got beat deep by Jayden Reed alone twice. Give credit to safety Reed Blankenship on a spectacular read on a throw to the middle of the field, jumping up and picking off Jordan Love.
Defending the run was shaky as it was for the Packers. Green Bay's duo of Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson turned in huge plays running downhill against the Eagles. Wilson averaged seven yards before contact.
Seeing how seemingly everyone was slipping and breaking tackles, it's difficult to put too much stake into this game regarding what it showed of the Eagles, other than Hurts' costly mistakes. A more accurate representation will come this week.
Back playing in Philadelphia, the conditions should not be a factor of excuse. The Atlanta Falcons are coming off a loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which is a low bar in itself. While I expect Philly's offense to cook in this game, keep an eye on the defense as they play against an underrated offense with playmakers and a solid offensive line.