The Philadelphia Eagles won an exciting game over the Green Bay Packers Friday night 34–29, to become the first NFL team to ever win a game in the Southern Hemisphere. Head Coach Nick Sirianni preserved his perfect record on opening day at 4–0 since taking over the Eagles with the thrilling win.
While there were some rough patches along the way, both new coordinators showed their worth to the team and what changes to expect moving forward.
Eagles’ Offense
The Eagle’s offense was funneled through their big three of A.J. Brown’s 10 targets, DeVonta Smith’s 8 targets, and Dallas Goedert’s 5 targets.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles started off the game with some rust, yes. He finished the game 20/34 good for 278 passing yards and 2 TDs. Hurts made a couple of bad decisions that led to 2 interceptions, but one of those was due to AJ Brown falling on the field more than it was a poor choice by Jalen. The turnovers will have to be cleaned up or it could plague the season like last year. For now, there is very little to worry about. Jalen and the Eagles should be a lot better as the season progresses.
Jalen Hurts has never lost to the Green Bay Packers.
Did QB1 also manage to get engaged while in Brazil? Amor!
The Eagles wasted no time showing off their shiny new toy.
Saquon Barkley made his Philly debut with a hat trick. He scored two TDs on the ground and one by air. His shiftiness, strength, and speed were on display all night. He finished as player of the game with 109 rushing yards, 23 receiving yards, and the 3 touchdowns. NYG owner John Mara stated on Hard Knocks that he would have “a tough time sleeping” if Saquon went to Philadelphia. After that performance, night one for Mara likely required an Ambien.
Barkley also preserved the victory after a bad exchange in an attempted tush push with a fumble recovery at the Packers’ goal line.
After a heated exchange with Green Bay corner Jaire Alexander, AJ Brown took the matchup over. He scored on a long 67-yard touchdown and finished the night with 119 yards. He led the team in targets, as expected, and is primed for a big season.
DeVonta Smith hauled in 7 of his 8 targets good for 84 yards. He was active in the offense all night and was Mr. Reliable during clutch time. His numbers, while not pedestrian, also are not indicative of how important he was to the Eagles in week one.
Dallas Goedert had a relatively quiet night. He did manage to secure 4 of his 5 targets good for 31 yards, but brighter days are ahead for Dallas in the new Kellen Moore offense.
Jahan Dotson had 1 target in his Eagles debut. A lot more are on the horizon for him in this offense.
The Kellen Moore playcalling!
Last year the Eagles only utilized motion on 23% of their offensive plays. In offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s debut, it was run on over 65% of the plays!
The Eagles’ offense had a fatal flaw last off-season, not having an answer for the blitz. Last night was a different story.
When Green Bay blitzed Jalen Hurts, he was 6-of-7, 91 yards, a TD, and 0 interceptions which was good for a 158.3 rating. He also added an 8-yard scramble.
If the offense can produce anything close to this during the season, their offense will be more lethal than many thought.
The biggest concern on offense continues to be how the Eagles transition from the loss of Jason Kelce to Cam Jurgens. There were a few bad exchanges between Jurgens and Hurts throughout the night.
Eagles’ Defense
The good. After being put in a bad position by the offense with a couple of turnovers early in the game that gave the Packers great field position at the Eagles’ 19 and 13-yard line, the defense only surrendered 2 field goals. Last year the score would have been 14–0 and likely too much to overcome.
His first target as an NFL CB Rookie Eagles CB Quinyon Mitchell wasted no time playing his game with a beautiful pass defense. He also let the Green Bay receiver hear about it. Q showed good technique throughout the game and the swag and bravado needed to play the position.
The Packers targeted Mitchell ten times, he allowed 5 receptions and a 56.3 passer rating.
Quinyon played every one of his 64 snaps as the outside corner.
The Zack Baun experiment started exceptionally. He showed his coverage ability and versatility all game long. Baun was a force all night collecting 15 tackles, and 2 sacks, including the one that ended the game. For week one, Baun was the closer.
Eagles DC Vic Fangio targeted Baun this off-season for a reason.
Jalen Carter appeared to be gassed at times, especially early in the game when the Eagle’s defense was on the field for 75% of the first quarter. He finished the day with 2 tackles and 1 QB hit, but also a roughing of the passer penalty and was offsides during a PAT. To be fair to Baby Rhino, he was held on many plays. Brighter days ahead for the all-world tackle.
Jordan Davis played 35 snaps and did not record a single stat.
Reed Blankenship is always in the right place at the right time. The Eagles were behind 26–24 when Ghost intercepted Jordan Love’s errant throw. His pick provided a huge momentum shift.
Nakobe Dean had a few bumps in the road, but overall played well accumulating 4 tackles, 1 TFL, and a pass deflection. That should have been intercepted and returned for a touchdown. He will want that one back.
Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun were the only linebackers to play versus the Green Bay Packers.
Once Cooper DeJean is healthy and fully acclimated to the defense, it would not be a surprise to see him take over the slot corner role currently occupied by Avonte Maddox.
Mentioning it again, the lack of pass rush from the edge is the biggest concern on the defense, maybe the team.
As always, Thank you for reading.
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