by The Philadelphia Eagles didn’t look much at all like last year’s team, and we shouldn’t necessarily expect them to start the season like last year’s.
The Birds OC Brian Johnson called his first regular season game, most if not all the starters didn’t play in the preseason, and they played Bill Belichick. That’s not a mix for a perfect replication of what we saw a season ago. The pouring down rain certainly didn’t help.
Johnson wasn’t calling much of a good game aside from one touchdown drive that started on the Patriots side of the field. The offense went three-and-out four straight times after the touchdown. They couldn’t get anything going downfield, nor recreate last year’s ground game, as the Patriots loaded up the box, focusing on Jalen Hurts and his running ability.
Hurts didn’t play up to par and that can only be expected with no preseason action. He missed some of his reads, especially on some open receivers down the field. He was off on some of his throws and looked more eager to get out of the pocket instead of remain in it. The o-line and Hurts weren’t picking up the blitzes from the Pats defense very well as Hurts was sacked 3 times and under duress way too often. The pre-snap reads just weren’t picked up on Sunday.
Not to mention the lack of usage out of new running back D’Andre Swift who saw just one carry and one catch on two targets. The same with Dallas Goedert who had zero catches on just one target all game. Both are inexcusable.
The Eagles defense however looked great in certain areas, specifically the defensive line. Jalen Carter were the stars of the show along with Big Play Slay’s pick-6. Cox stuffed Ezekiel Elliott on a third down play and Carter recorded his first-career sack in the clutch at the end of the game. Carter was one of the few players up front to consistently get pressure on Max Jones.
However, the safety spot looked bleak. I think it’s time for Sydney Brown to get some action as Justin Evans just wasn’t getting the job done. With the loss of Nakobe Dean, the linebackers are now slimmer than Devonta Smith. The Patriots were able to attack the middle of the field and flats with ease at times, so now the Birds could have a tough time even more so without the second-year linebacker.
BUT, all of this can be fixed with time and reps, which gets going fast as the Birds take on the Vikings at home on Thursday Night Football.
It’s certainly not time to panic. After all, it’s just Week 1. There is cause for concern but the leadership of this team should be able to right the wrongs going forward; maybe not as fast as we’d like it, but the Eagles will be fine. Brian Johnson will get comfortable, Hurts will settle in, and the defense can make adjustments.