NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles can breathe a sigh of relief heading into their Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons after they defeated the Green Bay Packers Friday night to kick off their 2024 NFL season.
Even with the win, the Eagles need improvement. But what team doesn’t after Week 1? Kellen Moore will be ridiculed for not running the ball more. Jalen Hurts will take his fair share of criticism for his turnovers. And the defense, while they played inspired football in the first half, they gave up too many big plays. But 1-0 is still 1-0, right?
For the Eagles, they have been here before. They started hot last season only to see things fall apart. But what if they lost this game? It would be more of the same as it was this offseason. Fire Nick Sirrani would be the loudest chant from the fanbase. But he lives to fight another week.
The Packers are no pushovers. This was the Eagles game from the start even with the costly miscues. It came down to the wire following a Hurts fumble near the goal line in which either he or Barkley was set to punch it in putting the game out of reach.
The offense is a work in progress as it should be with their 3rd coordinator in 3 seasons. Yet, they ran the ball effectively with 38 rushes rushing for 144 yards and 2 TDs. Hurts, despite his miscues still managed 288 yards and 2 TDs with a completion percentage of 58.8.
On the defensive side of the ball, it’s time to tighten up. The Packers, led by Josh Jacobs finished with 163 yards on 21 carries. The Eagles cannot allow this to continue throughout the season. Too many missed tackles.
The first game is about knocking off the rust. Most starters didn’t play during the preseason and it showed. While practice is where you can get familiar with the plays and one another, Gameday is where it’s all supposed to come together. The Eagles are considered a young team with young veterans. This is also a Super Bowl-contending team. Their Week 1 victory was no fluke, and yet, it still feels a bit shaky.
But this is what happens when you win. As good as they have been, their coaching staff has been a revolving door. Too many coordinators have come and gone and their play on the field is proof that consistency is needed from the sidelines.
Gutting out a win should do wonders for the team’s morale but how much longer can they keep making costly mistakes and think they’re going to get away with it? Dating back to last season, the writing was in plain sight for their decline. Squeaking out victories over teams they should have blown out. The tidal wave was coming. Are we in for another run like that?
Look at it this way, Moore has been slandered by the fanbases of the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers and yet, those offenses were at the top of the league during his tenure. While it’s a work in progress with the Philadelphia Eagles, the bright side is despite all the costly errors, they still managed to score 34 points in Week 1.
That’s a great sign, due to the fact the Eagles reached 34 points or more 4 times last season with only one of those coming against a playoff team, and that was an overtime game. While the critics are already talking, let’s remember that Week 1 is just that, Week 1. Give this team time to learn.
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