The Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to enjoy a relaxing weekend of watching football after beating the Green Bay Packers on Friday night in Brazil. Here are some Eagles-focused takeaways from the non-Eagles NFL Week 1 games.
1 – Jalen Hurts’ struggles look a little less concerning in a greater context.
Make no mistake: Hurts needs to make smarter decisions. He can’t keep turning the ball over with such frequency. Dating back to Week 1 last season, Hurts has 23 giveaways in 19 games played.
That being said, Hurts is hardly the only quarterback who didn’t have a fantastic Week 1 performance. Passing is way down across the league to begin this season.
Hurts actually produced the fifth-most passing yards in Week 1.
He did rank 24th in passer rating, only ahead of these players: Jacoby Brissett, Kirk Cousins, Caleb Williams, Will Levis, Deshaun Watson, Bo Nix, Daniel Jones, and Bryce Young. Not exactly the best company to keep.
If Hurts finds his footing and lights it up in Week 2, which I think he might, the struggles of Week 1 will be quickly forgotten. If the turnovers continue, however, that’ll be pretty troubling. For now, he deserves some patience.
2 – Deshaun Watson saved the Eagles from themselves.
Repeating what I wrote about Watson in my Week 2 NFL power rankings:
27 – Cleveland Browns (LW: 19) – Deshaun Watson looks flat out unplayable. The Cowboys deserve some credit for making his job tough … but Watson was also missing wide open targets. He simply couldn’t function. The Browns are big-time screwed.
Hardly a brand new revelation but it bears repeating that the Eagles should feel fortunate they did not end up trading for Watson. And they had very real interest in doing so, even though that’s not very enjoyable or convenient to acknowledge. Just look back at these reports from 2021:
March 17 (CBS Sports) — “Do not discount the Philadelphia Eagles as a strong suitor for Deshaun Watson. Too many sources with ties to ownership have whispered that sentiment my way for me to ignore.”
March 19 (Inquirer) — “Howie will give up everything he has for Watson,” an NFL source familiar with the Eagles’ thinking said.
March 22 (Houston Chronicle) — The Eagles are among teams that remain interested in Watson despite uncertainty moving forward.
April 6 (Houston Chronicle) — “Several NFL teams, including the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins, are monitoring the latest Watson legal developments, which have complicated any efforts to trade for him.”
April 9 (Pro Football Talk) — “Much has to happen before Deshaun Watson could be traded, especially if he’s going to be traded at or around the 2021 draft. If, somehow, Watson manages to properly and appropriately settle the 22 civil lawsuits pending against him before the draft, there’s one team to watch closely as a potential destination. The Eagles. Yes, the Eagles. They have Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco, but Deshaun Watson has proven that he’s a franchise quarterback, and one of the best players in the NFL. As one league source explains it, the Eagles are sufficiently determined to upgrade the team that they would pursue Watson, if the window opens for doing so.”
April 14 (Sports Illustrated) — “The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to find a direction. So are the Houston Texans. And according to an NFL source, despite their various issues, the two teams could still get together on a Deshaun Watson trade. […] Meanwhile, the Eagles are trying to straighten themselves out as well, having traded away Carson Wentz with a tentative plan to hand their QB job to young Jalen Hurts – except that our source insists that Philadelphia’s desire to secure Watson remains in place. […] It has been speculated that a Watson trade may be months away. It’s even been speculated that a swap is “impossible.’’ We’re not sure that is so. Some level of clarity could come before that. Some level of risk-taking by a bidder could as well. But this we know: The Philadelphia Eagles’ interest in trading for Deshaun Watson remains in play.”
May 10 (Peter King) — “I think predicting the future of Deshaun Watson is fraught with, well, it’s impossible. I just think by a year from today he’ll have a new home. This is a gut feeling. It’s impossible to predict the future with so many legal issues involved. And depending on the outcome of the cases, several teams might not want to even think about Watson, and rightfully so. If he’s free to play football unencumbered by legal issues in 2022, here are my odds on Watson’s next football team, with a tie at the top: 3-1: Philadelphia. A likely need, plus Eagles are in perfect position to deal with three first-round picks (if Carson Wentz plays three-quarters of the Indy season). 3-1: Carolina. Owner David Tepper would find the resources to do a deal.”
May 12 (Pro Football Talk) — “Peter King offered up some rough odds in his latest Football Morning in America column. And it’s clear that he’s been hearing the same things we’ve been hearing: Watch the Eagles. […] As we see it in light of the ongoing silence, here are the current odds for Watson for 2021: 4-1 Dolphins, 5-1 Eagles, 7-1 Texans (on Commissioner Exempt list and not playing), 8-1 Panthers, 10-1 Washington, 12-1 Broncos, 20-1 field, 50-1 Texans (actually playing). Even if the litigation is resolved, Watson will surely serve a suspension, under the same reasoning that applied to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2010. But teams will likely make a move if/when the lawsuits are resolved. If they’re resolved before the start of training camp, Watson will become available — and the Dolphins and Eagles likely will be the two teams at the front of the line, in our view.”
May 14 (Dianna Russini) — “RUSSINI: I don’t want to make any predictions but I still think they’re going to do something big before the start of the season to improve their roster. So, if that ever comes to fruition, I can’t wait to come back on the show … and I hate to have it painted that way. I opened up the can, I opened up the can. HOST: That smells like a Deshaun Watson situation is what that smells like. RUSSINI: No, I don’t know anything at this point. [Anything] firm. It’s obviously rumored. But I daydream a lot about what that could look like. What it would look like for Houston to finally recognize this isn’t going to work. And, look, trading is on the table. They’re open to it. I was on Get Up for three months saying ‘It’s not happening.’ Everyone I was talking to in Houston was like, ‘Stop wasting your time, stop calling us, we’re not trading him, it’s Deshaun Watson.’ And they changed their tune. I’ve heard, and even just continually talking with them, that it’s still on the table. And even though he has to deal with those lawsuits, I think that’s going to go away. And I think this is going to come back to light this summer, guys. And I think the Eagles could be a team in on it.
July 14 (Adam Schefter) — “The Eagles are more equipped to make a run at Deshaun Watson than any team out there.”
July 22 (Howard Eskin) — “But the Eagles have the three first-round picks, and that’s what they’re gonna have, and this is the prediction I’m going to make: based on the information that I got, when — and I’ll say WHEN — he is traded, I think there is a 90% chance that he will be with the Philadelphia Eagles. And just based on all the information that I’ve gotten, that’s what I’ve come down to.”
August 13 (Inquirer) — “A lot of teams who otherwise might have been interested in Watson are not pursuing a trade because of the allegations. But apparently that’s not the case with the Eagles. According to multiple league sources, they remain interested in the three-time Pro Bowler. That doesn’t mean something is going to happen, but it does mean the Eagles aren’t yet ready to hand the keys to their offense over to Hurts.”
The Eagles wanted Watson. They did not get him in part because he didn’t want to go to Philly and potentially put Hurts out of a starting job. Watson saved the Eagles from making a disastrous decision.
The Browns are set to make a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft for the first time since 2021 after owing multiple selections to the Houston Texans. Unfortunately for Cleveland, they’re still financially tied to Watson’s fully guaranteed contract (which also contains a no-trade clause) through 2026. Watson is a massive anchor weighing the Browns down.
Oh, and now Watson is facing another new lawsuit.
3 – The Eagles’ Week 2 opponent is playing a quarterback who looks less than 100%.
Kirk Cousins is not fully recovered from last year’s season-ending Achilles injury.
The eye test tells us as much:
The stats back it up:
Cousins’ stats from the Atlanta Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers: 16/26, 155 yards (6.0 average), 1 TD, 2 INT, 59.0 passer rating.
The Eagles have been able to emerge victorious against a much healthier Cousins in Week 2 each of the past two years. It’d be pretty disappointing if they’re unable to best him again this season.
4 – The Eagles’ next two opponents after Week 2 might be better than expected.
The Eagles play the Saints in New Orleans in Week 3. Dennis Allen’s team opened the season with a dominant win over the Carolina Panthers, 47 to 10. Derek Carr was on fire, completing 19 of his 23 attempts for three touchdowns and a 142.5 passer rating. The Saints also ran 37 times for 180 yards (4.9 average) and two scores.
I imagine we’ll learn more about the Saints’ outlook when they play the Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium in Week 2. The Eagles would certainly appreciate a Cowboys loss in that game … but that could also mean that the Saints are a legitimate competitor.
The Eagles then play the Buccaneers in Tampa in Week 4. Returning to the scene of where the Birds got blown out in the wild card round, 32 to 9. That matchup should test just how far the Eagles have come as it relates to handling the blitz. It’s also worth noting that Baker Mayfield is off to a hot start with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Week 5 is a bye for the Eagles before they return to Lincoln Financial Field to host the aforementioned Browns in Week 6. Blocking Myles Garrett is a big challenge; he absolutely wrecked the Eagles’ offense during a joint training camp practice last summer. But, again, only so much the Browns can do with Watson dragging them down.
5 – Very early on, it looks like the NFC East will be another two-team race.
For all their faults, the Eagles came away with a big Week 1 win against a high quality opponent. There’s reason to be encouraged about Philly’s outlook.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys also looked good on Sunday. Their defense totally stifled anything the Browns tried to do on offense. Mike Zimmer could turn out to be a pretty good replacement for Dan Quinn. The Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb connection remains hot. And the Cowboys’ vibes have seemingly improved with both of those players now signed to long-term deals.
It feels like the Eagles and Cowboys will be battling for the top spot in the division once again.
The Washington Commanders might end up figuring some things out and being a factor. Jayden Daniels had an encouraging debut, especially relative to other rookie quarterbacks. But they’ve got some shortcomings to work through.
The New York Giants appear to be trash. They’re not scaring anybody with Daniel Jones under center. Early on, it looks like they’ll be in No. 1 pick contention.
6 – The 49ers and Lions still loom large at the top of the NFC.
Last season’s NFC Championship Game representatives still look good.
The 49ers dominated the New York Jets despite missing Christian McCaffrey. And while that injury situation might prove to be a long-term issue considering his impact and importance, Jordan Mason is clearly more than capable as a fill-in option.
It took overtime for the Lions to beat a banged up Los Angeles Rams squad at home but Detroit should not be discounted. They have plenty of weapons, including an apparently improved version of Jameson Williams. And they’re still strong in the trenches as well as being a well-coached team.
These are the only two teams in the NFC that I’d rank above the Eagles right now.
7 – Dennard Wilson might know a thing or two about coaching defense.
The former Eagles defensive backs coach had a strong debut as defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans. Playing on the road, Wilson’s side of the ball limited the Chicago Bears to just 11 points (three field goals and a two-point conversion attached to a Well Levis pick-six). The Titans allowed just 148 yards of offense on the Bears’ 53 plays for a 2.8 average. For context, the worst offense in the NFL last year (the Panthers) still gained 4.1 yards per play.
Things have seemingly worked out for the Eagles now that they have Vic Fangio as their defensive coordinator. But that doesn’t mean Nick Sirianni firing Wilson last year wasn’t a total unforced error. Maybe the Eagles don’t collapse last year if they hired him instead of Sean Desai. Or even kept Wilson as a position coach and pivoted to him instead of Matt Patricia.
Who knows. The reality is that Wilson went on to do a great job coaching the Ravens’ defensive backs, which earned him his current role. If he keeps up the good work, the 42-year-old could emerge as a head coaching candidate.
