Depending on your perspective.
Glass half empty or glass half full?
The second Sunday of the 2024 NFL season went well/went poorly for the Philadelphia Eagles, depending on how you look at it.
GOOD NEWS
- The Dallas Cowboys lost! If the Eagles can beat the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football, the Birds will gain a game on their biggest competition to win the division. The Cowboys losing to the New Orleans Saints could be especially damaging for Dallas since it’s a conference loss and that head-to-head tiebreaker could be relevant down the road.
- Not only did Dallas lose … they got absolutely demolished. Cowboys fans may have been too quick to crown Mike Zimmer considering the new defensive coordinator’s unit allowed 44 points with six straight Saints touchdown drives to start the game. Dak Prescott, the highest paid player in NFL history, threw two interceptions and was lucky to get away with a red zone fumble to avoid a third turnover. With a game against a desperate 0-2 Baltimore Ravens team up next, the Cowboys might not be so quick to turn the page on these struggles.
Why Mike Zimmer could be the missing ingredient that finally takes the Cowboys places@BloggingTheBoys https://t.co/klfNX7bBgB
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) September 15, 2024
- The San Francisco 49ers lost! As the reigning NFC champions, the Niners figure to compete for the top spot in the conference once again. San Fran’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings allows the Eagles to gain a game on them.
- The Detroit Lions lost! Another team that figures to compete for the top spot in the NFC playoff picture. The Eagles have a chance to gain a game on them as well.
BAD NEWS
- Unrelated to Sunday’s games but still a bad news development that emerged: A.J. Brown was downgraded to out after originally being ruled questionable to play on Monday with a hamstring injury.
- Sunday’s results serve as a reminder that the NFL can be pretty wacky and unpredictable. On paper, the Eagles should be able to beat the Falcons. But it just might not be that simple.
- The team that the Cowboys lost to? The Saints? Yeah, the Eagles play them next Sunday … in New Orleans … while coming off a short week … with possibly no A.J. Brown. You can say you’re not afraid of Derek Carr but there’s just no denying what the Saints have been able to do thus far. They’ve outscored their two opponents 91 to 29. That +62 point differential is the best mark in the NFL. The difference between first and second (the Los Angeles Chargers at +35) is the same difference between second and ninth. No one expected the Saints to be this good but here they are.
- Following the Saints game in Week 3, the Eagles will once again go down to Tampa to play the Buccaneers. A Bucs team that is 2-0 after going in Detroit and emerging victorious. A Bucs team that beat the Eagles by 23 points the last time they met earlier this year. The next two weeks figure to be more challenging than originally expected.
