Style Points Don’t Matter in Week 1, They Got the Win

Author Anthony Gargano and Dylan MacKinnon

September 11th, 2023 10:39 AM

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 10: Jalen Hurts #1 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on after his team's 25-20 win against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Anthony Gargano shared his thoughts on the Eagles’ Week 1 win, and why he doesn’t care much for style points and is just happy they won:

“It is a happy Monday because they got the win. Style points don’t matter on a Monday. Not after the opener for sure. To be honest with you, this is the type of game I expected. We talked about this leading up to the game on Friday. That there would be rust. They would not be in sync. Taht the offense would take some time to sync. And there would be issues.

We saw it. You couple that with a rainy game, a bad field, Bill Belichick, and a good defense, it happens. So much so, that Nick Sirianni talked about revisiting how he approaches the pre-season. Clearly, Jalen needed some work in the Pre-Seaosn. And it all depends on what you want. Do you want tobe clicking, or do you want to make sure there is no injury? The only way to make sure there are no injuries is if you don’t play anybody. But you will leave yourself open to this. They won, and that is the most important thing.

So let’s examine deeper. The Patriots defense is stout. I was not in love with the game plan. Gainwell was fine to start with. Where was Swift? I didn’t think they used Swift enough. Where was Goedert? Jalen didn’t have the best day… There was a point where I thought he started to get better… You saw him start to get more comfortable. There is no panic mode because of that. The one thing that really popped and got me excited was Jalen Carter. Forget about the film, you don’t even need to dissect t it to say he is a stud…

You will get some improvement down the line once a new defensive coordinator feels out his team. They needed to get more pressure, the first sack came late at a time you really needed it. Jordan Davis early looked good, but as the game went on he started to wear out…

All in all… I thought that game was exactly how it was going got go. You get lucky a couple of times. They still won, and I think they win that game 95 times out of 100. It is week 1, that is what you get out of week 1. There were a lot of mistakes around the NFL. And that is what you get, a win.”

You can listen to his full Opening Diatribe below:

Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 2 Starters

The Philadelphia Eagles could potentially insert three Week 2 starters who didn’t start in Week 1. They will play their home opener for the 2023 NFL season at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings.

The defending NFC champs defeated the New England Patriots 25-20 in Foxborough in Week 1.

Philadelphia Eagles Defeat New England Patriots

Despite an underwhelming performance, especially on offense, the Eagles snuck away with a victory. Jalen Hurts threw for only 170 yards. He also fumbled at a key moment in the game during the fourth quarter. The turnover gave the Patriots life when the visitors should’ve won the game easily.

Nick Sirianni showed no signs of panic during his postgame press conference after defeating Bill Belichick and the Patriots. He improved his record to 3-0 in season openers as a head coach.

Dallas Goedert and newcomer D’Andre Swift figure to be a bigger part of the offense in Week 2. Neither player made a significant impact in the season-opening victory.

Philadelphia Eagles Projected Week 2 Starters

The Eagles could potentially use three new starters in Week 2. While many people expected Swift as the primary running back, Kenny Gainwell got the start. He shouldered a heavy workload, going against the expectations of the “running back by committee” approach.

The status of Nakobe Dean is in question. If he can’t go, the Eagles will likely move Christian Elliss into the starting lineup. He is the only other linebacker on the active roster. Nicholas Morrow might be a candidate to elevate from the practice squad.

There were questions heading into Week 1 about the safety position. While the overwhelming majority expected Reed Blankenship to start, the second spot was between Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds. Evans started and played almost the entire game, with minimal snaps for Edmunds.

Injury news will trickle out as the week moves along. The quick turnaround forces Nick Sirianni to decide his Week 2 starters quickly.

Jalen Hurts

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020
D'Andre Swift

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)
A.J. Brown

Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)
DeVonta Smith

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021
Quez Watkins

Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020
Dallas Goedert

Tight End, #88
South Dakota State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018
Jordan Mailata

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018
Landon Dickerson

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021
Jason Kelce

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011
Cam Jurgens

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022
Lane Johnson

Right Tackle, #65
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013
Brandon Graham

Defensive End, #55
University of Michigan
14th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2010
Fletcher Cox

Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012
Jordan Davis

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022
Josh Sweat

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018
Haason Reddick

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)
Zach Cunningham

Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)
Christian Elliss

Linebacker, #53
University of Idaho
2nd NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (September 2021)
Darius Slay

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State University
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)
Josh Jobe

Cornerback, #28
University of Alabama
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)
Justin Evans

Safety, #30
Mississippi Gulf Coast
4th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)
Terrell Edmunds

Safety, #26
Virginia Tech
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)