Birds Fly High On Monday Night Football

On an exciting night of football featuring a doubleheader, the Eagles hosted a tough task in the Minnesota Vikings. After the Vikings' impressive victory over Green Bay, many were higher on them to keep up the momentum. The problem was they were entering Philadelphia after the Eagles impressive first week as well. The Eagles decided they would take advantage of Kirk Cousins' MNF slump and put on a show on both sides of the ball. The defense only allowed seven points in a 24-7 effort in favor of Philadelphia. Efficiency on both sides helped the Birds to make Minnesota look the complete opposite of Week One. The team is now 2-0 for the first time since 2016 following the victory. So, what did this game truly show for the Eagles?

Major Takeaways:

1. Jalen Hurts showed major improvement

• The biggest question with Hurts has been his arm, and if he can sustain himself as a passer. It is early in the season, but so far he has looked like he's learning his lesson. He looked more comfortable in the pocket than he ever has, while the line helped giving him time. While he is known to scramble out of the pocket, it has been limited more by him, showing he wants to stick in the pocket to throw. When he did scramble, he was able to still look up field and make accurate throws, even rolling left. His accuracy was impressive as he even started the game 10/10. This game was a complete contrast from his previous seasons, and now looks like a true star at quarterback.

2. Jonathan Gannon's gameplan looked better

• The Defensive Coordinator has faced some backlash in the past for the play calling on the defensive side of the ball. This was questioned once again in Week One after giving up 35 points to Detroit. Fast forward to last night, the defense gave up only seven points while racking up three interceptions. His unwillingness to blitz has also been a question within his plan, but last night made sure to bring the heat in multiple important downs. Kirk Cousins was visibly frustrated when the defense brought the pressure, along with the defensive backs doing their job in coverage. Overall, the defense did a much better job in coverage, made their tackles compared to Week One, and shut down the Minnesota stars.

  • Jefferson & Cook combined yards vs. Packers : 274 Yds

  • Jefferson & Cook combined yards vs. Eagles : 65 Yds

3. Offense showed fluidity

• The offense shined against the Lions and it continued again last night. With 496 total yards of offense, both rushing and receiving was on point. Hurts connected with 84% of his passes with four receivers over 60 yards. With Hurts improved passing, the receivers did their thing settling in the zones and getting open for the quarterback. Play after play, the receivers were getting separation and sitting in the soft spots when they needed. This then helped set up the proven rush attack, with 163 yards rushing. Hurts and Sanders showed once again how great they can make this rushing attack. Not to mention the help of possibly the best Offensive Line in football. The separation and space the line gave was once again key for the offensive show.

4. Darius Slay is underrated

• The 31-year old Cornerback has once again proven why he is still a top player at his position. After Justin Jefferson's MVP-like performance in the first week, it was looking like Slay was going to have a nightmare night. This was not the case for Slay, allowing only one catch, seven yards, and two interceptions while covering Jefferson. His lockdown defense was the key that sparked the defense all night. He very much deserves to get more respect after another stellar performance.

5. Howie Roseman did his thing

• Roseman has had his ups and downs in the past years, but this offseason might have been his best. The improvements to the defense have shown to be something that can lead this team far. Notable additions have been: Kyzir White at Linebacker, James Bradberry at Cornerback, CJ Gardner-Johnson at Safety, and Haason Reddick at EDGE. All of these have amped the defense to another level, and given a defense that has struggled lately the jump they needed to be elite. On top of that is the biggest addition in AJ Brown at Wide Receiver. Having him at receiver is already giving the offense another level, and helping Hurts in more ways than one. These additions will be talked about all season long.

Notable Stats:

(QB) Jalen Hurts - 26/31, 333 Yds, 1 TD, 57 Rush Yds, 2 Rush TD

(WR) Devonta Smith - 7 Rec, 80 Yds

(WR) Quez Watkins - 2 Rec, 69 Yds, 1 TD

(CB) Darius Slay - 5 PB, 2 Ints

(LB) TJ Edwards - 10 TOT

(DE) Josh Sweat - 3 QB Hits

The Birds now look to take their 2-0 momentum into Washington next Sunday to play their division rival, the Commanders (1-1).