Week 1 is in the books. But before we turn the page to Week 2, there’s still one last evaluation to be done.
The Eagles win over the Jaguars in Week 1 was a tale of two halves. But as a whole, how did it rank?
Here’s another new segment to Eagledelphia. Each week, we’ll bring you a report card on the Eagles performance. Here’s the report card on Week 1.
Pass offense: Make no mistake about it, Nick Foles was horrible in the first half, and the two fumbles and one interception are only scratching the surface. He improved in the second half, but was nowhere close to form. It’s hard to miss someone as wide open as Jeremy Maclin was on his 68-yard touchdown. Foles 25-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz was his best of the game. C+
Run offense: LeSean McCoy was relatively quiet but did manage some sizeable runs. Darren Sproles was an offensive star. In addition to his strong game as McCoy’s partner in the ground game, it was his 49-yard touchdown run that opened the door for the Eagles offense. A-
Pass defense: There were some mistakes in the secondary but as a whole, it was a solid game from the pass defense. Chad Henne appeared uncomfortable in the second half. The secondary allowed three big plays to Allen Hurns, all in the first half. There is room for improvement, but for the most part, the effort was good enough for a win. B+
Run defense: In what time he did play, Toby Gerhart never escaped the Eagles front seven. The defensive line and linebackers played a really good game from start to finish. Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin and Mychal Kendricks really shined. A
Special teams: They played a perfect game and will likely go down as unsung heroes in this game. Brandon Bair’s blocked punt, Brandon Boykin downing a punt at the one, Chris Maragos making a statement on the kickoff following Sproles touchdown run…the list goes on. Add in Cody Parkey’s two field goals, including the 51-yarder to tie the game. This impressive game shows the potential and improvement the Eagles made to this group. A+
Overall: It wasn’t the Eagles best effort by any stretch, but for the defense and special teams to outplay the offense and still come away with a 17-point win while scoring 34 points, it’s hard to argue with potential. When the Eagles are a fine-tuned team, they will be dangerous. But there’s plenty of tuning up left to do. B
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
