It may have only been week one, and it may have only been against the Cleveland Browns, but the Philadelphia Eagles won their season opener 29-10 on Sunday to move to 1-0. Highlighted by rookie quarterback Carson Wentz's debut, the Eagles looked smooth for the most part on offense, and solid defensively.
There were both positives and negatives in the Eagles' victory, but here are eight takeaways from Sunday's contest.
1. Doug Pederson passes his first test as primary play caller
Heading into the regular season with a rookie at quarterback, it remained to be seen how Pederson would approach his first shot at play calling. To the delight of Philly (1-0) fans, Pederson succeeded, calling a game that highlighted Wentz's abilities as well as Ryan Mathews' capabilities to be the leading rusher. The first-year head coach favored the passing game, but not by much. Wentz attempted 37 passes, while Mathews and three other ball carriers rushed the ball 32 times. If Pederson can keep the offense balanced, it can only improve as the season progresses.
2. Wentz looks like he belongs
In his first game as an NFL quarterback, Carson Wentz dazzled in his debut, completing 22 of 32 passes and threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns. His first drive was near perfection, going 4-of-5 with 57 yards and throwing his first career NFL touchdown, a 19-yard pass to Jordan Matthews. Later in the game, he threw his second TD of the day on a 35-yard strike to Nelson Agholor. Although this is only game one of his career, there were no reasons to doubt the notion that Wentz could be the franchise QB everyone hopes he can be.
3. Receivers have the talent to help Wentz
Sunday's game proved Matthews is capable of being a number one receiver for Pederson's offense, reeling in seven receptions for 114 yards and a TD. Tight end Zach Ertz was in on the action as well, recording 58 yards on six catches, and Nelson Agholor added four catches, one of which came on a 35-yard TD. If these three can continue to produce moving forward, that will be crucial to the offense's success.
4. No need to worry at RB
With Demarco Murray gone, the Eagles have turned to Mathews to be the lead back in 2016. On Sunday, he proved he could be that guy, earning 77 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The duo of Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner also contributed behind Mathews with a combined 54 yards on nine carries, while Sproles made two catches for 24 yards. If Pederson continues to feature all three players, RB can be another weapon for the offense down the road.
5. Offensive line not at its best
Throughout Sunday's victory, Wentz was still under pressure a good amount when he dropped back, and was hit more than he should've been. With the way Wentz can move on the run, it may mask some of the O-line struggle. Despite this, the line still looked good when the ball was handed off, and will need to really step it up assuming Lane Johnson does have to serve a suspension.
6. Defense picks up where it left off
It was another nice day at the office for the Philly defense and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in the season opener. Led by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox's four tackles and a sack, the Eagles were able to put constant pressure on Browns (0-1) QB Robert Griffin III, sacking him three times and getting a safety. Safety Rodney McLeod added his first interception as a member of Philly, and the defense looked sharp for the majority of the game.
7. Won't always be this easy for the defense
Even with Sunday's solid showing, there were still a few mishaps on the defensive side. In the second quarter, Griffin attempted a horribly under thrown deep ball to Cleveland rookie receiver Corey Coleman with three Eagles surrounding him, but it somehow found its way into Pryor's hands. The secondary can not let this happen moving forward, as they also got lucky with several drops by Browns receivers and overall poor play from Griffin.
8. It's only one game
Between Wentz's debut and being 1-0, optimism is high amongst Philly fans. They saw exactly what they wanted from their QB, and most importantly, got the win. But as everyone has been saying, it's only the Browns. Mistakes made by Robert Griffin and Corey Coleman won't be made by Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson, or Andy Dalton and AJ Green. 1-0 feels nice, but the Eagles still have some areas of improvement to address as they prepare for a Monday night battle against the Chicago Bears.
*Bonus: If you haven't seen it already, check out left tackle Jason Peters catch Ryan Mathews in midair in the end zone.
No wonder they call him The Bodyguard.
