1. Jaelan Phillips: A very, very strong debut
So much for a soft opening. Phillips, wearing No. 50, did everything the Eagles thought he would do when Howie Roseman traded a third-round draft pick to Miami for a talented player who sets the edge against the run (six run stops) and who is physical and aggressive and very productive rushing the quarterback (seven pressures, per Next Gen Stats). He was all of that on Monday night – 6 total tackles, including the huge one on Jacobs with 1:30 remaining in the game on a fourth-and-1 play, two tackles for loss, the fumble recovery late in the first half, and a tackle for a loss on a running play. He played most of the game on the left side and played strong, providing relentless energy.
2. In total, the defense shut down the Packers
Check out these numbers: Green Bay scored seven points, that’s the big deal.
Beyond that, the Packers had just 261 total net yards, averaging just 4.0 yards per offensive play. The Packers tried to force feed the football to Jacobs, but the Eagles were all over him. Jacobs amassed 74 rushing yards on 21 attempts and a touchdown, and added 33 yards on five receptions.
Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio smartly rotated his edge players and Jalyx Hunt had a sack and a pair of tackles for loss, Nolan Smith had a sack and two quarterback hits, Brandon Graham played two fistfuls of snaps and looked good off the ball, and the inside guys – Moro Ojomo and Jalen Carter, especially – won the battle.
Nakobe Dean was tremendous playing downhill and the combination of Jihaad Campbell and Zack Baun had their usual effectiveness.
In the secondary, Quinyon Mitchell played shutdown football and the deep secondary let nothing get down the field: the long gain was 25 yards on a completion to Christian Watson on the final, futile Green Bay drive.
3. It wasn’t exactly the dagger, but it was close!
Eagles leading 3-0, fourth quarter. Quarterback Jalen Hurts gives a shoulder fake to the defense and goes up top to wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Lined up on the right side of the formation, Smith runs a deep post pattern to the left. Smith leapt over safety Evan Williams for the catch and the 36-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 10-0 lead.
Said Smith, who had 4 receptions for 69 yards and the touchdown: “You have to make those big-time plays and with the offense struggling, we were saying, ‘Somebody has to go out and make the play and fortunately it was me.'”
4. Lane Johnson is beyond tough. He is superhuman
It sure didn’t look good when right tackle Lane Johnson, an All-Pro and future Pro Football Hall of Famer, had his left knee clipped in the first half and went down. Stayed there. Looked like he was in intense pain. Worry … worry … worry. But he came out and sat on the bench in the second half in full uniform and then played in the final portion of the fourth quarter, an incredible comeback. It was an amazing show of toughness once again and deserves to be applauded and appreciated.
5. Dallas Goedert is a connection that leads to points
The Hurts to tight end Dallas Goedert combination is a real thing and the two hooked up for three completions and 31 yards on a 10-play, 50-yard drive in the third quarter that ended with a Jake Elliott 39-yard field goal to put the Eagles ahead, 3-0. The Eagles moved Goedert in motion, gave him some good matchups, and he and Hurts continued their excellent season together. Goedert finished with 4 receptions for 43 yards on six targets.
