The 7 Biggest Takeaways From The Eagles Win Over Dallas

The Eagles ended last season winning 16 of 17, including the Super Bowl. Make that 17 of their last 18. In the Eagles usual style, they made Philly squirm a bit. It was an ugly, gritty 24-20 win. But this is the NFL, not the NCAA. No one cares how you win, as long as you put that W in the column.

But what, if anything, can we take away from this one? Here are 7 big takeaways from the Eagles' week 1 win over Dallas

The Eagles defense did not get a stop until the 2nd half, when they forced a fumble in the red zone just before a storm delayed the game. They shut the Cowboys out from there. But the first half was ugly, especially for Adoree Jackson.

It became commonplace to see his number 8 being beaten by CeeDee Lamb, or other Cowboys WRs as they streaked open across the field. Jackson struggled. The Cowboys took note and kept picking on him.

A defense is only as strong as its weakest link. Mitchell and Dejean can play shutdown football. If Jackson gets beaten, it doesn't matter very much. He settled down. Part of that is the Eagles shaking things up (Thank You Fangio for the usual halftime adjustments). But it is a concern coming out of week 1.

Whoever is the CB2 needs to be better going forward. This defense will be nowhere near as good as they were last year if good QBs know there is a guy out there they can target all game long.

Week 1 is about survival, now more than ever. Everyone still has rust to shake off. Especially in the modern era, where most starters sit out in the pre-season and have hardly played any full-contact Football to this point in the season.

The Eagles had their issues early last season. Tom Brady's Patriots were notorious for starting slow, only to remind everyone of why they are who they are a few weeks later. The Chiefs have followed a similar pattern the past couple of seasons.

It was ugly. They won. That is all that matters. If it is week 9, and they still look like this, it is reason to worry. But last season, people panicked when the Eagles were 2-2. Then they went on that 16 of 17 stretch we discussed, and looked better and better every week.

They deserve patience. Not for the entire season, but at least in September. That should be a lesson everyone learned last year.

We got more context for the spitting later in the game. Dak Prescott spat in the direction of the Eagles' defense. Was it intentional? Who knows, but Jalen Carter certainly interpreted it as intentional. Looking at the tape, you can easily see why he felt that way.

But it doesn't matter. The reaction by Carter was immature, and it nearly cost his team. If Carter is in the game, maybe the whole game looks different. He is a game-changing talent. If the Cowboys need to double-team him, maybe the D-Line doesn't struggle to generate push.

We will never know, because Carter got himself ejected. He simply needs to be smarter. Even if Dak spat on him, you can't react. Be an adult, keep your head on, and stay in the game for your team. Get your payback the right way, but tormenting him all game long with pressure up the middle. There is no excuse for how he reacted. He is too good to be that immature.

In the first half, Hurts was near perfect. The delay slowed both offenses down. It is hard to keep adrenaline and momentum after sitting for over an hour. But he still had at least one clutch play left in him.

Hurts scored 2 rushing TDs, and scrambled for the final 1st down that sealed the game. It is what Hurts does. He finds ways to win. The run game stalled. The pass game was going nowhere. So Hurts did it with his legs. And he did it with his legs early in the game too.

Hurts finished with just 152 passing yards. The usual suspects who judge QBs by passing yards and passing TDs will give Hurts no love for this game. But the people who understand what makes Hurts special will see what they have always seen. Hurts is the guy you want out there to get things done and get the win. No matter how it looks.

I really liked what I saw from Patullo in the first half. The offense ran efficiently and smoothly. I thought he got way too conservative late. Plays kept getting run behind the sticks on 3rd and long. He rolled out the same run plays over and over again. There were few to no shots downfield. They got a lead and got complacent.

Also, how did they never get Brown involved? Again, it is week 1. I am not going to judge him by a coach by 1 weird game that was delayed by an hour. Remember a few years ago when Devonta Smith got zero catches vs the Lions in a week 1 win? Weird things happen. Coaches have to shake off mental rust just like players need to shake off physical rust.

But our first look at Patullo left me with some concerns. There are positives too. But I need to see him be more aggressive, especially later in close games. That does not mean throwing it more. You can be aggressive in the run game too. But they played it safe, and it held them back in week 1.

The positives on defense were not plentiful, but Campbell is certainly one of them. We saw him break up a pass deep down field, and we also saw him force a fumble in his 1st game.

The defense has some issues to work on. But the linebackers are not one of those issues. Campbell was great, and so was Baun. Baun made a big play himself, chasing down Miles Sanders to stop a long TD. That same drive ended with the Campbell forced fumble.

Who would have guessed CeeDee Lamb would drop multiple balls? If he catches any of those 3 passes, the game could go differently. The Eagles got some good luck. But every winner needs luck.

The 2017 Eagles got super lucky. The catch off Keanu Neal's knee was all luck vs the Falcons. There was some luck in the Julio Jones drop late in that game. The David Tyree helmet catch is one of the most iconic plays in NFL history, and is almost all luck. Even last year saw some luck go the Eagles way.

Maybe it is a sign the Football gods are still on the Eagles side. You dont want to rely on luck every week. That is not sustainable. But you take it where you can get it.