NFL Scores Week 1: Final Score, Recap and Analysis of Eagles Rout over Rams

The "Dream Team" Philadelphia Eagles did not get off to a very dreamy start in their 2011 opener against the St. Louis Rams, but they managed to battle back to take control to edge their hosts 31-13.

There are a whole lot of people who have a whole lot of doubts about Philadelphia's status as a true Super Bowl contender, but the Eagles did prove on Sunday that they are a team capable of winning plenty of ballgames.

As for the Rams, well, let's just say they've had better days.

Final Score: Eagles 31, Rams 13.

Game Recap

The slow start I referred to involved the Eagles being put in an early 7-0 hole after Rams running back Steven Jackson ripped off a 47-yard touchdown run with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter.

However, that was as good as it got for Jackson, as he would soon leave the game with a quadriceps injury. In addition, his run was pretty much as good as it got for the Rams.

In response to Jackson's touchdown, Michael Vick drove the Eagles down the field and hit LeSean McCoy for a seven-yard touchdown pass to tie it at 7-7. A few minutes later, Eagles defensive end Juqua Parker returned a Sam Bradford fumble 56 yards for a touchdown that put the Eagles up 14-0.

The score was 17-10 at halftime, but the Eagles all but put it away when Vick hit DeSean Jackson for a six-yard touchdown with a little less than six minutes to go in the third quarter. That made it 24-10, and the Rams were only able to manage a field goal the rest of the way.

As icing on the cake, LeSean McCoy scored on a 49-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Player That Emerged

It's a bit of a tough call seeing as how there really weren't any surprise performers on either side, so I'm going to go with Eagles defensive end Jason Babin.

Not everyone was a fan of the fact that the Eagles gave him such a rich, free-agent contract for his breakout year in 2010, but he had four tackles and a couple of sacks today. He might be for real after all.

Injury News

Steven Jackson did not return after leaving the game with a strained quadriceps. In addition to him, the Rams also lost wide receiver Danny Amendola with a dislocated elbow, cornerback Ron Bartell with a stinger in his shoulder and tackle Jason Smith with an injured ankle.

Sam Bradford also had to leave the game with an injury. According to ESPN's Mike Sando, he had to have X-rays on one of the fingers on his right hand. Not good for the Rams.

As for the Eagles, the Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane is reporting that linebacker Akeem Jordan suffered a shoulder strain and defensive end Darryl Tapp suffered a pectoral strain. Both will have MRIs on Monday.

What Lies Ahead for Eagles

Up next for the Rams is another road game, this one at the Atlanta Falcons. It looked like a tough game at the start of the day, but not so much now that the Falcons got whipped by the Chicago Bears in their season opener.

What Lies Ahead for Rams

The Rams hit the road to take on the New York Giants. The Giants are opening up at the Washington Redskins.