3 Takeaways from Eagles' Week 1 Win vs. Patriots

For at least the first week of the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Eagles have staved off that dreaded Super Bowl hangover.

While it wasn't a pretty game against the New England Patriots, and the Eagles narrowly escaped with a 25-20 victory, Philly did enough to kick off their campaign with a 1-0 record.

This probably wasn't what Eagles fans expected. The Patriots were an eight-win team a year ago and aren't widely considered among the league's top contenders. However, they consistently found answers to the Eagles offense and poked holes in their vaunted defense.

Of course, a win is a win, as the old saying goes, and the Eagles should be thrilled to have one. Here are our three biggest takeaways from Philadelphia's Week 1 victory against New England.

Adjusting to the Coordinator Change May Take Some Time

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Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson

The Eagles experienced some big changes this offseason when offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon departed to take head-coaching jobs with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

Quarterbacks coach Ben Johnson was promoted to replace Steichen, while Sean Desai was hired to replace Gannon.

Sunday's game, which was, at times, sloppy, serves as evidence that adjusting to the coordinator changes is going to take time. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was mostly good, and the Eagles got the win, but they certainly didn't do it in dominating fashion.

The offense was just 4-of-14 on third and fourth down and finished with only 251 total yards. Seven of the team's 25 points came off of a Darius Slay pick-six. The defense was gashed for 382 yards, though Philly held when it mattered most.

The Eagles' stellar pass rush, which continually terrorized opposing quarterbacks in 2022, only got to Mac Jones twice. Jones finished the game with 316 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Philadelphia largely sputtered after racing out to a 16-0 start. While Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is a master of in-game adjustments, the Eagles' inability to counter is concerning. Thankfully, the Eagles have the sheer talent to navigate an early adjustment period.

Kenneth Gainwell Is the Leader of Philly's Backfield

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Eagles RB Kenneth Gainwell

This one's for the fantasy enthusiasts out there.

Coming into Week 1 there was plenty of uncertainty about how Philadelphia would go about replacing Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders. The Eagles traded for D'Andre Swift in the offseason and signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny.

Penny was a healthy scratch against New England, and Swift saw just one carry and only one target.

Instead, it was returning back Kenneth Gainwell who led the backfield. He carried 14 times for 54 yards and added another 20 yards on four receptions. Barring an unforeseen change, he's likely to be Philadelphia's lead back moving forward.

This shouldn't come as a surprise. Gainwell supplanted Sanders as the Eagles top back during the 2022 postseason, and saw the "steadiest work" in training camp, according to The Athletic's Zach Berman.

Gainwell knows Philadelphia's core concepts, knows the personnel and is used to working alongside Hurts in the backfield. He's clearly the back that head coach Nick Sirianni trusts the most.

Now, it will be interesting to see if Gainwell can go on to replicate Sanders' Pro Bowl success.

Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter Make an Impact

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Eagles DT Jordan Davis

2022 first-round pick Jordan Davis didn't see a ton of playing time as a rookie. Largely stuck behind defensive standouts Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave—now with the San Francisco 49ers—Davis played just 26 percent of the defensive snaps, per Pro Football Reference.

With Hargrave gone, the Eagles needed Davis to step in and become a difference-maker. He did exactly that against New England.

Davis got into the sack column for the first time in his career, splitting a quarterback takedown with Josh Sweat. He added three tackles and forced an Ezekiel Elliott fumble in the first quarter that led to an Eagles touchdown.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Patriots threatening to take the lead, rookie first-round pick Jalen Carter sacked Jones. It set up a long 3rd-and-13, and two plays later, the Patriots turned it over on downs.

While the Eagles defense didn't dominate like it often did a year ago, Philadelphia showed that it still has one of the best defensive line rotations in the business. With Davis and Carter in the mix, that's unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.