Eagles Shocker! Philly Has Flaws, Just Like Every NFL Team

The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0, but each of their wins has been picked to death by fearful critics.

Seems many Philadelphia Eagles fans don't like the smell of victory in the morning. It smells like ... napalm.

To hear the fans calling in to complain to one of Philadelphia's sports talk radio stations Friday morning, 94.1-WIP, apparently quarterback Jalen Hurts stinks; D'Andre Swift is at least 100 times better than the previous week's starter at running back,  Kenny Gainwell; new offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has no imagination or feel; and they were more lucky than good in both of their games to start the season; 

All this came after the Eagles improved their record to 2-0 on Thursday night with a 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings. What's more, they led almost the entire time -- after leading the whole way against the New England Patriots in Week 1.

When they did fall behind for the first time this season on Thursday night, they responded by driving 75 yards on 16 plays for a touchdown to regain the lead for good.

Look, it's understandable. Most concerns are valid.

© Eric Hartline, USA TODAY

The Eagles' offense has looked more High School than West Coast for alarming stretches. Hurts has made some horrific decisions and reads and appears to be in a decline after signing a monster contract extension in the offseason. Their punting game under seemingly overmatched special teams coordinator Michael Clay and inconsistent punter Arryn Siposs remains a disaster. They might not know who their best running back is. Their poor depth at linebacker and defensive back has been exposed already by injuries. 

But they also have a veteran group that never panics. They obviously know how to win games. And it's obvious their roster is so loaded in so many key spots that they can still win games even when so many players at other positions are messing up or missing time with injuries.

The glass, after two games, is more than half full.

Sure, that can change and probably will if they don't button up some of these issues in time for the true heavyweights on their schedule, like Miami, Dallas, Kansas City, Buffalo and San Francisco. That brutal stretch doesn't start for another month, however.

Hurts hasn't come close to last year's form, but he put things into perspective right after Thursday night's win. 

"I think we are a work in progress," he said. "What better way to be a work in progress than sitting on two wins out of the gate in 10 days or however many days it was. We strive for progress, not perfection."

That's because nobody in the league can be perfect. In today's NFL, every team has flaws, even the ones who haven't shown them yet.

Besides, according to Fox NFL analyst and former Eagle Emmanuel Acho, Hurts might not have been as bad as he looked.

The @Eagles won because @JalenHurts crushed the Vikings when they tried to play him for a fool. I’ll show you in 2 plays.

Intelligence + Courage 🔥🔥🔥#AchoAnswers #FlyEaglesFly @BleedingGreen #skol pic.twitter.com/QnfmKtGl43

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 15, 2023

What the Eagles have done through two games is show they can do some work-arounds and still come out on top, such as adjusting to their passing game being shut down by handing the ball to their backup running back (because their starter was injured) and having him rush for a career-high 175 yards on 28 carries on Monday night.

Their defense already has been ravaged by injuries, but they know if they can just keep the ball from going over their heads, they're going to have a chance to win every game because their front is so dominant and deep,

They also have perhaps the best kicker in the game in Jake Elliott.

Most importantly, they're 2-0.

So what's the message here? Breathe.