Eagles Week 1 Hot Takes and Overreactions
I asked a bunch of friends to jump to conclusions about the Philadelphia Eagles after Week 1
Week 1 has come and (almost) gone in all of its beautiful messiness. This first week of the football season is like having a squirrel stuck in your refrigerator. You think you have a sense of what’s going to happen when it opens until you realize you have no idea.
Ever since 2021, when the NFL shortened the number of preseason games each team plays from 4 to 3, a majority of franchises have treated the first week of the season as an extension of the preseason. Teams can be inconsistent and prone to mistakes as they search for an identity to carry them through a long season. Most teams haven’t played real games in over nine months.
Week 1 is a mirage. Some teams present themselves as they really are. But often we see Contenders masked as Pretenders, Pretenders disguised as Contenders, and bad teams that literally can’t pretend to be anything but (insert obligatory jab at the New York Giants).
Which makes week 1 perfect for hot takes and overreactions based on an extremely small sample size. And honestly, overreactions are fun! And sometimes very much correct!
One of the best things about being a football fan is talking yourself into a take that you’ll regret in as little as one week. Maybe Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers CAN make a deep playoff run? Maybe Daniel Jones IS the second coming of Peyton Manning and/or Michael Vick? Maybe the Giants are…umm..still terrible?
That brings us back to our beautiful Birds. Now that we have a little distance from the chaos of Thursday night’s win against the Cowboys (remember that time Jalen Carter spit on a guy!), I reached out to a few friends to get their overreactions on the Eagles' season based on what they saw in the first game.
As Shakespeare once said, “Always trust the wisdom of the homies.” At least I’m pretty sure he said that, don’t Google it.
EAGLES FANS OVERREACTIONS
JAMES:
“Nick did everything he could to try to keep the boys level-headed going into the game. He didn’t let ‘em watch the banner raising. But it didn’t matter. It was the Cowboys, in prime time, and the first game of the season. They went in all bricked up. Can’t do that going to your first date. Hence Carter being a fuggin’ doofus.
But fortunately, it translated to a productive first half. I think the weather delay took the wind out of everyone’s sails. Zach Baun hustlin’ to save that TD was sick.
AJ Brown gotta show up next week (especially bc I have him in fantasy). All in all, I’m glad we squeaked it out. That’s was big. It woulda been demoralizing to win the big game and lose your first. Chalk up to the W, on to next week.”
TONY:
“Gotta get AJ and Smitty involved. Reports of AJ being a diva might be overstated but I know I’d be pissed if I was as good as he is and only got one target all game.
Jihaad Campbell looks like a star. Our first round hit rate is unbelievable. The era of Jalen Reagors and Danny Watkins is over.”
KATIE
“Hot take? I’m forever scarred in the idea that “we can always fuck it up” and don’t like getting too comfortable. Super Bowl at halftime I was still nervous… like, you never know! The refs love Mahomes! Stay sharp! Don’t ease up! There was an air of cockiness in the street that doesn’t always reflect what I’m thinking, but I guess you have to let the people have their day in the sun.
The hot, technically summer, sun. Maybe that’s my hot take. Football sneaks up on me every year. When did they add the extra weeks? I can’t remember. anyway. My hot take is it’s too hot. We so quickly have to shift to football mode without proper grieving of summer 😆😆”
KEENAN
“Nolan Smith better start working on a new position, cause Jihaad is taking that job. This defense is gonna get worse before it gets better. Jalen Hurts MVP season loading, and it’s the only way we have a chance to repeat.”
MIKE
“I was in Greece and was definitely sleeping during most the game, but tbh I woke up around 4am here when it was 7-7 end of Q1 and realized what happened to Carter. I was so confused and went back to sleep. Then I had a dream the Eagles lost 42-41, and I thought it was real. Eventually I realized the Eagles won and Taylor Swift got engaged to Travis Kelce. It was all real. Also, I got a few “Go Birds” from the Parthenon today.”
ROB
“First things first, Jalen Hurts put the league on notice again. Super Bowl MVP wasn't a fluke. Next up, regular season MVP offensive player. That boy straight balled out on Thursday.
Second take, Jalen Carter what are you doing? I don't think he understands how important and instrumental he is to the team. You can't go spitting on players.
Third, AJ Brown come on. I know we got a new offensive coordinator, but you gotta get him in the game. Overall, we’re going back to back baby.”
TOM
*attended the game at The Linc
“The iconic Chicago Bulls dynasty intro theme blared through the Linc, and suddenly — boom, Michael Jordan’s face fills the stadium screen. The crowd loses its mind. Word is out that Jalen and MJ have been chopping it up this offseason. The standard has shifted. Not one, not two … but six titles are now on the table! Anything less is an organizational failure.”
LEFTOVERS
The Eagles brought in Za’Darius Smith on a one-year deal. I incorrectly thought Smith was much older and less productive than he is, but turns out I was wrong. Last year, Smith recorded 5.5 sacks and 14 solo tackles with the Browns before being traded to the Lions, where he recorded 3.5 sacks. At 33, he’ll be a solid rotational piece for an edge group that could use some depth after Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and the resurrected Josh Uche. Excited to see what Smith adds to this group throughout the season.
For the cornerback 2 spot, I can see the Eagles seeing how things shake out the next two weeks before making any significant changes. With the open roster spot, could they kick the tires on Stephon Gilmore if his market picks up?
Today, we’ll get the ruling on the Jalen Carter suspension. The chatter around the situation makes it seem like the league is going to make an example of Carter to stress their new emphasis on sportsmanship. If Carter faces a suspension, it will put the Eagles in a bind in their rematch against a Chiefs team that’s coming off a loss to the Chargers.