DeSean Jackson talked about “coming home” and the regret he had, having to watch the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl without him. Jackson is hell-bent on winning a ring in Philly and the speedy wideout took a huge first step towards further cementing his legacy, with a monster season-opening performance against the Washington Redskins.
Using the first quarter as their preseason, Philadelphia fell behind the Washington Redskins 14-0, and were down 20-7, before Carson Wentz and Jackson utilized the shock and awe treatment on the Redskins to open things up.
Wentz and Jackson hooked up for a beautiful 51-yard touchdown over Josh Norman with just under five minutes to play in the second quarter that woke up Lincoln Financial Field. Then in the third quarter, Jackson and Wentz hooked up again on a similar play selection for a 53-yards score.
In all, Jackson finished the game with eight catches for 154 yards and two huge touchdowns.
Wentz was electric after a slow start, finishing 28 of 39 for 313 yards and three touchdowns. The 154 yards receiving was Jackson’s most since putting on a similar performance against the Seahawks with the Redskins in 2014.
For the Redskins, Case Keenum went 30-of-45 for 380 yards and three touchdowns on the day.
The Eagles will once again be forced to answer questions about their slow starts, after being outgained 147 yards to 24 in the first quarter, while being held scoreless. The Eagles have the talent and depth to adjust and get past the delays in the offense, but it’s still a concern after a whole offseason of focus on the matter. Philadelphia averaged 3.1 yards per play in the first quarter on offense, while Washington for 8.6 yards per play, or close to the first down on each play.
The Eagles appeared to spend the first half working out the kinks on defense, but they held the Redskins scoreless for the bulk of the second half, until giving up that late score. Heading to Atlanta to face an angry and explosive Falcons team, Philadelphia can’t afford another slow start.
