The Philadelphia Eagles will head to Atlanta this week after a hard-fought, come from behind victory over the Washington Redskins at the Lincoln Financial Field. The Birds once again started off slow, falling behind three scores, before a DeSean Jackson touchdown from Carson Wentz woke the team-up.
There were plenty of good and bad plays on Sunday and with that, we present the studs and duds from Philadelphia’s week one victory over Washington.
Stud: WR DeSean Jackson
Every game won’t turn out like the season opener, but on Sunday, the 12-year vet showed he’ll go down as the best deep-ball wide receiver in NFL history. Jackson has now tied Michael Irvin for 100-yards games in the season opener (6) and
Jackson’s two touchdowns of 50-plus yards against Washingtonmoved him past Randy Moss, behind only Jerry Rice, who did it 36 times.
Stud: QB Carson Wentz
Wentz was dominant on third-down, going 12 of 13 for 197 yards, 3 touchdowns and, 6 first downs on the afternoon. Wentz was 28 of 39 for 313 yards and three touchdowns overall, with a 121.0 passer rating.
Stud: DE Derek Barnett
Derek Barnett hadn’t played in a game in 11 months, but on Sunday, led the Eagles defensive line with 55 snaps and finished the ballgame with four tackles, two quarterback hits, and eight quarterback pressures.
Stud: RB Darren Sproles
The old veteran led the Eagles with 47 rushing yards and helped the Birds survive their ugly first half of action. Sproles played 23 offensive snaps and looked like a guy who’ll prove valuable for the Eagles down the stretch.
Stud: RB Jordan Howard
Despite not starting the ballgame and dealing with trade rumors during the week, Howard showed why the Eagles traded for him. The former Bears running back averaged a team-high 7.3 yards per carry, finishing with 44 yards and taking the legs out from the under the Redskins defense late in the game.
Dud: Eagles Secondary
The one down spot for the Eagles on Sunday was their much-maligned secondary. The cornerbacks and safeties didn’t do much to dispel the notion that the Eagles secondary is the weakest link on the roster. Andrew Sendejo was active on Sunday but was also mainly responsible for Vernon Davis’s highlight-reel touchdown. Redskins rookie Terry McLaurin torched cornerback Rasul Douglas for a 69-yard touchdown on a blown coverage over the top.
