The Philadelphia Eagles escaped opening night with a 24-20 win over Dallas in what was a surprisingly costly game. Injuries to Will Shipley and Landon Dickerson are providing Philly fans a level of frustration even after the win. Among these concerns is how Vic Fangio's defense is going to hold up after imploding in the first half of the game. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys did whatever they wanted, moving the ball through the air and on the ground.
Philly's defense was given a gift with the weather delay, allowing a veteran coordinator to calm the unit and readjust. After recovering a fumble that stopped what appeared to be a go-ahead drive from Dallas, the Eagles would shut the offense down the rest of the way, leaning on a unit that had been a liability in the first half of the game.
Vic Fangio's Eagles Defense Shows Obvious Growing Pains in Hard-Fought Win
While Jalen Carter is understandably going to get all of the heat for his poor decision, it was a noted group effort. Nolan Smith and Quinyon Mitchell both made huge early mistakes, committing penalties that would give the Cowboys points. Neither player can be excused for the lapse in judgment, simply escaping heat due to the eye-catching nature of Carter's transgression. Spitting on the quarterback of a rival is understandably going to demand just a bit of attention.
However, the more interesting story here is how the Eagles are going to continue to rotate the safety and corner positions. It was clear Fangio had no idea who to trust as the team continued to alternate options throughout Week 1. It appears that the second half has given this a bit of clarity, but a young group is going to need to continue to earn more reps before settling on one answer.
The downside of this is understanding that the very next game is taking Philly on the road to Arrowhead to take on a Kansas City team focused on getting a level of revenge. The Eagles have very little margin for error when it comes to figuring things out on the fly. Still, Fangio proved on Thursday night that the needed pieces are in place, even if it means enduring growing pains.
This leads to an obvious point that Philly's biggest change must be avoiding self-inflicted penalties. Carter, Smith, and Mitchell all handed Dallas momentum and big moments that would lead to points. Three of your most important players made awful decisions that simply cannot be repeated moving forward. The Eagles must clean up the dumb mistakes, and the rest will take care of itself.
Amid all the focus on Carter and what the league might do for the altercation with Prescott, fans and pundits must credit Fangio for Thursday's accomplishment. The coordinator proved that all of the needed pieces are in place, even as the obvious growing pains were on display. Philly's defense delivered in the biggest moments, making it clear that even as they continue to evolve, this remains the league's best team.