What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 2 vs. the Titans
The Eagles have some stuff to clean up heading into Nashville, where they'll face a Titans team with myriad issues of their own.
After Sunday’s season-opening win over the Washington Commanders, Fox sideline reporter Erin Andrews used an analogy in her postgame interview with Jalen Hurts to describe the Eagles’ ever-changing offense each year.
Given the regular turnover at offensive coordinator, Hurts is required to learn how to drive a “different car” every year, she said.
But Hurts has a different perspective on the situation.
“Who is the car?” Hurts asked.
Hurts has been the constant — the car, so to speak — for the last six seasons. It wasn’t Sean Mannion’s new-look offense that put the Eagles over the edge against the Commanders — rather, Hurts’ traits that have been evident throughout his tenure as the starter took center stage. His ability to make something out of nothing with his legs and push the ball downfield came in clutch when the Eagles needed momentum-shifting plays.
But is a reliance on the quarterback’s ability to take over a game a sustainable way to win every week?
Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles heading into Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans:
Running on empty
Since his arrival in Philadelphia, Mannion has preached the importance of the marriage between the run and the pass, much like other disciples of the West Coast offense.
It takes two to make any relationship work, and on Sunday, the run game struggled to gain ground.
Saquon Barkley didn’t have much room to operate, an issue that plagued the rushing unit last season, too. According to Next Gen Stats, Barkley was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on seven of his 15 carries. He rushed for a total of 83 yards, 78 of which came after contact (thus, just 5 before contact). He also forced five missed tackles.
» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts used his arm, legs, and mind to beat the Commanders. He also helped the Eagles mask some O-line issues.
A running back’s ability to pick up yards before contact isn’t on the offensive line alone, but its struggles in the season opener were well-documented.
Cam Jurgens was flagged twice for holding on Barkley carries. Landon Dickerson was often deficient both as a run and pass blocker, and he was placed on the injured reserve list Monday. Five of Barkley’s 15 carries went for negative yardage (including one penalty), which in part prevented the Eagles offense from sustaining a rhythm throughout the entire game.
There were some highlights. Barkley had an explosive 42-yard run on an inside zone call, highlighted by Jurgens redirecting Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal into cornerback Amik Robertson at the line of scrimmage to spring the running back.
They got the outside zone game going at times, too. Barkley ran for 6 yards on an outside zone call late in the first quarter, but he appeared to leave meat on the bone. Instead of hitting the edge, he initially attempted to cut upfield inside of DeVonta Smith, who was blocking on the perimeter.
It seemed like Barkley was trying to avoid Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves, who shed a block from Dontayvion Wicks inside of Smith. But as Barkley bounced outside, he tripped over Smith’s leg.
The Eagles will need more from the run game going forward, especially if they want to take some of the pressure off Hurts. Was Week 1 a sign of the struggles to come on the ground, or can the group rebound?
Titan down
Fortunately for the Eagles, the Titans are up next on their schedule.
It’s a new era in Tennessee under head coach Robert Saleh, but the Titans — who went 3-14 last season — suffered the same lousy results in their Week 1 outing. The team fell 23-10 to the New York Jets, although it was 23-3 until the final three minutes of the game.
The Titans defense is headlined by defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who was the highest paid at his position for about a month until Jalen Carter signed his extension before the start of training camp.
» READ MORE: Cooper DeJean’s first game in his new role with the Eagles ‘wasn’t good enough’
Pro Football Focus credited Simmons with a team-high three pressures, but the entire defensive front was essentially neutralized by the Jets offensive line. Jets quarterback Geno Smith was only hit once, and he didn’t take a sack. Smith had 3.04 seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats, which ranked seventh most among starting quarterbacks in Week 1 before Monday night’s game.
The group wasn’t any better in run defense. They conceded 152 yards and two touchdowns on 39 carries, with Jets running back Breece Hall leading the way with 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts.
The Eagles should expect the Titans to adjust in Week 2. But can they exploit some of their weaknesses, particularly on the ground?
Weary for Ward
For as lackluster as the Titans defense was in their season debut, the offense was even worse.
Cam Ward, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick out of Miami, was 19-for-32 for 140 yards and a touchdown (80.2 quarterback rating). Take out the garbage-time scoring drive, though, and Ward went 13-for-24 for 85 yards.
He was under siege often. According to PFF, Ward saw pressure on 16 of his 39 dropbacks (41%), completing just 5 of 10 passing attempts for 33 yards on those plays. Titans rookie right guard Fernando Carmona was particularly susceptible to allowing pressure, conceding two hurries and one hit in his regular-season debut.
The Eagles generated pressure on Jayden Daniels on Sunday, as he was pressured on 16 of 38 of his dropbacks (42.1%). In those circumstances, he completed just two of his passes on 12 attempts for 17 yards. But just like last season, the Eagles defense struggled to finish, with Jihaad Campbell notching the lone sack of the afternoon.
Given the Titans’ struggles up front, the Eagles defense could fare better in the sack column in Week 2.
Additionally, Ward is no Daniels, but he does have an ability to extend plays and scramble. He had 21 scramble yards on four attempts against the Jets. The Eagles gave up 29 scramble yards to Daniels, including a 13-yarder late in the third quarter that helped set up Stefon Diggs’ touchdown in the fourth.
The Eagles eked out a season-opening win over the Washington Commanders thanks, in large part, to Jalen Hurts channeling the elements of his game that make him so dangerous. But when it comes to other areas of the offense, concerns from last year still linger. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane and David Murphy assess Hurts’ performance, Sean Mannion’s debut as offensive coordinator, and warning signs on the offensive line Listen here.
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