1. Boos turn to cheers for Eagles OC
Brian Johnson's Welcome-to-Philly-as-New-Offensive-Coordinator moment took 14 minutes to arrive in Thursday night's game against the Vikings. Angry boos rained down from Lincoln Financial Field when the 36-year-old Johnson tried a way-too-fancy play that resulted in Jalen Hurts losing three yards on third-and-5. A missed 55-yard field goal led to a 55-yard Vikings touchdown drive and a 7-3 Eagles deficit. At that point, Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores was schooling the first-time NFL offensive coordinator. That ended on Philly's next possession. Johnson found the key to beating B-Flo's exotic looks: Punch 'em in the mouth. Johnson ran the ball 13 times on a 16-play, 75-yard drive to take a lead the Eagles never lost in a 34-28 victory. In the second half, the Eagles had a 15-play drive that went 44 yards and ended with a punt. But it kept Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson on the sideline for nine minutes.
2. Which Dawg would you take now? Cine or Davis?
Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was on the clock with the 12th pick of the 2022 draft. He traded 20 spots down because he sensed tremendous value in Georgia safety Lewis Cine. The Eagles' Howie Roseman quickly traded up a spot into the 13th pick and grabbed Cine's 340-some pound college teammate, Jordan Davis. Thursday night, as Cine stood and watched his defensive teammates again, Davis was a beast per usual for the Vikings' makeshift offensive line. Davis' presence was felt early. A great swim move past left guard Ezra Cleveland to hurry and knock down Cousins on a third-and-9 incompletion. He also completely overpowered backup center Austin Schlottmann on a sack. If that wasn't enough Dawg DT power for Schlottmann, rookie Jalen Carter, the ninth overall pick, beat him on a tackle for loss on Alexander Mattison, who had 9 yards on four first-half carries.
3. Powell could have had a big night
Thursday night should have been a big night for Vikings punt returner Brandon Powell. The Eagles' special teams aren't great at covering punts or kicks. The Patriots had a 31-yard kick return and a 21-yard punt return against them in Week 1. Powell's chance arrived early. The Eagles had a 40-yard punt on their second possession. Powell made the first guy miss, followed his blocks and advanced the ball 20 yards. Not bad for a guy who shows some wiggle but averaged only 4.5 yards on four returns in Week 1. Unfortunately for Powell, he was stripped of and lost the ball. The Eagles didn't score, but the Vikings could have had the ball first-and-10 at the Philly 27. In their first seven quarters this season, they had seven turnovers and lost the turnover differential 7-1. There were 10 kickoffs in the game, all touchbacks.
4. Hurts bottled up … but not entirely
The Eagles' offense looked like a work in progress throughout Week 1 and into the early going Thursday night. Hurts looked unsure of himself and the offense until Johnson started pounding the ball 48 times for 259 yards (5.4) and three touchdowns. Initially, the Vikings did a nice job setting the edges to keep Hurts hemmed in. Danielle Hunter, who had three sacks, almost had another one early but his inside-out rush allowed Hurts to skirt past him for seven yards on third-and-5. Later, cornerback Byron Murphy lost the edge on an 8-yard run. Hurts also caught the Vikings napping up the middle on an 8-yard run that turned third-and-6 into Josh Elliott's 61-yard field goal closed the first half. And, of course, the legalization of the "push" play helped Hurts sneak for one first down and score twice from the 1-yard line.
