Philadelphia Eagles: Quez Watkins plus 9 observations from game one

Here are more highlights and two areas the Philadelphia Eagles need to fix.

6. The offensive line is off to a good start and played admirably.

The starters looked good, and if you weren’t paying attention, the backups did an equally impressive job of protecting Joe Flacco. From top to bottom, the Eagles had some really good offensive line play.

Ahead of this one, much of the conversation centered around the fact that this unit was bad last season and the hope is no one gets hurt. Following the first preseason game, it appears that being thrust into the fire gave the reserves an opportunity to learn and get better.

This unit needs a big pat on the back after Week 1 of the preseason. This unit is in a better spot if the injury bug hits this team in the trenches again.

7. The Eagles are deep at the tight end position.

Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert looked good (and healthy). Despite the one ugly drop by Ertz that basically short-circuited a drive, he can still play. Goedert looks quicker and continues to get better as time passes.

Then, there are the other guys. Richard Rodgers made an excellent block that helped clear the lane for Quez Watkins on that long catch and run, and the former quarterback, Tyree Jackson, did some nice things when he was given an opportunity. This could be a great problem for the Eagles going forward.

8. There were a couple of ugly drops.

The Eagles still have a little bit of an issue with drops. Things didn’t look as bad as they did last season. It’s still early on, but this team needs to get that fixed before this becomes a real issue again.

9. The defense looked gassed in the second half.

The Philadelphia Eagles came out punching in the first half. They were obviously the better team early on, but then it all went downhill. The second half would see the Eagles’ defense look gassed the entire time as they were bullied during long Steelers drives. It’s early. The game doesn’t count, but let’s hope this gets fixed quickly.

10. The Eagles add two greats to the team’s hall of fame. 

This has nothing to do with the game, but it was still amazing to see. The Philadelphia Eagles announced they will be inducting bookends Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas into the Eagles Hall of Fame. That may have been the second biggest highlight after the Watkins touchdown. Good for them. It’s an honor that’s well deserved.