The Philadelphia Eagles came away with a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 1. It wasn't the prettiest game, but a win is a win. While they secured a pivotal divisional victory, they also saw former passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach Christian Parker struggle immensely, as the New York Giants beat the Dallas Cowboys 28-20.
Parker's unit was the biggest reason why the Cowboys lost, and it shows that the former Eagles coach will have his work cut out for him in the Lone Star State.
Parker took over for Matt Eberflus, who led one of the worst defenses in the NFL last season. Yet Dallas' defense still appears to be a work in progress. Dallas gave up 394 total yards of offense and allowed the Giants to go a staggering 9-11 on third down. New York ran the ball at will for 165 yards. Parker's outing went as badly as it could have.
Christian Parker's brutal Cowboys debut is music to Eagles fans' ears
Those initial numbers are bad, but when you peel back the layers, it only gets worse. New York kept peppering Dallas with the same concepts. The Giants kept running crossers against Dallas for the first three quarters and consistently yielded positive results.
When the fourth quarter came around, New York seemed to run the same play over and over and find success. Jaxson Dart kept swinging the ball into the flats as they picked up consistent yards after the catch. It appeared that Dallas made life easy for the Giants, which isn't a good sign for Parker.
The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia also expressed that Dallas has the worst Week 1 outing of any team based on EPA per drive. Yes, it's only one game, so the reactions need to be tempered, but there's no hiding how bad this unit was.
The Eagles came away from Week 1 with a win, and at the same time, their most hated rival in Dallas continues to look like a doormat on defense. The Giants attacked Dallas with the run, quick passes, and tight end Isaiah Likely (8/78/2 TDs).
The Cowboys will look to make those adjustments, but early on, there are clear cracks in the Dallas defense. They failed to generate pressure, stop the run, and get off the field on crucial downs.
The Eagles have to feel good knowing these are evident areas to attack in their rival's defense. While Parker was with Philadelphia, he did an outstanding job developing defensive backs.
He played a big role in the development of Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell. Yet, without him in the fold, Philadelphia's pass defense looked more than fine in the win over Washington, allowing just 163 passing yards.
Read more: Cooper DeJean's brutal Week 1 opener is worrisome (but not the end of the world)
The Eagles looked fine without Parker on the sideline, but the same can't be said for the former coach. Running the show is a different type of pressure, and Parker failed his first test. And the fact that it came with the Cowboys on the primetime stage has to make Philly fans happy after their Week 1 victory.
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