The Philadelphia Eagles may have pulled out a win against the division rival Dallas Cowboys in the first game of the 2025 season, but they did so in perhaps the least impressive fashion possible due to so many struggles in the passing game.
Between AJ Brown and Devonta Smith combining for four catches and 27 yards in that game and the fact that dump-offs to Dallas Goedert seemed to be the bread-and-butter play of this offense, new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo wasted a brilliant performance from his elite offensive line.
Patullo, who replaced Super Bowl winner Kellen Moore after he took the head coaching job with the New Orleans Saints, put together a very concerning first game in town. His offensive line gave Hurts all the time in the world to operate, and he was still unable to threaten a fairly average Dallas secondary.
Hurts had by far the most time to throw in the league at over 3.4 seconds last game, but his ADOT (average depth of target) was the worst of any starting quarterback in the league. Being an extraordinarily conservative checkdown quarterback when given the best protection in football is a bad look for Hurts, Patullo, and the offense as a whole.
Eagles offense struggled vs. Cowboys despite elite protection
Hurts has dealt with four offensive coordinators over the last four seasons in Philadelphia. While Moore and Shane Steichen were good enough to land head coaching opportunities in New Orleans and Indianapolis, respectively, much-maligned Brian Johnson shows what happens when
Patullo's inability to beat Dallas' zone coverage was the biggest issue on the day, as these struggles came against a Matt Eberflus defense that did not show Philly a man coverage look once in the entire game. Dallas was not throwing many varied looks at the Eagles, and they didn't adjust.
While Hurts and the offense are still learning a new scheme, and their amazing ground game will help them move the chains consistently despite issues throwing the ball, Hurts is not going to consistently beat the elite teams in the league if he replicates his performance against a middling Dallas team.
Read more: Darius Slay getting roasted shows Eagles made right call moving on
Patullo also needs to show the reactivity needed to star as a coordinator in this league. Without it, he could end up being more like Johnson than Moore and find himself on the hot seat almost immediately. A convincing win against the Kansas City Chiefs could help turn the tide in Patullo's favor.