Should Our Expectations for the Eagles Be Raised After Impressive Week 1?

Going into the Eagles opening game of the 2021 regular season on the road against the Atlanta Falcons no one really know what to expect. There was a new head coach, a the young quarterback who took over the team in the last month of the previous season, a lot new players and the old ones who witnessed their old team get turned upside down. Everyone in the Eagles organization was one big question mark, even longtime mainstays like Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman who went from the kings of competent one day to the kings of incompetence the next had big question marks over their heads.

With most of the icons and polarizing figures from the 2017 Super Bowl team gone, what was this new version of the Birds going to be? So far, a very good, well-oiled machine one week into the season.

The Eagles handled the Falcons like an experienced football team 32-6 in Atlanta with few errors to go by. Even when they went for an un-needed 2 point conversion, they actually drew up a play that worked. Nick Sirianni and coaching staff played up to the strengths of each position player and the offensive line that desperately missed Brandon Brooks last year looked like they were back in 2017 form. The defensive line too looked like 2017 again and the secondary was refreshingly reliable.

With all that said, it is one game and the Falcons don’t have much outside of quarterback Matt Ryan. The Falcons are, after all, a true spectacle to watch as Secret Base pointed out:

The easiest thing to do after your team gives an impressive Week 1 win is to raise expectations. Though the first game of the season usually doesn’t dictate how the season is going to turn out. Atlanta could be one of the five worst teams in the league this year and Matt Ryan should probably try to find his way out Matthew Stafford style to extend a potential Hall of Fame career. Next week the Eagles have more to prove in their home opener against the more talented San Francisco 49ers. What was a breeze of a game last week could be a more competitive nail biter in Week 2 that could easily end in a loss. And that could be followed up with a Monday Night Football game against the Cowboys that could easily turn all that Week 1 optimism into typical Philly negativity.

All in all it’s still a good sign that the Birds looked strong in the first game of the season. After all the expectations were and should probably fairly low. And that is the beauty of low expectations, losing the games you’re supposed to lose and winning the ones you’re supposed to win. Anything extra like a winning record, playoff berth, division title or even a playoff win should be gravy for this year.

So instead of living and dying by every play of every game, lets remember that this is a transitional year and it’s all about seeing how the young players develop for the future. Not a lot unlike the 2016 season. If we finish the season knowing we have a future with Sirianni, Hurts and most of the rookies and young players then it’s a highly successful season.