There is something funny about being 2-0 in the NFL. Nobody can take your victories away, but two wins don't necessarily tell you everything you need to know about a football team. The Philadelphia Eagles have won both of their games, including Sunday's 24-20 escape against the Tennessee Titans, and there is plenty of reason to feel good about that.
At the same time, Philadelphia has yet to put together a complete four-quarter performance. That makes for an interesting combination, and a few questions.
Is the record better than the overall product? Are the Eagles doing what good teams do? Are they just a superior team taking every team's best shot while still finding ways to win?
The Eagles have banked two wins and haven't played their best football yet
This is probably the easiest place to start. Philadelphia is 2-0
despite leaving plenty on the field in both games, and that should make the Eagles feel pretty good about where they are rather than frustrated about where they aren't.
The offense had five three-and-outs in Week 1 and still needed a late push to get past the Washington Commanders. Against the Titans, the Eagles produced some excellent sustained drives, but they also managed only three points for most of the second half and trailed 20-17 in the fourth quarter.
There is obviously work to do. The encouraging part is that Philadelphia is collecting wins while doing it. A team that reaches this point while still believing it can clean up significant portions of its game has given itself a much better starting point than one trying to fix those same problems at 0-2.
DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert must be the go-to guys in the Eagles' offense.
No need to overcomplicate this one. When the Eagles need reliable production in the passing game, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert must be the guys that this passing attack funnels through.
Smith certainly established that against Tennessee. He caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, then became a major part of the final drive when Philadelphia needed to go 65 yards in less than two minutes.
Goedert was equally important in Week 1 and productive on Sunday before leaving the game injured. His ability to contribute as a receiver and force defenses to account for him makes the offense better. The Eagles have other weapons. Yes, they should continue finding creative ways to use them, but there is something to be said for knowing which players you trust when a drive absolutely has to continue.
The Eagles' offensive line remains a genuine concern
There is no reason to pretend otherwise. Philadelphia has already dealt with Landon Dickerson's injury. They've now shuffled the O-line. They moved Cam Jurgens to left guard and started Drew Kendall at center.
The Titans still managed to create some problems, and Jeffery Simmons showed how disruptive a dominant interior defensive lineman can be when he gets into the backfield. The running game also finished with just 89 yards, which certainly won't quiet concerns about the group up front.
That doesn't mean the offensive line is doomed. It does mean the Eagles have enough questions there that this should remain one of the team's biggest areas of focus as the season moves along.
Eagles can't keep relying on talent to bail them out
At some point, the Eagles will run into a team that makes them pay for every mistake. Philadelphia survived two interceptions, a 27-yard run allowed on third-and-22, and long stretches of offensive inactivity in Week 2 because it has enough talent to do so.
That is a luxury, but it cannot become a continuing strategy. The Eagles found another way to win Sunday because Hurts made the big throws. They won because Smith delivered in the clutch, and Darius Cooper made the game-winning catch. Those are terrific developments, but the long-term goal has to be making those plays the finishing touches on a strong performance, not emergency measures required to escape.
Philadelphia is 2-0, and that matters more than how pretty either victory looked. The Eagles have shown they can survive imperfect performances, adjust when circumstances change, and make the plays that matter late. That is part of being a good football team. The next step is finding out whether they can turn those survival skills into sustained dominance.
Maybe that is the most honest gut reaction after two weeks. The Eagles are not a finished product, but they are not searching for an identity, either. They have enough talent to keep winning while they work through the rough edges. The question now isn't whether Philadelphia can win games like these. It is whether it can eventually make them look a lot less difficult.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Gut reactions to the Eagles' 2-0 start
