Overreactions From Eagles' Thrilling Week 1 Win: Time To Bench Landon Dickerson?

Well, that Philadelphia Eagles game certainly had it all.

The Eagles held on to beat the Washington Commanders 24-22 in a Week 1 thriller at Lincoln Financial Field. Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels put on a show in the fourth quarter, capped with a two-point conversion stop by the Eagles defense with 1:01 left to preserve the victory.

Hurts was brilliant in his debut in Sean Mannion's new offense. Dontayvion Wicks made big plays in his Eagles' debut, and Dallas Goedert continues to age gracefully as a tight end.

There were a lot of ups and downs in this game, but the Eagles are 1-0. Let's break it all down with the overreactions from this one -- including a lot of praise for Jalen Hurts.

Which overreactions are truly overreactions? Which ones are reality?

Jalen Hurts proved training camp INT don't matter

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Hurts was dominant in this one. Whatever quarterback stat you want to use with Hurts, he had a standout performance.

The Eagles quarterback finished 14-of-25 for 203 yards with 3 TD and 0 INT for a 122.2 passer rating in the win over the Commanders. Hurts also added 46 rushing yards and averaged 6.6 yards per carry.

On throws of 10+ air yards, Hurts finished 5-of-8 for 167 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT for a 145.8 passer rating. Hurts didn't throw much betwen the hashmarks, so Sean Mannion unleashed Hurts' ability with the deep ball in this one.

On third down, Hurts was 4-of-9 for 103 yards with 2 TD (126.4 rating). In the second hald, Hurts was 6-of-10 for 90 yards with a TD (122.9 rating).

Remember when Hurts threw all those interceptions in training camp? That's why it's called practice -- meaning Hurts was working on aspects of his game to get ready for Week 1.

Was it the Sean Mannion offense we thought we were gonna get? No, but Mannion played to Hurts' strengths as the game progressed. This was a very positive development for Hurts and Mannion.

Landon Dickerson should be benched at LG

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

This was a hot topic during Sunday's game, one Dickerson didn't play well at all. Dickerson played 53 snaps and allowed three pressures in 33 pass-blocking snaps -- a pressure rate allowed per dropback of 9.1%.

For those counting at home, that percentage isn't good. Dickerson also had an offensiev holding penalty and struggled in run blocking, essentially being a replaceable player in Week 1.

The Eagles offensive line wans't good, but Dickerson and Cam Jurgens were the main culprits. Should Dickerson be becnhed after one game? Of course not, although he did look slower in his lunging and footwork than years past.

This is something to monitor, along with if Dickerson is truly healthy. He didn't look 100% on Sunday.

Eagles aren't doing Makai Lemon any favors playing him

Overreaction or reality: Reality

Whatever the Eagles are doing with Makai Lemon, that wasn't a way to get him acclimated in Week 1. Lemon had 3 catches for -5 yards in his debut, as the Eagles targeted him on short passes behind the line of scrimmage -- mainly bubble screens that had little chance of going anywhere.

Lemon didn't get much blocking and was open on routes over the middle of the field, but Jalen Hurts couldn't get the ball to him thanks to the constant pressure up the middle.

This still was a forgettable debut for Lemon, who was a non-factor in "11 personnel" and just didn't looked like he was ready to contribute right away. The Eagles would have been better off activating Elijah Moore and having him play the slot, as he mastered the offense this summer.

Lemon is behind the 8-ball in learning the offense, and just hasn't acclimated himself yet to the NFL. The Eagles need to ease Lemon in and have him learn behind the veterans. He just isn't ready.

Eagles need to be concerned with Cooper DeJean in coverage

Overreaction or reality: Overreaction

DeJean finally allowed a touchdown pass in the slot on Sunday, the first time in his career that has happened to him. Washington picked on DeJean all afternoon, as Jayden Daniels went 7-of-9 for 83 yards and a touchdown targeting him as the primary defender.

This is the worst game DeJean has ever had in coverage. Is the superstar status getting to DeJean? Is it just one bad game in Week 1 of the season? We'll go with the latter here.

DeJean was picked on in the slot, a hard position to succeed in getting incompletions from the quarterback. The key to playing the slot is to make the tackle and not allow yards after the catch. DeJean allowed 30 on Sunday, another example of his struggles.

The Eagles pass defense was solid on Sunday, and had its moments early. DeJean wasn't, but he earns the benefit of the doubt.

Moro Ojomo is going to be top-5 paid DT this offseason

Overreaction or reality: Reality

What a game Ojomo had, showing why the Eagles are fortunate to have him for one more year (maybe more if Vic Fangio gets his way).

Ojomo stopped John Bates on the tight end shovel pass that preserved the Eagles' 24-22 victory -- part of a monster Week 1 at defensive tackle. The two-point conversion stop was the highlight play, but Ojomo was dominant in his 46 snaps.

He finished with three tackles, four pressures and a 13.4% pressure rate -- excellent for a defensive tackle. Ojomo had three missed tackles, but was in the backfield tracking down Jayden Daniels throughout the night.

Ojomo tied Nolan Smith for the team lead in pressures and made sure Daniels was uncomfortable throughout the game. Daniels was 1-of-10 for 3 yards facing pressure, a lot of that had to do with Ojomo in the backfield.

If Ojomo keeps this up, he'll get a Milton Williams contract this offseason. Those pressures are going to turn into sacks.

Make sure you bookmark Philadelphia Eagles on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more!

Add us as a preferred source on Google