The Eagles left Nashville with a 24-20 win over the Titans, but Week 2 was also a reminder that this team is still sorting out a few moving parts. Saquon Barkley went down on the opening drive, the offensive line had to absorb the shock, and several young receivers kept the offense humming anyway. That’s where the story of this one really lives: not just in the final score, but in who stepped up and who left the field looking vulnerable.
Tank Bigsby was the biggest beneficiary of Barkley’s early exit. The numbers were modest - 33 yards on 13 carries - and he had to do it behind a new-look line while staring down Jeffery Simmons.
Still, Bigsby flashed the kind of running style that can wear on a defense once he gets rolling. He finished with a score, and if Barkley can’t go against the Bears on “Monday Night Football,” Bigsby suddenly has a real opening in a contract year.
Drew Kendall also made a strong first impression at center. While much of the line talk centered on Cam Jurgens, Kendall handled his job cleanly and held up against one of the league’s toughest interior defenders.
Jordan Mailata praised his ability to make the calls and keep the operation organized, and the Eagles avoided any procedural penalties. For a player who could become the long-term answer at center, that’s a promising start.
The passing game did plenty of heavy lifting, too. DeVonta Smith continued to look like the clear WR1, but the support cast mattered just as much.
All five of Dontayvion Wicks’ catches moved the chains in high-leverage moments. Darius Cooper hauled in the game-winning touchdown.
Makai Lemon came through with a solid catch over the middle. Hollywood Brown made his presence felt on jet sweeps after sitting out Week 1.
With the ground game stalled, Jalen Hurts and the receivers became the offense’s most reliable edge.
Hurts, for his part, kept driving the whole thing. He was the engine again in Week 2, just as he was the previous Sunday, and he’s tracking toward the kind of season that could validate the preseason prediction that he’d post a career-high QBR in 2026.
Jake Elliott also gave the Eagles something they badly needed. After a rough 2025, he drilled a 58-yard field goal, a kick that should help his own confidence and the team’s trust in him.
Not everything trended upward. Marcus Epps had a rough night at safety, especially late, and the Eagles may have a real problem brewing there.
He had earned Vic Fangio’s trust over the summer and won the starting job next to Drew Mukuba, but his angles and closing speed were exposed in key spots. The worst of it came on a third-and-22 when Tennessee ripped off a 27-yard run that simply should not have happened.
Dallas Goedert’s stock also took a hit. After opening the season with a two-touchdown performance, he looked off while trying to run block before leaving with an MCL sprain. He’s expected to miss a few weeks, and given his injury history with the Eagles, that number of missed games is only going to keep climbing.
In Other News...
Jalen Hurts' Mom Said What Eagles Fans Already Believe
Jalen Hurts has spent the first two weeks of the season giving Eagles fans plenty of reasons to feel good about the quarterback spot, and his mother just added a little social-media fuel to the conversation. In a TikTok video using a face filter, she jokingly made the case that her son is more clutch than other quarterbacks, a playful bit of family pride that lands especially well when the on-field evidence is already trending in his favor.
Hurts has been effective in late-game, one-score situations, exactly the kind of moments Philadelphia leans on its quarterback to handle. The comparison cases around the league include names like Tyler Shough and Josh Allen, but the bigger point for the Eagles is simpler: Hurts has started this season with the kind of fourth-quarter composure that turns a lighthearted TikTok into a talking point. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Have Found A Cheap Answer At WR2
The Eagles did not have to pay a premium to add Dontayvion Wicks, but the early returns have looked anything but ordinary. After coming over from Green Bay in a trade for future draft picks and landing an extension, Wicks has made an immediate case for a bigger role in Philadelphias offense, giving the team a cost-effective option alongside its established passing game.
Through the first two games, Wicks has caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, production that has already helped him earn Jalen Hurts trust. For a team always balancing star power with roster value, the appeal is obvious: if Wicks keeps this up, Philadelphia may have found a much cheaper answer than most teams get at wide receiver two. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Mekhi Becton Decision To Make
The Eagles offensive line depth has gone from a strength to a concern in a hurry, with Landon Dickerson now on injured reserve and the interior of the unit looking shaky in recent games. Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall have not settled things down, and for a team built around protecting the quarterback and keeping the run game on schedule, that kind of uncertainty is hard to ignore.
Mekhi Becton suddenly sits in the middle of that conversation. He played a useful role for Philadelphia during its 2024 Super Bowl run before leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers, but his season since then has been marked by injuries and uneven play. Even so, the idea of a second chance is hard to dismiss when the Eagles are searching for answers up front and know exactly what Becton looked like when things were working here. [Read more 🡒]