BALTIMORE – Head Coach Nick Sirianni walked down the sideline toward Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay. Sirianni doesn't look at the ball when Jake Elliott attempts field goals. Instead, he looks for the signal from Clay to let him know the result.

As Elliott's game-winning 49-yard field goal cleared the crossbar as time expired, Sirianni saw Clay pump his fist. He also saw the entire sideline erupt in a jubilant celebration.

Sure, it was just the preseason opener, but when faced with the choice, Sirianni was much more pleased with adding another notch to the win column.

"We're always trying to win as much as we possibly can; that's how we are playing it," Sirianni said. "It's about the process and operation that we can talk through – many good things – as a coaching staff. All the reps that the guys got were huge. But we were able to get a lot of things worked out as a coaching staff, as far as communication goes. Such as, 'Here's what we're going to do in this scenario. Here's what we're going to do in that scenario.'

"You can simulate situations like that as much as you want, and we try to, but when they happen in real time, you must react. I thought that was good. So again, it's more about the process of what we had to go through today. The win is nice, because you always want to win, but it doesn't count. But now there's a lot of good film to process and learn from."

Just before Elliott's game-winner, the All-Pro kicker had a rare miss that clanged the upright. Earlier in the game, Elliott missed a point-after attempt. Linebacker Patrick Johnson's strip-sack and recovery allowed Elliott the second chance at the go-ahead kick and Jake the Make lived up to his nickname.

"Hopefully, we got those (misses) out of our way tonight," Sirianni said. "Our kicking operation and Jake Elliott, I'm so confident in him. I trust him so much, and I'm so glad he got another opportunity. I have no doubt he will be even better because of some of the adversity that he went through today."

Friday night provided another dimension for the special teams unit. The Eagles gleaned their first look at the new kickoff alignment in a live tackling situation. In total, there were six returns in seven kickoffs with a long of 31 yards.

"There's a lot of work to do there. There are still a lot of unknowns," Sirianni said. "We'll get to study that tape. There were some big hits out there, (and) some big collisions. There are guys flying around. We will just continue to evaluate it." – Chris McPherson

1. Strip-sack, fumble recovery a confidence boost for Patrick Johnson

Fourth-year outside linebacker Patrick Johnson made the biggest play of the night when he came down with a strip-sack and recovered the fumble to set up Jake Elliott's game-winning field goal.

"Vic (Fangio, defensive coordinator) gave us a good play call," Johnson said. "They were able to get after the quarterback, and so, when that play call came, I got excited because I know I was gonna get on that edge and even maybe end the game, so everything worked out.

"It felt great just for confidence wise, especially going to my Year 4. Man, I really need something like that for myself just kind of getting the flow. I feel like I've had a solid camp. And so for that to happen, the first preseason game, that was huge. A lot of work there, and to see it manifest like that, it feels good.

"But, the most important thing is now is you got to move on from it, and got to move on to the second game coming up, because we play I think on Thursday, and so there's gonna be a quick turnaround. So, I gotta enjoy this tonight, and then get back to work tomorrow." – Liam Wichser

2. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. makes his presence felt

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. came flying out of the gates in his preseason debut. The former Clemson Tiger saw his first action of the night on special teams as he made his way down the field to bring down the Ravens' return man Damarion Williams.

Not long after, Trotter Jr. made a huge play on 3rd-and-2, sacking quarterback Josh Johnson to force the Ravens' offense off of the field late in the first half.

"It felt good. That was my first play out there, so coming out there making that play, you know, backed up it felt great. I thank God, I thank my teammates, but I also just felt really good to get into the game and that be one of my first plays out there," said Trotter Jr., who finished with five tackles, tying for the team lead.

"Once you get that first play, that first hit, the butterflies go away like you're just playing football." – Liam Wichser

3. Will Shipley finds the end zone

Rookie running back Will Shipley has stood out at practice throughout Training Camp and he continued to turn heads as the Eagles opened up preseason on Friday night.

Shipley opened up the scoring for the Eagles with a 7-yard touchdown catch in his first drive in which he tallied eight touches for 30 yards.

"It's a dream come true. And for it to happen in the first game is incredible. Something I'll remember for the rest of my life for sure," Shipley said.

Shipley was one of five running backs who got touches in the game and felt like he was on the right track throughout his debut, but he does know how early it is in the season.

"I've got to continually improve, but I think I did a good job tonight. Just getting the calls from the O-line and making sure we're on the same page, great communication up front with the quarterback, stepping up and not letting those guys get to the quarterback. That's the biggest thing and I think I did a good job with that tonight," Shipley said.

"I'm really happy for Ship that he got in the end zone," said quarterback Kenny Pickett. "He's a great guy. He works hard. He gives it everything he's got every time he's out there on the practice field or in a game setting. It was just a simple kind of 'get me on the move' play-action and he's the first read ... it was a good one. We practiced it a couple of times, so it was good to get it in the game."

Shipley was most proud of his ability to hone in on the fundamentals and the details.

"When you get a long drive like that, you get tired and you see a lot of just careless mistakes and I don't feel like I made those today," Shipley said. "Just being able to focus on the details late in the drive and come up with a touchdown, which was obviously awesome for me to be able to do that and for the team and all that good stuff." – Liam Wichser

4. Tanner McKee: 'The new offense is awesome'

Nearly one year to the exact day, Tanner McKee walked up to the same press conference podium in the room adjacent to the visiting team's locker room at M&T Bank Stadium after the preseason opener.

But there were reasons that the second time around were different.

The biggest? The second-year quarterback's comfort level in the offense. Only thing is, McKee is just learning the new scheme which is blending what the Eagles have had success with over the past three seasons along with integrating elements from new Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore.

After engineering his second drive of 10-or-more plays in the second half of Friday night's win over the Baltimore Ravens, McKee was quite pleased with the offensive operation in its first live-game setting.

"The new offense is awesome. I feel like our guys did a good job with the details inside and out, especially for our first preseason game. Obviously, there (are) some kinks to work out. That's what's to be expected with the first preseason game. I thought we did pretty well for the first time as far as getting things moving, getting lined up in the right spots, getting set motions, getting to our landmarks. I thought we did a decent job," McKee said.

McKee entered the game with 9:47 left in the third quarter after Kenny Pickett started and played into the second half. The Eagles leaned heavily on a rushing attack that generated 146 yards. McKee expanded on what has him so excited about the new scheme.

"To start, I think it's really quarterback friendly," McKee said. "It allows our guys to show our potential. It takes advantages of one-on-ones. But, also if they're in a zone, there's really good spacing concepts that I think we have. I just think it is very well balanced. I think you can see that tonight when we wanted to run the ball, we ran the ball a bunch. When we wanted to pass, the pass was there. It's been a lot of fun. We've been working on it so much against our own team, it was a lot of fun to play against other guys." – Chris McPherson

5. Kenny Pickett goes from Eagles fan to quarterback

A native of Ocean Township, New Jersey, Kenny Pickett grew up cheering on the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. When the third-year quarterback was acquired by the Eagles in a trade with their cross-state rivals in the Pittsburgh Steelers, it not only offered the former first-round pick a fresh start, but also the opportunity to do it for his favorite team.

Friday night's preseason opener may not count in the standings, but Pickett didn't miss the moment to realize that he wasn't just wearing an Eagles jersey in the stands anymore.

"It was awesome. I've been putting the jersey on for a long time just with no pads underneath of it. It felt good to have some shoulder pads and a helmet on running out there as a bird. It's very special," Pickett said. "I know my family was watching and a lot of friends back home. That news was important to me, so it was cool."

Pickett not only put the jersey on, but he started as Jalen Hurts and several starters received the night off. Pickett utilized his athleticism to escape trouble, was accurate with short passes into traffic, and guided the Birds's longest scoring drive of the night – a 15-play, 75-yard march that ended with a touchdown toss to rookie running back Will Shipley.

"I feel great, but it's a process. Whenever you go from any place you're running a new system, it's always a process," Pickett said. "It's never going to end. Just trying to get better every day and the continuity with the guys is getting there being two weeks in camp. I credit it to the spring we had. I thought we had a great spring with everyone showing up. I think we started a step up from a lot of other places. I feel good, but there's a ton of work still to go.

"I think it was a solid night. They do a lot of good stuff defensively that they showed early in this preseason [game], one which makes you try to prepare as much as you can with a day or two of prep. I think we did a good enough job and obviously, got the win. So, that's all that matters."

The next step? Practice on Sunday in Philadelphia, then travel on Monday for New England, which features a joint practice before the second preseason game next Thursday.

"I've actually never had one (a joint practice). This is my first one. We didn't do it in Pittsburgh, so this is my first one. I really don't know what to expect either," Pickett said. "I will kind of go in there excited. I'm sure you get a lot of quality work situational stuff that you could set up against another look and just get different coverages and defenses. You know, you're not seeing our defense every day, but now seeing a different colored jersey. So, I'm excited for it. It'll be good." – Chris McPherson

6. Nick Sirianni praises Nolan Smith's physicality

Nolan Smith had a huge sack that of Ravens quarterback Devin Leary that resulted in the Ravens losing 9 yards on a drive in which they went 3-and-out.

"It felt good, just getting in the flow of things, actually playing football, and just miss it man, miss being out there. I was fortunate enough to play next to a guy that's amazing, that I watch on film every day, Bryce Huff. It just felt good, being out there with him. And you know how things go, it's just the flow of the games." Smith said.

Smith felt a lot more comfortable out there in Year 2 and is happy with where the edge group is at right now. That comfort is seen by the coaches as well.

"Really noticed Nolan Smith getting to the football," Head Coach Nick Sirianni said. "He has this outstanding speed and high motor. On one, they had a pretty good screen called on us, and he came flying out of the stack and made a big play. So, I was really pleased with the effort, energy, and physicality we played with." – Liam Wichser

7. Nakobe Dean had reason to celebrate

Nakobe Dean returned to the field for live action for the first time since November, and came out with a ton of energy and excitement as he was grateful to be back out there.

"Look, I don't care if they put me in the whole game. I just loved to get back on the field. It's been since November I got to play a game," said Dean, who dealt with injuries in 2023. "So being able to get in reps, to get my feet under me, and actually go out there and hit somebody and strike somebody that doesn't have Eagles on their chest. It just felt great."

Dean finished with a tackle in the win.

"At this point, me being hurt last year, and being taken off the field," Dean said. "I take no snap for granted. No snap for granted. So, celebration was big for me tonight." – Liam Wichser