Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys is undoubtedly a hard pill to swallow. On a day that the Eagles held the Cowboys offense to just 13 points and knocked Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo out of the game midway through the third quarter, the Eagles just couldn't get anything going offensively, resulting in a frustrating divisional loss.
It may not be easy, but according to what the Eagles said after the game, the key now is correcting mistakes and moving on before taking the field in the Meadowlands next Sunday against the New York Jets.
"We've got to get it figured out," said head coach Chip Kelly. "We let a really good defensive effort go for naught because we didn't do what we needed to do offensively and that we need to stick together as group and get this thing figured out. … We better show up this week because it's not going to get any easier for you. We've got to come back and get ready to go to work on Tuesday and get ready to play the Jets"
This is the first time in Kelly's tenure that the Eagles have started 0-2, but the Eagles did go through a difficult two-game stretch in the middle of the 2013 season, and that ultimately turned the Eagles' season around.
"We were here two years ago," Kelly said. "We lost 17-3 to the Cowboys and then we lost 15-7 to the Giants, and then we went 7-1 down the stretch. I think we just kind of went back to basics. It's still a fundamental football game, but we'll evaluate everything. We evaluated everything then, and fortunately for us, we straightened things out, but if we can't run the football, we're not going to win many football games."
After bringing in DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to a backfield that already possessed a talented runner like Darren Sproles, the run game was thought to be the cornerstone of the Eagles' offense this season, but through two games that hasn't been the case.
According to center Jason Kelce, it all starts up front.
"Right now, it doesn't matter who the running back is," Kelce said. "We're not doing anything up front to be able to give him an opportunity. We've got to get this fixed up front – blocking schemes, assignments, whatever it is, we've got to get this fixed.
"We've got to get back to practice, continue to get repetitions and continue to try to get it fixed. We'll go back to the film to see exactly what they were doing. We have a good idea of what they were doing from being on the sideline, but we'll continue to get repetitions in practice and we'll get this ironed out."
While the Eagles' offense struggled to move the ball for most of the afternoon, the defense provided a bit of a bright spot, keeping the Cowboys' offense at bay for most of the afternoon. According to defensive coordinator Bill Davis, there's still plenty of room for improvement, but it's clear that progress was made from the opener in Atlanta.
"I absolutely (saw an improvement in technique)," Davis said. "The overall corner play was better. Game one showed us where we started, game two showed us where we improved a little bit and what we need to still keep fixing, and then game three has to be better."
Starting 0-2 isn't what the Eagles had in mind, but veterans like Malcolm Jenkins and Byron Maxwell, both of whom have Super Bowl experience, know that this is when the Eagles need to come together as a team, learn from their mistakes and make the necessary adjustments.
"Stuff happens, but this is what you train for," said Jenkins. "This is adversity, but it doesn't mean that anything is over. This is obviously not how we wanted to start. It's something that we have to fix, and that's on all three phases of the ball, offense defense and special teams, to get it corrected if we want to do anything."
"We need to stay positive and not point fingers," said Maxwell. "We've got to come together as a team."
The Eagles faced the Dallas Cowboys in their 2015 home opener at Lincoln Financial Field. View the full gallery here...
RB Darren Sproles takes the ball down the field
S Malcolm Jenkins runs the ball after the interception
HeadHouse Plaza looks amazing!
The stage is set for #BeatDallas
Fans browse the Pro Shop before entering the stadium
There's something for everyone!
Noah the Eagle is meeting fans in HeadHouse Plaza
Take your pick!
Nothing like entering the gates and seeing Swoop
FlyEaglesFly
Ready to go at the Eagles Nest!
Fans listen to the broadcast from WIP
Fans try to win at the SEPTA Bus Toss
Putting on her game face
Listening to the #BeatDallas talk
Dressing up with Eagles gear
Green screen photos are a hit!
Philly bleeds Green
The National Anthem
BeatDallas
Eagles Alum Lito Sheppard signs autographs in the SCA Club
Eagles Alum Correll Buckhalter signs autographs
Retired Navy Petty Officer First Class Generald Wilson sings the National Anthem
LS Jon Dorenbos warms up
Ready to go!
TE Zach Ertz warms up with a few catches
TE Zach Ertz is dialed in
QB Mark Sanchez launches the ball
TE Trey Burton catches the ball
DE Taylor Hart makes the tackle
LB Jordan Hicks and CB Byron Maxwell go in for the tackle
DB Walter Thurmond and DE Vinny Curry help each other out on the tackle
LB Connor Barwin tries to take down Cowboys QB Tony Romo
The Eagles defense swarms Dallas
LB Jordan Hicks makes the play
LB Kiko Alonso and S Malcolm Jenkins close in on the Cowboys
RB DeMarco Murray gets tackled on the run
After a hard hit
QB Mark Sanchez throws some warm up passes
Head Coach Chip Kelly watches practice
WR Miles Austin goes up for the ball
LB DeMeco Ryans gets ready to make the play
DE Cedric Thornton celebrates the big play
QB Sam Bradford makes the running pass
Tackle from ground level
The Eagles Drumline entertains the crowd
The Eagles Defense is fired up
Celebrations all around!
Tailgaters are ready for #BeatDallas
Turning up the volume at the tailgate
Swarming the Eagles Nest!
Who wants a cheesesteak?!
This is Eagles Country!
Ready to cheer on the Eagles
Gates are open!
The calm before the storm
The Eagles sporting black endzones for the home opener
New stadium art welcomes fans
Pregame warm-ups
The Eagles logo at the 50
The linebackers take control
LB Connor Barwin and DE Vinny Curry are fired up
DE Cedric Thornton comes through with a huge play
Incoming!
LB Jordan Hicks makes another tackle
DB Walter Thurmond and DE Vinny Curry attack
Brotherly Love
DB Walter Thurmond attempts the interception
DE Fletcher Cox gets the runner
DE Fletcher Cox dives for the ball
Chuck Bednarik's family accepts the honor
Habits Reflect The Mission
RB Ryan Mathews leads the way
The National Anthem accompanied by a flyover
A full-field flag waves during the National Anthem
The Eagles work together for the tackle
DT Bennie Logan holds on for the stop
C Jason Kelce defends QB Sam Bradford
RB DeMarco Murray makes his move around the defender
A packed Eagles Nest
RB DeMarco Murray runs through traffic
The Eagles push back
DE Cedric Thornton stops Dallas QB Tony Romo
The Eagles go for the ball
The ball comes loose!
QB Sam Bradford runs the ball
T Jason Peters squares up
QB Sam Bradford looks for the receiver
RB DeMarco Murray protects the ball
RB Darren Sproles plots his next move
WR Josh Huff collects a few yards
Weaving through the obstacles
QB Sam Bradford launches the ball
LB Jordan Hicks holds on for the stop
RB DeMarco Murray coming through
RB Darren Sproles faces off with the Cowboys defender
WR Josh Huff wards off the Dallas defender
K Cody Parkey knocks in the extra point
DB Walter Thurmond gets in the way of the runner
The National Anthem spectacle
The new Eagles entrance
The Eagles Cheerleaders take the field
Fans hoist up a #BeatDallas banner during pregame
LB DeMeco Ryans stretches for the tackle
Prepare for takeoff
The Eagles linebackers attack the pass
The focus
CB Byron Maxwell defends the pass
The Strath Haven High School Marching Band performs during halftime
The Olney Eagles greet the Philadelphia Eagles as they exit the tunnel
