Let’s see how former Eagles looked in Week 1 of the NFL regular season

The Eagles won their season opener on Thursday, which meant the full slate of NFL games on Sunday came with little stress. There were, however, plenty of former Eagles to keep an eye on as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset the New Orleans Saints, and a slew of others had noteworthy, although not particularly memorable, performances.

With one of the biggest storylines to come out of Week 1 being the Bucs — and maybe more importantly, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s — breakout game, and the Eagles scheduled to face them in next Sunday, we’ll start our round-up with a team loaded with former players from Philadelphia.

Week 2 opponent

Several former Eagles players have found their way down South and on the roster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. First, it was DeSean Jackson several years ago, and then it was Beau Allen and Vinny Curry following the Super Bowl LII win in early 2018.

The Bucs pulled off a pretty big upset in Week 1, when they bowled over the New Orleans Saints 48-40 in NOLA. Led by Ryan Fitzpatrick, former Eagles wideout DeSean Jackson had himself a day, with just five receptions, he claimed 146 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Jackson was later removed from the game with a concussion, which makes him questionable to go up against his former team on Sunday.

Beau Allen teamed up with Gerald McCoy for a takedown of Saints running back Alvin Kamara resulting in a tackle for loss. And, Vinny Curry nabbed his first sack in a Bucs uniform, bringing down Drew Brees in the second-half of Sunday’s game.

Call him “Captain McCoy”

The former Eagles running back was never short on ego, and after being voted a captain for the Buffalo Bills this season, was reportedly going around the locker room asking his teammates to stop using “Shady” and start calling him “Captain”.

Not sure that being the captain of a failing ship is really all that important of a title, especially after the Bills lost their season opener 47-3 to the Baltimore Ravens. For his part, LeSean McCoy had seven carries for 22 yards, and a reception for a one-yard loss.

He’s had some issues with his hip and groin area the past few weeks, but didn’t seem to be hindered by them on Sunday. Additionally, it was reported that he wasn’t likely to face charges for the legal issues that popped up earlier this offseason, and should avoid missing any playing time due to league punishment.

Other notables

• It wasn’t that long ago that the Eagles were calling Sam Bradford their starting quarterback — even if it feels like a decade since then — and “Sammy Sleeves” is back to his old tricks in Arizona. In the Cardinals’ season opener against Washington, Bradford went 20-of-34 for 153 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception in the team’s 24-6 loss.
• After struggling to connect with QB Cam Newton during the preseason, wide receiver Torrey Smith did snag a 15-yard pass on Sunday to move the chains for the Panthers. The team ended up besting the Cowboys 16-8, in what seemed like a complete offensive collapse by the Eagles NFC East rival.
• Similarly, tight end Trey Burton had one 15-yard reception in his regular season debut with the Chicago Bears. The team ended up just one point shy of besting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in Green Bay, but a second-half miracle by Rodgers shut those celebrations down quickly. Burton should be an increasingly important player for the Bears as second-year QB Mitch Trubisky settles in.
• Kicker Caleb Sturgis was another former Eagles on the losing side of things after Week 1’s season opener. The Chargers fell 38-24 to the Chiefs, and Sturgis went 2-of-3 in field goal attempts, with a 46-yard long kick.
• Former Eagles defensive end Steven Means officially signed with the Atlanta Falcons.

‘Monday Night Football’

There are two games Monday night to round out Week 1 of the NFL’s opening weekend: New York Jets vs. Detroit Lions (7:10 pm) and Los Angeles Rams vs. Oakland Raiders (10:20 pm).

As far as former Eagles are concerned, the first matchup of the night will feature running back LeGarrette Blount — who is largely considered to be the team’s featured back.

The second game would have included former Eagles CB Daryl Worley, but he’s set to miss the first four games of the Raiders’ 2018 season due to a suspension related to his arrest earlier this offseason.