Nick Sirianni won his NFL debut as a head coach, outclassing Arthur Smith in a dominant Philadelphia Eagles victory over the Atlanta Falcons Sunday. The way the Eagles won may have been surprising around the NFL, but Lane Johnson seemed to know a performance like this was coming from his team.
Speaking on the JAKIB Media Post Game Show Sunday night, Johnson explained the emotional team meeting Sirianni had with his players in the team hotel the night before the game. What Sirianni said to the Eagles energized them to victory.
"He showed us some clips of some players. He showed a clip of himself playing basketball back in high school," Johnson said. "It showed his way of persevering and ended up playing the same team again and winning. At the end, he told us to break down and go around and shake everybody's hand -- so that's what we did for 5-10 minutes.
"We just dabbed everybody up. Coaches, players, everybody. He said 'man this is a team.' It was a cool moment and it was unlike any meetings I've had before."
The Eagles scored 30 points for the first time since Week 17 of the 2019 season (Philadelphia and the New York Jets were the only two teams that didn't score 30 points in a game in 2020). Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense put up 434 yards and rushed for 173 yards (5.6 yards per carry). The defense allowed just six points and held the Falcons to 113 yards in their final nine possessions (37 plays, 3.05 yards per play).
"It comes down to execution," Johnson said. "We wanted to run the ball effectively. I thought we were able to control the tempo and the pace of the game. I thought we could have been a little bit cleaner at the end.
"Having that continuity and rhythm on game day -- it shows. You can see the result."
The Eagles stand alone at first place in the NFC East, which was believed to be unthinkable heading into Week 1. This is a game the Eagles want to build off, as the outlook of their season changed with the win. The next three games the Eagles have (49ers, Cowboys, Chiefs) will be a true test for this young group.
"The young guys came in, stepped up, and played well," Johnson said. "When I see them play well against Atlanta, it makes their confidence grow. They're getting a little taste of that success. This is something I want to build on."
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