The Philadelphia Eagles are still undefeated!!

That’s great… but there’s a lot to dive into right now.

Like, what happened to the Eagles defense Sunday?

Arguably the brightest spot over the first three weeks has been the defense, well more so the front than the secondary. But still, overall the defense hasn’t been a major issue.

However, in the Eagles’ 34-31 overtime victory over the Washington Commanders, the defense almost cost them what should have been an easy win. I wonder if the Eagles like making things difficult?

But what stands out the most to me was Washington’s tying scoring drive.

Washington put together a 10-play, 64-yard drive in 1 minute, 34 seconds. Facing a third-and-17, Washington QB Sam Howell threw a 15-yard pass and then was able to convert a fourth-and-2. That’s not even the worst of it. With five seconds remaining, Howell tied it with a 10-yard TD pass to Jahan Dotson.

Where was the defense on that drive?

I can try to look past the rest of the game, like allowing two 75-yard yard TD drives to start the game or being down 17-7 in the second quarter or being outgained 192-86 early on. But that last drive was painful to watch.

Some play calls were an issue, too. Like Jalen Hurts’ TD pass late in the fourth quarter was awesome. It was a great pass (and more from the much-improved passing game later), but once the Eagles got to the Commanders’ 28, I thought they would run the clock down and Jake Elliott would kick the winning FG. I was thrilled with the AJ Brown touchdown, but looking back the Eagles should have burned down the clock and ended the game there. I highly doubt Elliott would have missed. But instead, the Eagles gave the Commanders a chance and Washington capitalized.

But I’m not letting the defense off on a technicality. It simply was not a great performance .

Let’s get this out of the way— that cannot happen in a few weeks against the Miami Dolphins. That cannot happen next week. Matthew Stafford is better than Howell.

But let’s also say this— the Eagles are 4-0 despite the defense not being great.

The last team that lost a Super Bowl and came back the next season and started 4-0 was the Green Bay Packers in 1998.

Listen, not many teams that lose in the Super Bowl start out or even do well the following season. The Eagles are bouncing back very well from their heartbreaking loss in February. It’s very impressive and is a rarity in the NFL.

The Eagles are winning games. That’s all that should matter right now. But things have to improve. … and soon.

Even though the defense struggled, Hurts and the passing game. Hurts played his best game of the season. He completed 25 of 37 passes for 319 passing and two touchdowns. Hurts added 34 rushing. And even more impressive?? ZERO turnovers. That’s the first game this season he did not have any turnovers.

Hurts looked more confident, made very nice decisions and throws. When the Eagles trailed at halftime, Hurts came out and threw 203 of his yards in the second half, including both TD passes.

He was clutch in crunch time.

“My whole career has kind of been a rollercoaster in terms of being in different and unique and unprecedented moments, which you may call pressure and stormy and that fire,” Hurts said. “But that’s what I was born in. I feel like it’s a unique feeling being in those situations because you work so hard and you prepare so hard, and you go through so much to put yourself in a position where you’re comfortable in those moments.”

Even though Hurts was better, the offense could have been a little better. Luckily the Eagles have Jake Elliott, who made 41-,47-, 36- and 54-yard FGs when needed. He’s one of the best in the league for a reason.

Listen, the Eagles are showing flashes of talent. The Eagles will play a complete game soon. The Rams are not pushovers, but if the Eagles can just put everything together, they could be an elite team.

The Eagles are missing Avante Maddox, but other players on defense are stepping up. Zach Cunningham led the team with 13 tackles, and Nicholas Marrow (who the Eagles released a few weeks ago) led with three sacks to go with 11 tackles. Just imagine when Nakobe Dean returns?

I still need to see more from the Eagles. I was hoping Howell would have a long day. He was sacked 19 times entering Sunday. The defense definitely did not live up to my expectations. But the offense— the passing game— looked better.

It was far from a perfect win, but it was a win. Again, the Eagles are showing signs of an eventual breakout. When that will be is still unknown. But hopefully it’s soon because the Eagles need to keep stacking up the wins now , especially before their bye as the second half of their schedule gets very, very tough.