Browns at Eagles: 3 things we learned

A look at three things we learned from Sunday’s Week 1 game between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles.

Carson Wentz needed to come out and have himself a game in his NFL debut. While it came against the Browns, he managed to look a lot better than anyone gave him credit for. The Eagles came away with a 29-10 win behind their rookie quarterback. However, the Browns looked like a team with a long season ahead.

This game featured a battle of two teams that not many fans or analysts expect to see in the postseason. Both have relatively new starting quarterbacks. For Philadelphia, rookie Carson Wentz was quickly given the starting job after the Eagles traded Sam Bradford just a week prior to the game.

For the Browns, they brought in former Washington Redskins prospect Robert Griffin III. He’s been known for his versatility on the field, and Cleveland is hoping he pans out with this attempt at redemption.

Here are three things that were learned from this Week 1 matchup.

1. Carson Wentz looked quite good in the quarterback role

There were plenty of questions looming over the debut of Carson Wentz coming into Sunday’s  game. However, the rookie shook off those usual jitters and put together a pretty decent game. Wentz handled the pressure of inheriting the team’s starting role quite well.

In this contest, Wentz finished the day with 278 yards and two touchdowns. He threw 22-of-37 completed passes and had no turnovers in the box score. The only thing that fans will need to keep in mind going forward is that he debuted against a Brown’s team with low expectations for the season ahead. How will Wentz fare against more talented defenses?

2. Jordan Mathews and Zack Ertz may be the rookie’s preferred receivers

It helps when a quarterback has a few solid targets to work with. In the case of Wentz, it appears for the first game that Jordan Mathews and Zack Ertz are his favorites. Whether that carries over to the next game and those after, remains to be seen.

Matthews, who had one of his team’s touchdowns, led all receivers with 114 yards on seven receptions by Wentz. Ertz finished with 58 yards on six catches, while Nelson Agholor finished with 57 yards and a touchdown on four catches.

It always works nicely when a rookie quarterback has some decent guys to throw to and in this case, Wentz seemed comfortable with those two the most.

3. Cleveland’s offense is a mess to start the season

Coming into the game, the biggest question mark with Cleveland was how their offense would look. Hue Jackson, debuting as Browns coach, is known for his previous stints as an offensive play caller.

In this game, that offense was a mess through the first quarter and the contest as a whole. A Terrell Pryor 44-yard catch helped make Jackson look semi-respectable in his debut as it led to the team’s only touchdown.

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The Browns’ offensive woes featured an interception, a fake punt play gone wrong, and a botched snap that went over Robert Griffin III’s head, resulting in a safety. The team looks like they could be a mess going forward unless Jackson gets things worked out early.

Week 2 will feature another chance for fans to get a look at how these two teams perform. The Browns will get a home game against the Baltimore Ravens. Philadelphia will try to make it a 2-0 start but will be on the road at Chicago.