Well, that was fast. Call us crazy, but the first Philadelphia Eagles preseason game is in the books. We can’t wait for the next one. We already have so much to discuss. Maybe we’re just football junkies.

It isn’t like it matters, but Philly wins this one by a final tally of 16-13. The guys got some work in. Some of them did themselves a solid. How about some ‘studs and duds’ after this one?

Winner: Jeremiah Trotter

Boy! Watching some guy named Jeremiah Trotter running around and making plays almost brought tears to our eyes. Junior had himself a night. Six tackles tied Ben VanSumeren for the team lead… Four of Trot’s stops were of the solo variety… One sack and an additional hit on the quarterback certainly didn’t go unnoticed.

Winner: John Ross, Grant Calcaterra, and Britain Covey

We saw one heck of a first half out of two guys we hope can be decent reserves on offense (and another who’s fighting to make the team). Britain Covey led Philly’s first-half skill players in receptions with four snags for 25 yards. John Ross was right behind him with three catches, but he had the highest receiving yardage total (28).

Grant Calcaterra did as he was asked. He snagged both of his targets and tallying 14 receiving yards in the process.

Winner: Jalyx Hunt

Jalyx Hunt is hard not to notice. He did an excellent job in his first preseason appearance. As a former safety, he looked comfortable dropping into coverage. Four solo tackles highlighted his night. He did what you’d ask of a rookie, make the most of your opportunities.

He even showed some nice closing speed on a QB scramble by Josh Johnson. He didn’t prevent the first down, but he may have prevented a TD.

Winner: Will Shipley

Will Shipley’s pass protection has been criticized during camp, but his blitz pickup on a third-down attempt during Philly’s second offensive drive helped extend it.

The rookie is off to a decent start he can build on. Seven carries resulted in 23 yards. He also recorded a reception that resulted in seven more (and a trip to the end zone) and two kick returns for 48 yards.

Winner: Braden Mann

Five punts… 248 yards… A 49.6 average, a long of 54 yards, and two downed inside the 20-yard line. Braden Mann, if he carries this into the regular season and does this consistently, might be able to run for public office.

Winner: Patrick Johnson

Quietly, Patrick Johnson has had a good camp. Then, he had a good game in the preseason opener.

He notched four tackles (two were solo), a sack, a QB hit, and a forced fumble. Following a missed FG by Jake Elliott, he jarred one free to give Jake another chance. Elliott drilled that one, but let’s not forget that it was Patrick who gave him the chance.

Loser: Ainias Smith

Ainias Smith, at times, looked like he was running in quicksand. He struggled as a returner.

Okay, if he can’t even help as a returner, do we really need him on the roster? In total, he notched 13 yards on three punt returns. He fumbled one, but it rolled out of bounds.

Meanwhile, Britain Covey’s lone punt return went for 26 yards. We will give Smith a little credit here. He hauled in a nice third-down catch to move the chains on 3rd and five.

Loser: Joseph Ngata

After a decent camp last year, Joseph Ngata’s engine ran out of steam when the lights came on during the preseason. So far, there hasn’t been much to discuss during camp or the first exhibition game.

His three targets showcased much of what we have gotten used to seeing. He was blanketed in coverage. He didn’t fight his way back to the football. He didn’t register a single catch.

It’s too early to tell, but we’re beginning to get some slower Quez Watkins vibes. By the way, if you’re interested Quez muffed a punt for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his debut for his new football team.

Loser: Albert Okwuegbunam Jr.

Before the game kicked off, we were thinking. Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. wouldn’t have made the team if we would have had to introduce an initial 53-man roster prior to kickoff. That’s okay. It’s preseason, and this is exactly how opportunities are born, right?

All Albert O had to do was make the most of an opportunity.

Well… Albert O didn’t do that. He looked slow, and three of the passes thrown in his direction fell harmlessly to the turf. Yeah, this guy can’t play.

More losses than wins: Kenny Pickett

Surely, the guy many viewed as the presumed QB2 could beat up on some backups, right? … Well… Here’s what we saw from Kenny Pickett in this one.

We know the game didn’t count, but we aren’t sure we have seen him look more uncomfortable than he did most of the time in this one.

Things started well. At one point, his passer rating was over 100 and he had thrown a TD pass. Then, he remembered he was… well… Kenny Pickett…

22 attempts… 14 completions… 89 yards passing and a TD toss… An 87.1 passer rating… Two sacks for a loss of 15 yards… That’s the stat line.

That isn’t terrible. That isn’t great. But, again. We expected more.

Needs work: Nolan Smith

Smith’s stat line wasn’t that bad. He tallied four tackles. One resulted in a loss of yardage. He notched a sack and an additional hit on the QB, but it just always felt like something was missing

Smith beats up on the reserves in practice, but we need to see some of that smoke when he’s playing guys who will make the team.

We aren’t panicking yet, but we are worried. Nolan Smith comes up missing much too often. There were times we found ourselves paying more attention to Jalyx Hunt than him.

Loser: Jake Elliott (just kidding)

We thought we’d have some fun with this one. Following Philly’s first TD of the preseason, Jake Elliott missed the PAT. Then, with less than 30 seconds to play, he missed a 50-yard field goal that would have given the Eagles the lead…

But, then, he got another chance.

With time expiring, Jake nailed one from 49 yards out, but hey… Fair is fair, even if we’re talking about Jake Elliott. He did cost Philly four points, right?

Whatcha think? Is it better to cut him and cut ties now? Again, we’re only teasing… Please don’t send us one of those annoying emails. We have no worries about him moving forward.