The big takeaway from the Big Easy Miracle is not Jalen Hurts' 25th and 26th turnovers since the start of last season, which are the most in the NFL.

Nor is it about Nick Sirianni's fifth fourth-down fumble in two weeks — he kicked when he should have tried, he kicked from too far away, he didn't kick when valuable points were at stake. Nor is it about newly concussed DeVonta Smith and Lane Johnson, who, like injury-plagued AJ Brown, likely won't play in Tampa on Sunday because of a pause in play next weekend. It wasn't about Jalen Carter showing he can be a game-wrecker, or that Saquon Barkley looks like the best running back in Eagles history, or that they held the Saints to 12 points at home after scoring 91 in their first two games.

But Nick's in-game decisions are often questionable, people get injured, Saquon is a star, and the defense is talented, experienced, and led by a master: Vic Fangio.

” READ MORE: Nick Sirianni's harshest critics say the Eagles' lack of preseason practice has hurt them, but they are still convinced they will be “special.”

The most important thing to take away from Sunday is that offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland continues to show his genius.

The Eagles lost right guard Mekhi Becton (finger) and Johnson on the same second-quarter drive. They had scored zero points. Tyler Steen, a second-year third-round pick who lost a preseason battle for the spot with Becton, had played 71 offensive snaps in his career and had not played a meaningful snap in the Eagles' 11 games (counting playoffs) since a win over Dallas on Nov. 5. He replaced Becton. Fred Johnson, a migrant worker in his sixth season, had not played a meaningful snap in a non-gimmick game since 2021. He replaced Lane Johnson.

Stoutland had them ready. Of course he did. Stout made Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson into Hall of Famers, Brandon Brooks and Landon Dickerson into Pro Bowlers, and turned mediocre rugby player Jordan Mailata into an elite left tackle. He is unrivaled among NFL position coaches.

Steen and Fred Johnson broke down the left side of the Saints line on Saquon Barkley's 65-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. They double-covered defensive end Carl Granderson on Dallas Goedert's 61-yard catch-and-run that set up the game-winning touchdown with 61 seconds left.

” READ MORE: The Eagles offensive line loses two important players, but Fred Johnson and Tyler Steen step in and deliver

They have done much good and little bad.

Big D (Goedert)

If the Eagles’ one-team victory on Sunday proved one thing, it was this:

Hurts has underused tight end Goedert since he became a full-time starter three seasons and two games ago. It wasn't until Smith and Brown were injured that Hurts was finally able to use Goedert properly. According to stathead.com, it's only the 12th time in NFL history that a tight end has caught at least 10 passes for at least 170 yards. Since 2020, that's only happened twice, both times by Travis Kelce, one of the five best tight ends in history.

We told you: This is how good Goedert can be if the quarterback gives him a chance.

Jump on the train? Which train?

It took two phantom calls from the referees to draw the attention of the crowd to the Cowboys' failed “comeback” against the Ravens on Sunday (a fake illegal contact and a fake roughness on the passer), but that didn't stop Dak Prescott from insulting any fans who might be disappointed in a team with a better record that just awarded him and CeeDee Lamb, who dropped the ball near the goal line, $376 million.

As he walked through the tunnel after the game, the home team's boos echoing in his sensitive ears, Prescott grumbled, “Jump down if you want. Please.”

That's the arrogance of a team that's been brainwashed by its cult-like followers. How big of a pull can it be for a franchise that hasn't won a championship, let alone a Super Bowl, since the 1995 season when Dak was a 2-year-old in Louisiana?

Nickname game

The dashing redhead Andy Dalton, also known as “Red Rifle,” replaced the unsuccessful Bryce Young as the Panthers' starting quarterback on Sunday. He did so in a game against the Raiders and Gardner Minshew, also known as “Mississippi Mustache.”

Dalton, 36, looked like the guy who had made three Pro Bowls as a Bengal: 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

” READ MORE: Nick Sirianni does not elaborate on his decision to try the fourth and first against the Saints

Minshew, 28, looked like his 2021 Halloween costume, Uncle Rico, Napoleon Dynamite: 18 of 28, 214 yards, one touchdown, one pick. Minshew is a former Eagles backup who is still living off a few glory weeks in Jacksonville in 2019 at the expense of Nick Foles and was replaced late in the game by Aidan O'Connell… for how long?

“There were definitely some individuals who made business decisions,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said.

Aaron Rodgers, husband

A year after tearing his Achilles tendon and three years after lying about being vaccinated against COVID-19, Aaron Rodgers, 40, played his best game in nearly two years on Thursday night. His Jets beat the Patriots 24-3, with Rodgers completing 27 of 35 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. After a rocky start, he was good in Game 2, but on Thursday he looked especially sprightly, smooth and very, very difficult to beat for the Broncos, who play on Sunday.

Extra points

The Vikings defense left Sunday's game allowing 10.0 points per game, its second-best output following a 34-7 win over CJ Stroud and the Texans, who appeared to be starting to reach their limits. The 10 points per game is the second-best output behind the Steelers' 8.7. Not surprisingly, the Vikings and Steelers are 3-0 despite starting quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Justin Fields, respectively. … Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores arrived there in 2023 after spending two years as an assistant in Pittsburgh. He was formerly the head coach of the Dolphins, who fired him after two consecutive winning seasons. He is currently in the midst of a legal battle against the NFL and four teams in which Flores, who is black, accuses him of racial discrimination. … The Steelers had five sacks and have an unusual, athletic quarterback who completes an unexpectedly high percentage of his passes (73.3%). It's like 2005 all over again (Ben Roethlisberger and the sack-happy Steelers won the Super Bowl). … Camden native and former Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick continues his ill-advised strike against the Jets, where Howie Roseman traded him in the offseason. … The Chargers are allowing just 11.0 points per game, but quarterback Justin Herbert (ankle) and ailing defensive end Joey Bosa (hip) left Sunday's game in Pittsburgh with lingering discomfort. That doesn't bode well for the immediate future, which includes a Sunday afternoon visit from the undefeated Chiefs. …

Malik Nabers, the new Odell Beckham Jr. from the Swampland, could save the jobs of coach Brian Daboll and quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants' 21-year-old rookie caught eight passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday in Cleveland. … Titans DC Dennard Wilson, the Eagles' Super Bowl DBs coach (who was fired even though he should have been hired as DC in Philadelphia in 2023), is winless Tennessee's fifth-best defense in yards allowed, with Will Levis at quarterback and a 76.5 passer rating. … The Cardinals lost to the Lions by seven points. The special play: The Lions executed a hook-and-lateral for a TD just before halftime — shortly after the referees botched a two-minute warning call that nullified a Cards pick-six. … The Rams (1-2) beat the 49ers (1-2) in the No-Name Bowl (without Christian McCaffrey, without Deebo Samuel, without Cooper Kupp, without Puka Nacua, etc.). How? In his NFL debut, undrafted second-year receiver Xavier Smith ripped off a 38-yard punt return to set up a 37-yard field goal by rookie Joshua Karty, who made his first game-winning score despite a groin injury.

” READ MORE: Nick Sirianni fired his DB coach after the Super Bowl. The Eagles stumbled. Can the new team get back on its feet?