The Philadelphia Eagles opened their 2023 campaign with a 25-20 victory over the New England Patriots, but it wasn't a particularly encouraging victory for the defending NFC champions. The Eagles may have picked up the win, but the Patriots played them hard throughout the game, and were probably the better team on the day when all was said and done.

Philly jumped out to a 16-0 lead before the end of the first quarter thanks to a pair of turnovers from New England. It seemed like they were in cruise control at that point, but the Patriots ended up making the game very competitive, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to make the score 16-14.

The Eagles were able to keep the Pats at arms length the rest of the way out, but they didn't dominate them like they were expected to. And given how the game went, it's safe to say that there's some cause for concern with the team right now. So with that game officially in the books, let's pick out three big concerns for the Eagles that popped up in their Week 1 victory.

3. The Eagles run game was nonexistent

The Eagles made their run to the Super Bowl last year thanks in large part to their elite running game, which racked up 2509 total rushing yards as a team, good for fifth in the league. Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders led the way, but they had secondary guys like Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott helping out as well.

Against New England, Gainwell assumed the role as the team's top running back, but he wasn't particularly effective, picking up 54 yards on 14 carries. Hurts was quiet too, picking up 37 yards on nine carries. Scott and D'Andre Swift both had just one carry for three yards, and it's safe to say the overall numbers (25 CAR, 97 YDS) were a far cry from what fans were expecting.

The Eagles have a lot of talented running backs, so much so that Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch from this game. The Patriots have a strong defense, but Philly could have easily run out this game after jumping out to a 16-0 lead, but they were unable to, and it's clear that replacing the loss of Sanders is going to be more difficult than expected.

2. What happened to the Eagles defense?

In a similar vein, one of the Eagles top strengths last season in their defense wasn't particularly great against the Patriots. They finished the 2022 season allowing the second-fewest yards per game (301.5), the seventh-fewest points per game (20.2), and also racked up 70 sacks on the year, which was the third-highest total in the history of the NFL.

Going up a Patriots offense that was pretty awful last season, it seemed like this would be a great warmup game for Philly. Instead, they let Mac Jones very nearly lead a massive comeback to open the season, and his individual stats were very solid as well (35/54, 316 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT). Philly shut down the Pats on the ground, but it's also worth noting that New England was playing from behind for the entirety of the game.

The Eagles pass rush struggled to get to Jones, despite the fact their offensive line was missing both of their starting guards, and their secondary allowed six pass-catchers to amass at least 30 yards receiving in the air. Maybe New England's offense is improved from last year, but this was a really concerning performance from Philadelphia's defense.

1. Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts couldn't figure out how to get the Eagles offense going

The tandem that has sparked the Eagles recent run of success, Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts both didn't have great starts to open the 2023 season. Any obstacle they encountered in 2022 they overcame with relative ease, but they were stymied by the Patriots all day long. Considering how they will certainly face tougher tests as the season progresses, that's not a very good sign.

Hurts was befuddled by New England's defense for much of the day. He lived on checkdowns and short passes, but it felt like he should done more in this one. He had lots of time in the pocket throughout the day, but often didn't do anything with it. He settled for checkdowns, rarely taking shots downfield, and he couldn't find room to run when he scrambled out of the pocket. Again, you tip your hat to New England in a sense, but it's concerning nonetheless.

Sirianni also didn't have a great day on the sidelines, as he didn't have any answers for the Patriots on either side of the ball after the first quarter. New England's defense was completely taking away their vertical threat and stuffing them in the box on the ground, and Jones was getting whatever he wanted in the air on the other side of the ball. A boneheaded decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 on the first play after the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter very nearly ended up costing the Eagles this game.

The Eagles obviously shouldn't be expected to be firing on all cylinders in Week 1 after they barely played their starters in the preseason, but this wasn't a great look for them. As the game went on, it became increasingly clear that they were in danger of losing to New England, and while a win is a win, these issues need to be rememdied as they prepare to face tougher opponents down the line.