The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers 10-7 on Monday Night Football, but it was newcomer Jaelan Phillips who made the headlines. He was acquired from the Miami Dolphins at the trade deadline, who appeared to take a dig at his former quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa.

After his first game with the Eagles, Phillips said, “The biggest thing I noticed was just no panic,” Phillips said. “The whole entire time, there was just utmost confidence on both sides of the ball. It felt really good to be in that environment.”

Though harmless at first, many read between the lines of the statement as a pointed critique of his time in Miami, more specifically of the Dolphins’ offensive leadership under Tagovailoa. It is certainly unusual for a defensive player to speak on the offensive part, but clearly, Phillips’s comments on this matter force us to think the other way.

The Eagles acquired him for a 2026 third-round pick. Phillips recovered a key Jordan Love fumble late in the first half. Productivity wasn’t just statistical in his debut; it set the tone for what he described as a “no-panic” locker room atmosphere. As explained by Phillips, it’s a championship mindset. You feel it from the second you walk in; everyone trusts each other, and no one flinches.

“He loves football,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “He loves working. You could just see it, the way he was running around in practice. His motor is constantly, constantly running.” That constant energy was on full display in a tight defensive battle where neither team scored in the first half.

Two game-sealing plays by Phillips showed off not just his athleticism, but his penchant for performing under the gun, something he subtly insinuated had been lacking in Miami’s culture. The Dolphins were one of the fastest-rising teams in the AFC, but they’ve struggled to capitalize as they often cracked under pressure.

That seemed to be a reality underscored in comments made afterwards by edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who subtly suggested that if the Eagles function with a cool confidence, Miami often cracks. “Utmost confidence on both sides of the ball”, his phrasing, there seems to function as praise for Hurts while serving as a quiet critique of Tagovailoa’s confidence and his leadership during tight situations.

Eagles grind out vs the Packers

Philadelphia led 3-0 through three quarters before Jalen Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on a 36-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth to extend the lead to 10-0. Fangio’s defense was razor-sharp all night, yielding Green Bay just 261 total yards on 66 plays while forcing two turnovers.

Jalyx Hunt dominated in the trenches. He had a sack and a big tackle for loss in the second half. On the other side, star running back Barkley came through when it mattered most, despite not putting up huge numbers, turning 22 carries into 60 yards and adding a game-changing 41-yard catch and run that set up Smith’s touchdown.

Yet for the Eagles, the win reaffirmed their championship DNA, and for Jaelan Phillips, it offered a chance to subtly express what separates a contender from a pretender. With Philadelphia now on to a marquee Sunday Night Football date against the 6-3 Detroit Lions, Phillips’ early integration and outspoken confidence suggest he’s already found his place in a locker room that knows how to finish.

For Miami fans and Tua Tagovailoa, though, his words might sting, a reminder that sometimes confidence isn’t just about skill, but culture. What are your thoughts on this matter?