It was cold. It was windy. The five inches of snow that landed prior to kickoff had largely melted away in the mid-day sunshine at Lincoln Financial Field and by that time the Eagles had flexed their muscles, taken care of business, and put themselves into the win column with a commanding 31-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, their first shutout since a 24-0 end-of-season triumph over Washington in 2018.

The victory starts the final-month stretch of the regular season and moves the Eagles to 9-5 on the season, with a short week ahead and Washington on Saturday in Landover, Maryland. There was a lot to like in this one – including the win by Tails, in the Second Annual Reggie's Corgi Cup Classic at halftime – so here are some observations from a feel-good kind of afternoon.

1. Loved the underrated play of the game early: Wide receiver DeVonta Smith lays out to catch a third-and-6 pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts and initially is ruled short of the first down. The replay assist reverses the call to give the Eagles first-and-goal at the 4-yard line. Great catch. It was a key play on an opening-possession drive that consumed 13 plays, 67 yards, and 7 minutes, 9 seconds off the clock to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

2. It's safe to say that Brandon Graham is making progress. He contributed a pair of quarterback sacks, both when lining up inside and using his quickness and power off the ball to overpower the offensive interior. The Eagles overwhelmed Las Vegas at the line of scrimmage and Graham worked nicely into a role that includes him coming in and lining up inside to rush the quarterback. Graham has done this in the past, sliding down inside, and he's had success. The look certainly is something Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio will use from time to time in the final three games of the regular season.

3. The day was a huge one for tight end Dallas Goedert, who was featured throughout the game. He was targeted seven times and had six receptions for 70 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Goedert caught his first touchdown on a shovel pass from Jalen Hurts from 4yards out to cap that opening-possession drive and then went in motion and caught a push pass from Hurts, who was lined up in the shotgun, to score another 4-yard touchdown. The Eagles moved Goedert around in the formation, ran him on a bunch of routes, and made it clear that he was a focal point in the passing game.

4. Sacks come in bunches, right? They sure are for the Eagles, who had seven in the Monday night game against the Chargers and racked up another four on Sunday. Graham had his pair, Nolan Smith was powerful off the edge, and Jalyx Hunt – who did not record a sack – continued his rise with constant pressure. Moro Ojomo recorded a sack inside as the front four made life miserable for quarterback Kenny Pickett.

5. Really nice job by the defense against tight end Brock Bowers, one of the best in the NFLathis position. Bowers had only five receptions for 28 yards on seven targets through three quarters. And linebacker Zack Baun had terrific underneath coverage against Bowers to pick off Pickett in the third quarter.

6. After that takeaway, the offense drove 73 yards on 10 plays, taking 6:27 off the clock and showing once again a nice mix of run and pass plays. That's something that was apparent the entire afternoon: The Eagles were balanced on offense for 60 minutes and by the time they led 31-0 on the Hurts touchdown pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown, Philadelphia had 137 rushing yards and 171 passing yards and just one three-and-out series.

7. How about Hurts? Fantastic performance. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns, with a passer rating of 154.9. Las Vegas registered one quarterback sack – nice job Fred Johnson working against Maxx Crosby alone for a lot of the day. Hurts also ran 7 times for 39 yards and gained a few big first downs.

8. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is a heat-seeking missile who just tackles so well, and defensive back Cooper DeJean continues to getbetter and betterin coverage, in taking on blockers on the screen, and making tackles to support the run. The defense had an air-tight game on Sunday.

9. Chunk plays mean so much: Smith had two catches and averaged 25 yards per catch and Brown had two receptions, averaging 20.5 yards per reception. The explosive play count has been growing and growing ...

10. Finally, an underrated afternoon of good running from Saquon Barkley, who carried 22 times for 78 yards and a touchdown. He now has 940 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the season, and he looks fresh and springy. Three games remain in this regular season and the magic number to clinch the NFC East is two (could be one as the Cowboys play Sunday night). Right tackle Lane Johnson could be back soon. Things are looking up for an offense that had its most consistent and productive outing of the season on Sunday.