INDIANAPOLIS -- There wasn’t much not to like Saturday night.
 
There was Nelson Agholor. And Cody Parkey.
 
And that may be it.
 
The defensive line was unstoppable, Sam Bradford was razor sharp, Josh Huff made a bunch of big plays, the secondary got another takeaway, Ryan Mathews and Kenjon Barner ran the ball with authority, the first offensive line looked solid and even Chase Daniel threw the ball around pretty well.
 
The usual caveats apply. Yes, it’s only the preseason. Yes, the Colts were missing half their defense. Yes, we all know what happened after Green Bay last year.
 
Still. Looking good beats looking bad. Especially in the third preseason game. And the Eagles in just about every phase looked very good in their 33-23 win over the Colts (see Instant Replay).
 
So let’s dive into my 10 Instant Observations at Lucas Oil Stadium.
 
1. We got a nice, extended look at the Eagles’ defensive line against a real offense, and it was one heck of a dominating performance. That group, with everybody rotating in, generated tremendous pressure on Andrew Luck, didn’t allow anything against the run and really controlled the football game. Brandon Graham, Bennie Logan, Vinny Curry, Connor Barwin and of course Fletcher Cox all played at a high level, with Cox even lining up at defensive end on occasion. This group is the strength of the football team, and judging by the way they played Saturday night, it is quite a strength. They were tremendous.
 
2. I felt like this was really an important game for Nelson Agholor. It’s not like he’s going to get cut. As a first-round draft pick a year ago, he has some built-in protection. But with the Colts missing half their secondary, it seemed like a real opportunity for Agholor to shine, to build up some confidence and make some big plays down the field. Which we’ve been waiting for since he got here. Instead, he booted the only ball thrown his way and it turned into a Colts interception, big return and three points. Bradford never threw his way again. We keep waiting for Agholor to show up, and it just isn’t happening. What a disappointment so far.
 
3.  On the other hand, there’s Josh Huff, who showed exactly why the Eagles feel he can be such a weapon. The former third-round pick, such a disappointment the last two years, had a tackle-breaking 38-yard catch and run, a 22-yard catch and a nine-yard touchdown run. When Huff isn’t doing something stupid, he can look downright electrifying, and that’s the Josh Huff we saw Saturday night. Can he do it in the regular season? I still think he can. He’s teased us before and maybe that’s what Saturday night was. But it was certainly encouraging to see.
 
4. Green Bay last year, I know, I know. Still, Bradford was exceptionally sharp and really looked in command of the offense. Yes, the Colts were missing a bunch of cornerbacks – six defensive backs in all and a seventh got hurt during the game – but Bradford distributed the ball, showed good pocket presence, used a bunch of different weapons and most importantly put points on the scoreboard. Bradford was 17 for 20 for 167 yards with two TD passes and an INT off Agholor’s hands. He should have had just two incompletion. Bradford engineered touchdown drives of 63, 71 and 68 yards in addition to a 54-yard field goal drive. (For those of you who care about these things, Bradford’s career Week 3 preseason stats as an Eagle are 27-for-30 for 288 yards with five touchdowns and one INT and a passer rating of 132.4)
 
5. Haven’t said much this preseason about Ryan Mathews, but he looks terrific running the football. Mathews only got three carries Saturday night but ran for 31 yards. He’s turned 10 carries this preseason into 64 yards – a 6.4 average. We all know his injury history, but with Barner also looking sharp – 6 for 39 Saturday night, 19-for-115 (6.1 average) – hopefully the Eagles can limit Mathews’ carries, keep him healthy and get good production from both backs. With a handful of carries per game from Darren Sproles as well.
 
6. I didn’t mention Beau Allen earlier in my post about the defensive line, but the former seventh-round pick, now in his third year with the Eagles, made a couple big plays with the first unit Saturday night and has quietly had an impressive preseason. The 330-pound defensive tackle isn’t  just earning a roster spot, he’s earning playing time.
 
7. A few words about Trey Burton. Has this kid ever dropped a pass in his life? Five catches for 35 on Saturday night and they aren’t huge numbers, but he’s just smooth and consistent and steady. Burton was just a special teamer last year and obviously Zach Ertz and Brent Celek are going to be the top two tight ends in most situations, but I still think a kid with the combination of speed, size and hands that Burton has is too valuable to get rid of, and hopefully the Eagles find a way to use his talents on offense.
 
8. You don’t want to get too carried away with preseason, but interesting to note that the Eagles’ defense has allowed just one touchdown and has nine takeaways. I don’t care when the games are, that’s impressive. I’ve been impressed not just with the takeaways but with coverage, tackling, speed, angles to the ball. They just look disciplined, smart, fast and athletic.
 
9. Cody Parkey of 2014 vs. Caleb Sturgis is a no-brainer. You keep Parkey. But this isn’t the same Cody Parkey as the record-setting 2014 Pro Bowler. Maybe he’s not totally recovered from the groin injury that derailed his 2015 season. Whatever it is, Parkey is not the same guy who made 89 percent of his field goal attempts as a rookie. Sturgis has routinely out-performed Parkey in training camp, and the disparity between the two was on full display last night, with Sturgis easily making both his field goal attempts – a 32-yarder and a 47-yarder – and Parkey missing a PAT. Parkey has only attempted one field goal this preseason – he made a 40-yarder in Pittsburgh last week – but right now the Eagles really have no choice but to keep Sturgis, who made an unspectacular but acceptable 82 percent of his field goals last year. Parkey may have more upside and maybe he’ll regain his form somewhere else. But the Eagles can’t afford to wait.
 
10. Chase Daniel has put together a couple nice games in a row. Yes, working against scrubs, but his performance in the preseason opener vs. Tampa Bay was so bad it’s encouraging to see Daniel functioning like a real quarterback. He followed a 10 for 16 for 82 yards in Pittsburgh with 9 for 12 for 104 yards and a sharp 28-yard TD lob to David Watford in Indy. Considering Sam Bradford’s injury history, it’s a little reassuring to see some solid quarterbacking from Doug Pederson’s hand-picked backup.