Eagles grades by position after huge win over Ravens originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
BALTIMORE — The Eagles played a really tough team but they were just tougher than the Ravens on Sunday.
The Eagles gave up a last-second touchdown to make it look closer than it was in their 24-19 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
But this was a huge win for an Eagles team that has now rattled off eight straight Ws since the Week 5 bye. There’s no doubt that these Eagles are legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 11/19, 118 yards, 1 TD; 9 carries, 29 yards, 1 TD
It’s not a sexy stat line. Hurts didn’t even through 20 passes in this game and that’s a pretty modest 118 yards. But he was clean and efficient and did exactly what the Eagles needed him to do to win this game. We’ve said for weeks that the day will come when Hurts has to air it out and maybe that’s still the case, but the formula they have is working and Hurts is playing his part. After an awful 1-for-5 start for 5 yards in the first quarter, Hurts really bounced back in the second quarter, completing 8 of 9 passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. He also ended up making some big plays on the ground in this game.
Grade: B+
Running back
Saquon Barkley: 23 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 10 yards
After a 255-yard rushing performance last week, that 107-yard performance from Barkley might not look very impressive. But then you remember that the Eagles were facing the NFL’s top-ranked run defense and that Barkley had the knockout punch on a 25-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t a record-setting day but after that touchdown there were a ton of Eagles fans in Baltimore chanting “MVP!” and I agree with them. Barkley is making a strong push.
Grade: A
Receiver
A.J. Brown: 5 catches on 6 targets for 66 yards
There just weren’t a ton of passes in this game. Heck, Hurts threw just five passes the entire second half. But Brown did some damage. All of his 66 yards came in the second quarter and 44 of them came on the Eagles’ long touchdown drive late in the first half. The only other receiver to have a catch was Jahan Dotson, who had 1 for 7. DeVonta Smith (hamstring) was held out of this game but could return next weekend against the Panthers.
Grade: B
Tight end
Dallas Goedert: 3 catches on 4 targets for 35 yards, 1 TD
Not a gaudy stat line for Goedert but his catches were big. His 17-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter got the Eagles on the board as he was able to beat Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton around the corner. And then his third-down conversion on 3rd-and-7 in the fourth, a few plays before that Barkley touchdown run, was one of the biggest plays of the game. Also some snaps in this one for Grant Calcaterra and C.J. Uzomah as blockers. Calcaterra took over the fullback role from Ben VanSumeren, who was lost for the season with a knee injury.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
The Eagles were able to wear down the Ravens’ defense and you have to give a ton of credit to the offensive line. It wasn’t a perfect game but they were gritty. Jordan Mailata had the big block to spring Barkley on the 25-yard touchdown run and Lane Johnson was mauling on the other side. The interior offensive linemen have been crushing their combo blocks. And Hurts was sacked just twice in this game so the whole line held up well in pass protection.
Grade: A
Defensive line
Jalen Carter: 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 3 TFLs
In their first game without Brandon Graham, the Eagles’ defensive line answered the call. Carter was dynamic in this game and played all but one snap. He has become an absolute game-wrecker who is deserving of All-Pro consideration. Milton Williams also had a huge game with five pressures. Jordan Davis was stout against the run. The Eagles went to a three-man edge rotation with Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt and they all showed juice. In addition to Carter’s sack, Smith had one and Hunt had a half. The Eagles also limited Derrick Henry to 82 yards on 19 carries (4.3). They did a great job of minimizing his impact and gang tackling him.
Grade: A
Linebacker
Zack Baun: 13 tackles, 1/2 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL
Both Baun and Nakobe Dean continue to play at a really high level. Baun’s sack (he shared it with Hunt) on 3rd-and-5 in the third quarter was massive. It ended up being a 14-yard loss and then Justin Tucker missed a 47-yard field goal. Dean ended up with 10 tackles, which means he and Baun combined for 23. They were all over the field. Dean had to leave briefly after getting the wind knocked out of him but returned.
Grade: A
Secondary
Cooper DeJean: 5 solo tackles, 1 PBU
Without Darius Slay (concussion), Isaiah Rodgers played the whole game and held up fine. On the other side, Quinyon Mitchell continues to be an absolute no-fly zone and was able to avoid an injury when he got rolled up on. DeJean had another big game as well and his hit stick on Henry will probably end up being the biggest highlight from this game. Reed Blankenship suffered a concussion and was replaced by Tristin McCollum who got in the way of a fourth down pass. Avonte Maddox is still the extra DB in the dime package and he was called for an early defensive hold.
Grade: A
Special teams
Braden Mann: 6 punts, 51.2 average, 5 inside 20, 2 inside 10
The Eagles had a few penalties on special teams and they need to get those cleaned up. But it was still a great day for Michael Clay’s unit. Mann had an excellent day punting the ball and gunners Kelee Ringo and Sydney Brown did their jobs too. The one punt that was downed at the 1-yard line ended up being the beginning of a huge swing in this game. Jake Elliott made his kicks and Justin Tucker didn’t. And Britain Covey caught his punts and the Ravens didn’t. Those ended up being two really important differences in this game.
Grade: A-
Coaching
Record: 10-2
If we want to be nit-picky, we can point to the opening offensive script and question why the heck the Eagles are working to get the ball to Will Shipley, Britain Covey and Parris Campbell. But let’s not overlook the obvious: This is an extremely well-coached team right now. On offense, the Eagles eventually worked their way out of an early rut. On defense, Vic Fangio deserves a key to the city. His unit is playing at such a high level right now and it doesn’t even matter when the backups are in. And give Nick Sirianni credit. We were talking about this guy’s job security after four games and he has pushed most of the right buttons since.
Grade: A
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