Eagles’ positional stats after narrow win over Browns originally aired on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It probably wasn’t as easy as you thought.
But despite being booed at halftime, the Eagles did enough to earn a 20-16 victory over the struggling Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field.
Let’s take a look at the position grades.
quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 16-of-25, 264 yards, 2 TDs, 126.1 rating. 14 attempts, 33 yards
Hearts got off to a very tough start in this game, but eventually picked themselves up and made some nice plays. The Eagles’ offense is still too disjointed and in desperate need of a strong start, but Hurts had some really good moments in this game and finally had a no-turnover game for the first time this season. Hurts scored touchdowns in this game from DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown, and having two big weapons back obviously helped.
Grade: B+
running back
Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 47 yards
Through the first four games of this season, Barkley has been the Eagles’ best player. It was clear the Eagles wanted to play football against Cleveland, so they had a tough run against the Browns on Sunday. But Barkley also made two big mistakes. He didn’t get a first down late in the second half, whiffing on a block and sacking Hurts, but the blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown. Kenny Gainwell had a 19-yard run and finished 3-for-23.
Grade: C+
receiver
AJ Brown: 6 catches on 9 targets, 116 yards, 1 TD
The Eagles had Brown and Smith back for this game, and both played well. Brown appeared in two games this season and had 11 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He had little separation on his 22-yard touchdown catch, but was able to break through man coverage and fire off a pass. Then his 40-yard shot in the fourth quarter ended the game. Smith had a 45-yard touchdown catch on a mesh route. Jahan Dotson had just one official catch, but his 10-yard stick move before hitting Brown for the kill shot in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty on the sideline.
Grade: A
tight end
Grant Calcaterra: 4 catches, 67 yards
With Dallas Goedert leaving the game early with a hamstring injury, both Calcaterra and Jack Stoll moved up the depth chart. Calcaterra had catches for 34 yards and catches for 20 yards in the game. He gained more yards in this game than he had all of last season. And although Stoll didn’t make the catch, he helped create the separation for a long 45-yard touchdown to Smith. He was careful not to make contact on the rub route to receive a penalty.
Grade: B+
offensive line
There were some tough plays at times in the run game, but Hurts was only sacked once in this game, and the Eagles were able to largely neutralize pass rusher Myles Garrett, a reigning defensive player. This is not easy when playing against. This year. Jordan Mailata left the game with a hamstring injury and was seen on crutches after the game. Obviously we’ll have to keep an eye on things going forward, but Big Fred Johnson seemed to be playing well in his absence. Unfortunately, the Eagles weren’t able to make much of a push in the run game, which hurt their offense.
Grade: B-
defense line
Jalen Carter: 1 sack, 3 QB hits, 1 TFL
Granted, the Browns have allowed more sacks than any team in the NFL through five weeks, so you have to keep that in mind. However, the Eagles targeted Deshaun Watson in this game. They got solid contributions from Carter, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Bryce Huff, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith, and more. Graham’s TFL was a big play, marking his 200th career game. And it seemed like Huff was finally turning a corner. The Eagles sacked Watson five times in the game, with 4 1/2 of those sacks coming from the D-line.
Grade: A
linebacker
Nakobedeen: 12 tackles (7 solo)
Dean wasn’t perfect, missing a few tackles, but he led the team with 12 tackles and made some big hustle plays. Zach Baun had eight tackles in the game, but he imposed a late-hit penalty on Watson in a situation where there was no way the Browns could have gained 15 yards on offense. Interesting note: Baun remained on the field in Dean’s place when the Eagles started playing defense.
Grade: A-
secondary
CJ Gardner-Johnson: 6 tackles, 2 PBUs
The Eagles finally made the switch from Avonte Maddox to nickel cornerback Cooper DeJean, and it seemed like it really paid off. In his first extended defense, Dejan played his part. The Eagles missed an interception opportunity when Gardner Johnson and Kunyon Mitchell collided for the football, but at least they were both there. When Darius Slay was out with a knee injury, Isaiah Rodgers and Kelly Ringo filled in for him.
Grade: A-
special teams
Cooper DeJean: 4 punt returns, 41 yards (12.8 yards)
The blocked field goal was a huge play, but it was really just a big play by Myles Garrett. He jumped the line, stayed in stride and blocked a scooped field goal by Rodney McLeod in the second quarter. So it wasn’t good. However, Dejan believed he could fill that role as a punt returner in place of the injured Britten Covey. He was drinking juice.
Grade: C
coaching
Record: 3-2
The Eagles were unable to score in the first quarter and started the game with another quick 3-and-out. That has to change. Kellen Moore clearly benefited from the return of Brown and Smith and called some good plays in this game despite an offense that was stagnant at times. The mesh concept also worked for big touchdowns. And on defense, Vic Fangio called a good game. The Browns’ offense is terrible, but Fangio put his players in positions to make plays. Nick Sirianni’s antics will become a hot topic in the future. He was involved in an altercation with several Browns players during the game and was seen yelling at fans after the game. The Eagles may want Sirianni to be himself, but we know Jeff Lurie sometimes wants Sirianni to tone it down a little.
Grade: C
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