Eagles ranked by position after close win over Browns originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It probably wasn’t as easy as it should have been.
But after the Eagles were booed at halftime, they did enough to earn a 20-16 victory over the struggling Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday afternoon.
Let’s move on to the job grades:
Strategist
Jalen hurts: 16/25, 264 yards, 2 touchdowns, 126.1 rating; 14 attempts, 33 yards
Hurts got off to a very rough start in this game, but eventually pulled himself together and made some good plays. The Eagles offense is still too disjointed and desperately needs better starts, but Hurts had some really good moments in this game and finally had a game without a turnover for the first time this season. This clearly helped get his two big weapons back – Hurts hit DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown for touchdowns in this game.
Grade: B+
Run back
Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 47 yards
Through the first four games of this season, Barkley has been the Eagles’ best player. He had some tough runs again against the Browns on Sunday, as it was clear the Eagles wanted to run the football against Cleveland. But Barkley also made two huge mistakes. He failed to pick up a first down late in the second half, then whiffed a block to get Hurts sacked before the blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown. Kenny Gainwell had a 19-yard run and finished 3-of-23.
Grade: C+
Receiver
AJ Brown: 6 catches on 9 targets, 116 yards, 1 TD
The Eagles got Brown and Smith back in this game and both played well. Brown in two games this season has 11 catches for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns. He had virtually no separation on his 22-yard touchdown run, but was able to beat man coverage and complete the pass. And his 40 yards in the fourth quarter iced the game. Smith had a 45-yard touchdown run on a mesh route. Jahan Dotson only had one official catch, but it was a beauty on the sidelines for 10 yards to move the sticks in the fourth quarter before the deadly throw to Brown.
Grade: A
Tight end
Grant Calcaterra: 4 catches, 67 yards
Dallas Goedert left this game early with a hamstring injury, so Calcaterra and Jack Stoll both moved up the depth chart. Calcaterra had a 34-yard catch and a 20-yard catch in this game. He had more yards in this game than he did in all of last season. And even though Stoll didn’t make the catch, he helped create separation for that long 45-yard touchdown to Smith. He made sure not to make contact on the friction route to get a penalty.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
Although it was tough sledding at times in the running game, Hurts was only sacked once in this game and the Eagles were mostly able to neutralize Myles Garrett as a passer, which isn’t easy when you face the reigning defensive player. of the year. Jordan Mailata left that game with a hamstring injury and was seen on crutches after the game. Obviously something to watch in the future, but Big Fred Johnson seemed to be playing well in his absence. The Eagles unfortunately didn’t have much pressure in the running game, which hurt the offense.
Grade: B-
Defensive line
Jalen Carter: 1 sack, 3 QB hits, 1 TFL
Of course, the Browns have allowed more sacks than any team in the NFL through five weeks, so you have to keep that in mind. But the Eagles went after Deshaun Watson in this game. They received solid contributions from Carter, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Bryce Huff, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith and more. Graham’s TFL was a huge play in his 200th career game. And it seemed like Huff had finally started to turn a corner. The Eagles sacked Watson 5 times in this game and 4 1/2 of those sacks came from the D-line.
Grade: A
Linebacker
Nakobe Dean: 12 tackles (7 solo)
Although Dean wasn’t perfect, missing a few tackles, he led the team with 12 and made some big plays. Zack Baun had 8 tackles in this game, but gave Watson a late penalty in a situation where there was no way the Browns were going to get 15 yards on offense. An interesting note: When the Eagles went into their defense, Baun remained on the field in place of Dean.
Grade: A-
Secondary
CJ Gardner-Johnson: 6 tackles, 2 PBU
The Eagles eventually moved from Avonte Maddox to Cooper DeJean at nickel cornerback and it really seemed to pay off. In his first extended defensive action, DeJean looked up to the task. The Eagles missed an interception opportunity when Gardner-Johnson and Quinyon Mitchell collided for a football, but at least they were both there. Even when Darius Slay left with a knee injury, Isaiah Rodgers and Kelee Ringo played well in his place.
Grade: A-
Special teams
Cooper DeJean: 4 punt returns, 41 yards (12.8)
The blocked field goal was such a massive play, but it was really just Myles Garrett making a big play. He jumped over the line, kept his stride and blocked a second-quarter field goal that Rodney McLeod recovered and scored. So it wasn’t good. But DeJean looked like a punt returner in place of the injured Britain Covey. He drank some juice.
Grade: C
Training
Record: 3-2
The Eagles failed to score again in the first quarter of this game and started the game with another quick 3-and-out. This must change. Kellen Moore obviously took advantage of the return of Brown and Smith and made some good plays in this game despite a sometimes static attack. The mesh concept worked again for a big touchdown. And in defense, Vic Fangio had a good game. Even though the Browns offense is terrible, Fangio put his guys in position to make plays. Nick Sirianni’s antics are going to be a big topic going forward. He was chewing out some Browns players during the game and then was seen yelling at fans. While the Eagles may want Sirianni to be himself, we know that Jeff Lurie sometimes wants Sirianni to tone things down a little.
Grade: C
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