Instant Eagles Report Card After 24-23 Loss to Lions

Here's a perfect example where almost everybody on the Eagles would've graded out higher had the team just been able to escape Detroit with the victory. That wasn't the case however, so there's only one way to look at this loss.

It was a missed opportunity.

The Eagles had the Lions on the ropes, but one play may have changed both teams' fortunes. Fair or not, that changed how the performance was viewed for everybody, as a 23-21 victory sounds a lot better than what actually happened, a 24-23 defeat. That probably altered most of the scores by at least one letter-grade, if not more.

Quarterback

Carson Wentz continues making it look easy, completing 25 of 33 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He nearly threw for two more, but Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham couldn't finish. Unfortunately, Wentz also threw the first interception of his NFL career as he tried to bring the Eagles back after the Lions took the lead with 1:06 remaining in the fourth quarter. It wasn't a horrible decision, and it's hard to put this loss on the quarterback, but it just wasn't enough on Sunday.

Grade: B

Running backs

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Whether it was running the football or catching passes out of the backfield, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles were an effective tandem. The duo combined to rush 16 times for 87 yards — a 5.4 average — and made nine receptions for 56 and a Mathews touchdown. However, his fumble late in the fourth quarter gave the Lions possession in Eagles territory and set up the game-winning touchdown, which undoes all of the good there. It's not all Mathews' fault the Eagles lost, but he had one job on that third-down carry, and that was protect the football.

Grade: D

Wide receivers

Nice all-around effort from this group, as all four receivers made contributions. Jordan Matthews led the way with four catches for 65 yards. Green-Beckham had his best game as an Eagle with three for 43. Josh Huff had a touchdown catch set up by a legal pick from Matthews, and ran twice for 10. Nelson Agholor chipped in 32 all-purpose yards as well. Agholor can't seem to get any separation though, as evidenced by the coverage on several targets, including Wentz's interception.

Grade: C+

Tight ends

Zach Ertz had a seemingly favorable matchup this week, yet only wound up with three receptions for 37 yards. Trey Burton hauled one in for five, but dropped another target. Where was Brent Celek? Not much to talk about here.

Grade: C

Offensive line

Jason Peters and Allen Barbre had some problems in pass protection early in the game, and the latter was called for a holding penalty and was at fault for a chop block, albeit ticky-tack. Brandon Brooks and Jason Kelce had communication issues with Wentz, and a Brooks' hold negated a big Mathews run. Otherwise, the unit opened holes for the backs and kept the quarterback relatively clean, allowing three hits and three sacks for only eight yards.

Grade: B-

Defensive line

It's not necessarily how you start, it's how you finish. The Lions scored three touchdowns on their first three possessions, racking up 199 yards of total offense on 32 plays. The next four series, Detroit managed 19 yards on 16 plays. The change started up front, with the front four clamping down on the ground attack and getting pressure on the quarterback. Vinny Curry and Bennie Logan each registered a sack, while Matt Stafford's unforced fumble trying to escape the Eagles pass-rush wound up going for a turnover. Hard to blame the defense for what happened following Mathews' fumble with the short field.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Simply put, the Eagles need more from this group. Nigel Bradham had three tackles for loss and led the unit with five total. Jordan Hicks, on the other hand, had minimal impact on the game with two solo tackles, while Mychal Kendricks was a negative. Kendricks was in on three tackles, including a loss, but he was also beaten in coverage by Theo Riddick for the Lions' first touchdown and missed multiple tackles as well. The struggles continue for the fifth-year veteran.

Grade: C-

Defensive backs

Tough day for Nolan Carroll, who was twice called for pass interference and gave up his share of completions, including the touchdown pass to Marvin Jones. Leodis McKelvin also had the secondary's lone pass breakup before exiting with a hamstring injury. Rodney McLeod seemed to be everywhere though, finishing with nine tackles, eight solo. Overall, Stafford was limited to 180 yards through the air, and two of his three scores were to Riddick out of the backfield. Aside from Carroll, this group didn't appear to be at fault for too much.
 
Grade: C+
 
Special teams
 
Caleb Sturgis did everything he could, making all three of his field goals from 50, 33 and 49, as well as two extra points. Kickoff coverage also pinned the Lions inside their own 20 twice. Donnie Jones' two punts attempts weren't particularly effective though, and the Eagles got nothing out of their return game.
 
Grade: B-
 
Coaching
 
Give Jim Schwartz credit. Whatever the Lions were doing in the first half, his defense adjusted and only gave up three points the rest of the way, and even those came on a short field. Doug Pederson's game plan on offense wasn't the problem either here. If the coaching staff is responsible for anything, it was the 14 penalties for 111 yards. That sloppy play on both sides of the ball proved crippling and had the Eagles fighting an uphill battle all day, one they would ultimately lose.
 
Grade: A

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