The Eagles may have won comfortably on Monday night, defeating Washington 28-13, but this was not an easy game to grade.
The offense took a tortured path to its final score, with not one but two trips inside the red zone failing to end in points. Meanwhile, the defense did battle with Washington's third-string quarterback and the collection of ex-grocery store clerks who form a makeshift offensive line.
A win is a win, but it wasn't overly impressive.
Quarterback
Carson Wentz: 27/39, 306 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 98.9 RT
Not crisp. Wentz left some big plays on the field, overthrowing or underthrowing an open target at least five times, and the interception in the red zone, while tipped, was a baffling decision. This performance was good enough to beat Washington, but might not cut it against a better opponent.
Grade: B-
Running backs
Darren Sproles: 4 ATT, 22 YDS, 1 TD
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Everybody played their role pretty much to perfection. Josh Adams was the workhorse with 20 carries for 85 yards. Corey Clement finished with 74 yards from scrimmage. Sproles was the spark, his 14-yard touchdown run put the Eagles ahead for good.
Grade: A
Wide receivers and tight ends
Golden Tate: 6 REC, 79 YDS, 1 TD
By far Tate's most impactful game as an Eagle with three first downs, a six-yard touchdown, and a two-point conversion. Zach Ertz had a team-high eight receptions and Jordan Matthews found the end zone. Four players had at least three catches and 30 yards. Not one catchable pass hit the turf.
Grade: A
Offensive line
Eagles running backs averaged a healthy 4.6 yards per carry, while Washington recorded just four quarterback hits on 39 dropbacks. Not a flawless night's work by any means, but certainly a win in the trenches against a quality defensive front.
Grade: B+
Defensive line
Brandon Graham: 3 TKL, 1.0 SK, 1 FF
Aside from a 90-yard run, the D-line controlled the game from the outset. Graham would've had two sacks were it not for a holding penalty, and Fletcher Cox got to the quarterback as well. Cox and Michael Bennett each recorded two tackles for loss.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
Nathan Gerry: 2 TKL, 1 INT
Kamu Grugier-Hill was absolutely stonewalled on Washington's 90-yard run. Nigel Bradham was flying around, and Gerry's interception set the Eagles up to put the game on ice late in the fourth quarter.
Grade: B+
Secondary
Rasul Douglas: 7 TKL, 1 TFL
Douglas got burned for a 32-yard gain early on, but recovered immediately with tackles on the next two plays, and later came up with a touchdown-saving stop on a trick play. Malcolm Jenkins registered a sack and knocked the starting quarterback out of the game. Sidney Jones missed a tackle on the 90-yarder.
Grade: B+
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 2/2 FG, 2/2 XP
Easy night for special teams, as Washington only attempted one kick or punt return. The kicking game was on point, though, and Sproles was a welcome addition to the punt return team, adding a 14-yard run back to his night.
Grade: A-
Coaching
Eagles' record: 6-6
It looked like Jim Schwartz got a little too cute on that 90-yard touchdown, the first play with Mark Sanchez under center for Washington. Why such an exotic look? Some strange calls all around, but Doug Pederson stuck with the run again and the staff had the team ready to play a must-win game.
Grade: B
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