Week 8 Eagles grades by position after blowout win in Detroit originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
DETROIT — This Halloween wasn’t scary at all.
The Eagles demolished the Lions 44-6 in a game they really needed to win on Sunday at Ford Field. The Eagles improved to 3-5, while the Lions fell to 0-8.
Get Philly local news, weather forecasts, sports and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia newsletters.
Here are the grades:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 9/14, 103 yards; 7 rushing attempts 71 yards
The Eagles didn’t need Hurts to do a ton through the air in this game, but he made things happen with his legs, finishing with 71 yards on the ground. He did miss some throws and there are still some times where he leave the pocket too early. But in this game it didn’t matter.
Grade: B
Running back
Boston Scott: 12 carries, 60 yards, 2 TDs; Jordan Howard: 12 carries, 57 yards, 2 TDs
Miles Sanders couldn’t believe his eyes. The Eagles came into Sunday’s game emphasizing their running attack and it worked beautifully. The Eagles got Scott going early and then got Howard, called up from the practice squad, going too.
Grade: A+
Wide receiver
Quez Watkins: 2 catches, 18 yards
The game started off with a DeVonta Smith drop from the slot and the receivers didn’t have much production from the position in a game where Jalen Reagor left early with an ankle injury. They didn’t have much production but they didn’t need it in this one.
Grade: C-
Tight end
Dallas Goedert: 6 catches, 72 yards
The Eagles have now played two games since the Zach Ertz trade and Goedert has gone over 70 yards in each of them. If you were wondering about his ability to be a No. 1 tight end, he’s answering those questions. The Eagles also used 12 personnel and 13 personnel well to run the ball on Sunday.
Grade: A
Offensive line
Sure, there were a few moments where the line gave up some pressure in pass protection. But they moved forward with ease in this one, leading the way to an impressive ground game in Detroit.
Grade: A
Defensive line
Josh Sweat: 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFLs
Now, that was the Eagles’ defensive line we expected. Everyone got after the passer on Sunday and sacked Jared Goff five times. Aside from the sacks, Goff was constantly under pressure and could never get comfortable. This was a dominating performance from the high-paid unit.
Grade: A+
Linebacker
T.J. Edwards: 13 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 QB hit
The Eagles benched Eric Wilson and played Alex Singleton much less. That meant Edwards had a big role and he had a very good game. The Eagles also got solid play from Genard Avery and then Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley also mixed in. The Eagles’ game plan on defense was different, which likely helped, but finally a good showing from the linebackers.
Grade: A
Secondary
Avonte Maddox: 4 tackles, 1 FF
Goff actually completed 25 of 34 passes but he was mostly ineffective on Sunday. Tight end T.J. Hockenson had his production (10 plays, 89 yards) but the rest of the receiving group didn’t do much. The Lions didn’t put point on the board until garbage time.
Grade: A
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 3/3 on field goals, 5/5 on PATs
Elliott made all eight of his kicks on Sunday. His field goals were from 43, 26 and 41 yards. Arryn Siposs punted just once and it went 47 yards. Greg Ward had one punt return for 12 yards. And the Eagles didn’t give up too much on return, although Godwin Igwebuike averaged 31.5 yards per kick return.
Grade: A
Coaching
Eagles record: 3-5
Yes, it was just the Lions. But the Eagles still had to come up with game plans and a lot of what they did on Sunday we hadn’t seen from them before. On offense, Nick Sirianni devised a balanced game plan that allowed his team to move the ball with ease against the Lions defense. And Jonathan Gannon threw away his passive defense for a more aggressive one that forced Goff and the Lions into mistakes. They attacked on Sunday. If you were wondering if Sirianni’s message is still getting through, it is.
Grade: A+
Subscribe to the Eagle Eye podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Watch on YouTube
