Grading the Eagles’ first win of the season to move into 1st in the division originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
After going winless in the first three weeks of the season, the Eagles got their first W on Sunday Night Football over the 49ers, 25-20.
With the win, they improved to 1-2-1 and took over sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
It wasn’t a pretty or convincing win, but who the heck cares?
Quarterback
Carson Wentz: 18/28, 193 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 37 rushing yards, 1 rushing TD
It wasn’t the prettiest performance in the world. Heck, Wentz didn’t even throw for 200 yards, but I don’t really care. That was a gutty performance from the struggling quarterback and he did what he needed to do for the Eagles to win. Sure, he still missed some throws he needs to make. But he threw a few great balls, including the touchdown to Travis Fulgham and he was able to use his legs to manufacture offense.
Grade: B
Running backs
Miles Sanders: 13 carries, 46 yards
Sanders averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and Boston Scott and Corey Clement were even worse. Scott had 2 carries for 1 yard and Scott had 2 carries for 3. Adrian Killins had one carry that lost 12 yards. It’s a little scary that the Eagles simply can’t seem to run the ball without Sanders, who was missing at the end of the game.
Grade: D
Wide receivers
Travis Fulgham: 2 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
This is tough because all together, it wasn’t a great performance from the receivers, but we probably need to grade on a curve here. They had just four active. Three are former practice squad players and one is a fifth-round draft pick. Still, Fulgham came up huge on the touchdown and John Hightower came up huge on that 4th-and-4. This group didn’t make a ton of plays but made a couple crucial ones.
Grade: B-
Tight ends
Richard Rodgers: 3 catches, 35 yards
Without Dallas Goedert and a bunch of receivers, the 49ers were able to bottle up Zach Ertz really well. He had just four catches for nine yards. It was his worst statistical performance since Week 11 against Dallas in 2017 when he had 2 for 8. But Rodgers had his biggest game in a couple years and two of his catches moved the chains.
Grade: C-
Offensive line
It’s always tough to grade the OL right after the game but they seemed to protect Wentz fairly well on Sunday night. They didn’t get much going in the run game but at least they gave Wentz some time. Jordan Mailata did an OK job in his first NFL start filling in for the injured Jason Peters but had that big false start. Jason Kelce had that one bad snap. Lane Johnson was also in and out of the game.
Grade: C
Defensive line
Genard Avery: 1 sack, 5 QB hits, 1 TFL
The line gave up a few yards here and there on the ground but was absolutely relentless in the pass rush. All together, the DL accounted for 4 sacks and 12 QB hits. Avery finally had a big game, Derek Barnett got constant pressure, Josh Sweat picked up his third sack, Brandon Graham was his usual disruptive self, especially late. This group needs to carry the team and they did that against the 49ers, even as Fletcher Cox missed snaps.
Grade: A
Linebackers
Alex Singleton: 2 tackles, 1 pick-6, 1 PBU
As huge as Singleton’s pick-6 was — it was the game-winning touchdown — it doesn’t excuse the poor play from Nathan Gerry and Duke Riley before that. The linebackers had no chance against George Kittle, who went off for 183 yards and a touchdown. T.J. Edwards started making plays and then he left the game with an injury.
Grade: C
Secondary
Rodney McLeod: 8 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU
With just three healthy corners, Jalen Mills slid over to cornerback and K’Von Wallace made his first NFL start at safety in his place. The 49ers had their backup QB in this game and Nick Mullens threw for 200 yards with a TD and 2 INTs. The Eagles gave up some plays in coverage and missed some tackles but McLeod had an interception and Cre’Von LeBlanc forced a fumble.
Grade: B
Special teams
Cameron Johnston: 6 punts, 51.2 average, 3 inside 20
Jake Elliott made the only field goal he attempted, a 35-yarder. Johnston had a nice day, downing three punts inside the 20 and had a chance for another that ended up being a touchback. And Richard Rodgers secured that ball on the weird kickoff late.
Grade: A
Coaching
Record: 1-2-1
I loved that Doug Pederson brought back his aggressiveness, going for the 2-point conversion on the opening drive and going for the two fourth downs. I also thought he had a better game plan for how to get Wentz more in rhythm, especially without notable skill players. And Jim Schwartz did enough to hide some of his defense’s flaws. But Schwartz probably didn’t have the best game plan for George Kittle. And Pederson probably went a little too passive late in the fourth quarter, especially when he didn’t throw on the last play before the 2-minute warning. All together, though, nice day for the coaching staff.
Grade: B+
