Big Win but Not All A's: Week 12 Eagles Grades After Win Over Packers on SNF

Week 12 Eagles grades by position after win over Packers on SNF originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

That was a wild game.

But after all the ups and downs and after 73 total points, the Eagles walked away from Week 12 with a 40-33 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

The Eagles are 10-1 and still have the best record in football.

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 16/28, 153 yards, 2 TDs; 17 rushing attempts, 157 yards

In a game that featured the back-to-back NFL MVP, Jalen Hurts out-played Aaron Rodgers. What makes Hurts so dangerous is his ability to win in the pass game and in the run game and we saw that on Sunday night. He wasn’t perfect in the pass game but threw two touchdowns without an interception. His 30-yard back shoulder touchdown pass to Quez Watkins was a highlight reel throw.

And then there was Hurts’ performance on the ground. He smashed his previous career high and set a new Eagles franchise record in rushing yards for a quarterback, topping Mike Vick’s previous mark of 130. Just two quarterbacks in NFL history have had more rushing yards in a regular season game: Vick and Justin Fields. Tremendous performance from Hurts, who got it going with two back-breaking chunk runs on third downs on the opening drive.

Grade: A+

Running back

Miles Sanders: 21 attempts, 143 yards, 2 TDs

While Hurts’ performance is probably the top headline, Sanders had a career game with 143 yards on the ground. His previous career high was 134 yards against the Jaguars earlier this season. Sanders was running hard and was decisive in this game. And it wasn’t just him. Kenny Gainwell had 8 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown and Boston Scott had 3 for 24. All three helped on Sunday.

Grade: A+

Receiver

A.J. Brown: 4 catches on 6 targets for 46 yards, 1 TD, 1 fumble lost

DeVonta Smith actually led the Eagles’ receivers with 4 caches for 50 yards and Quez Watkins added 3 for 35. It wasn’t a huge day for the Eagles through the air but the production was solid. Brown’s fumble was a big mistake but give him credit for playing well after that and getting into the end zone.

Grade: B

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 1 catch on 1 target for -2 yards

The Eagles are obviously missing Dallas Goedert, who is out with a shoulder injury for at least a couple more weeks. Calcaterra got the only target in this game. The Eagles used less 12 personnel in this game than we’ve seen from them all year and even used 10 personnel for a few snaps, taking all the tight ends off the field for the first time all season.

Grade: C-

Offensive line

The Eagles had 363 rushing yards on Sunday night. What’s higher than an A+?

Grade: A+

Defensive line

Fletcher Cox: 2 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 2 TFLs

Sure, the Eagles gave up some chunks in the run game and the Packers averaged 5.0 yards per carry. But they held Aaron Jones to an average of 3.6. And the Eagles got three big sacks on Rodgers in this game and they were timely sacks too. Cox got his first sack since Week 3 and turned in a nice performance. Josh Sweat had a sack, cleaning up a pressure from Javon Hargrave. Haason Reddick and Brandon Graham split another.

Grade: C+

Linebacker

T.J. Edwards: 6 tackles

I was surprised to see Edwards finish with just six tackles because he made some plays that really stood out. He has really been having a nice season. And Kyzir White made a big play in coverage to force Rodgers to hold the ball on Fletcher Cox’s sack.

Grade: B

Secondary

Reed Blankenship: 6 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU

While the long touchdown from Christian Watson was unfortunate, the Eagles did pick off Aaron Rodgers twice in this game, which is tough to do. Blankenship got thrown into action after the injury to C.J. Gardner-Johnson and played like he belonged.

Grade: B-

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 2/2 on FGs, 3/4 on PATs

This might seem like too high a grade on special teams, but there was some good. Jake Elliott’s 54-yarder was a clutch kick. Boston Scott provided some juice as a kick returner. Arryn Siposs had a 52-yard punt to flip the field. And Jack Stoll smoothly grabbed the late onside kick.

But the bad is scary. The Eagles gave up kick returns of 38, 52 and 53 yards to Keisean Nixon. Can’t give up short fields like that. Eventually, it feels like special teams is going to cost this team a game.

Grade: C

Coaching

Record: 10-1

The Eagles’ offense had a great plan and the team executed it to perfection on Sunday night. It was especially encouraging to see this after the struggles in Indy last week. Jonathan Gannon’s unit wasn’t great but they were in some really tough spots on short fields throughout the night. And special teams needs work; Michael Clay hasn’t done a good enough job this season.

Grade: B

Subscribe to the Eagle Eye podcast

Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | Art19 | Watch on YouTube