The Eagles are ranked by position after losing to the Commanders. Originally published NBC Sports Philadelphia
LANDOVER, Md. — The Eagles lost Jaylen Hurts to a first-half concussion and then lost the game to the Commanders on Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles were close to winning their 11th straight but lost 36-33 to the Commanders at Northwest Stadium.
Let’s break down the ranks by position:
The quarterback
Kenny Pickett: 14/24, 143 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks
Jaylen Hurts had to leave the game with an injury on the tail end of a run in the first quarter. It looked like Hurts was going to re-enter the game but was eventually ruled out and replaced by Kenny Pickett. Hurts completed 1-of-4 passes for 11 yards and reached the 41 before he exited.
Pickett did some good things in this game, especially when hitting AJ Brown, but he also made some mistakes. His interception by Frankie Lowe was a good play to drop in a zone. Pickett was fortunate not to be accused of incomplete plays. Despite all that, if Pickett’s pass was caught by DeVonta Smith in the fourth quarter, the Eagles would likely win the game. Pickett had X-rays on his ribs after the game and needs further testing but is not worried about his status this week. With pain in the connection protocol, they may need it.
Grade: C+
running back
Saquon Barkley: 29 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs
Barkley had another monster game on the stat sheet and if he does it two more times, he’ll be the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing record holder. Barkley wasn’t as effective in the second half, but a lot of that was the absence of Jalen Hurts and the way the Commanders were able to change their defensive attack. Barkley now has four runs of 65+ yards this season. He suffered a fall on a wheel route in the fourth quarter. It was a tough catch but you’ll want to see him do it.
Grade: A-
The receiver
AJ Brown: 8 catches on 15 targets, 97 yards, 1 TD
Not only did Brown have 97 receiving yards, but the Eagles had another 68 penalty yards for defensive pass interference on Marshawn Lattimore in Brown’s coverage. Devonta Smith had 6 catches for 51 yards, but his drop in the fourth quarter was a killer and reminiscent of Barkley’s drop in the Falcons game earlier this season.
Grade: B+
Tight end
Grant Calcaterra: 0 goals
Tight ends were not targeted at all in this game. Calcaterra had some tough moments as an inline blocker but CJ Uzomah was able to score a few runs. Dallas Goedert won’t be eligible to return on IR until Week 18.
Grade: C-
Offensive line
While Pickett was sacked three times in the game, some of that was on him, most notably on a third down where he let a free rusher take him down. As well as the Eagles running the ball early, Washington’s front was able to thwart the run in the second half. We’re used to the Eagles being able to impose their will on games but they couldn’t do it in this one, not without Hurts in the game.
Grade: B-
Defensive line
Nolan Smith: 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 2 FR
The Eagles gave up 113 yards on the ground, but most of that came from Jaden Daniels, who had 81 rushing yards. The Eagles’ front did well against the running backs. Brian Robinson had 10 carries for 24 yards and also lost two fumbles. Daniels was sacked just once and the Eagles weren’t able to get sustained pressure. And it seemed that when the pressure was on, Daniels was able to take off.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
Zach Boone: 11 tackles, 2 TFL, 1 FF
The Eagles’ linebackers, all things considered, played well. Boone’s impact plays and his two TFLs and forced fumble in this game certainly count toward him. Nacoby Dean also had an active game, leading the team with 12 total tackles. He had to leave for a while and was replaced by Orin Burks but he came back. While Dean was out of the game, Boone found a helmet with a green dot.
Grade: B+
secondary
Reid Blankenship: 5 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU
The Eagles’ defense has been great for so long, but this wasn’t their best effort. Daniels threw for 258 yards with 5 touchdowns. The Eagles picked him up twice but it wasn’t enough. Daniels threw four touchdown passes on long drives in the fourth quarter. No doubt the Eagles missed CJ Gardner-Johnson after he was ejected from that game. Tristan McCullum struggled in his place. The Eagles dropped some big downfield passes and also struggled with communication. They have some things to clean up on the back end.
Grade: D+
Special teams.
Jake Elliott: 4/5 on FGs
While Elliott missed a 56-yarder at the end of the first half, he eventually made the 50-yarder and the rest of his kicks. Brayden Mann punted a punt deep and did a good job holding the low snap for one of the field goals. But Mann struggled to kick the ball and gave the Commanders good field position too often. He even missed the landing zone on one. Sidney Brown was also called for an early departure at one of those kick-offs.
Grade: C-
Coaching
Record: 12-3
The Eagles coaching staff deserved a ton of credit last week for how they handled the Steelers game but it wasn’t good. The Eagles looked undisciplined at times and shot themselves in the foot. That has to fall on coaching. There was also a 12 men on the field penalty that still resulted in a long touchdown pass. And Nick Siriani went a little more conservative in the second half with the lead and without Hurts. It’s probably hard to make those decisions without your starting quarterback but the Eagles were trading FGs for TDs and lost.
Grade: D
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