LANDOVER, Md. – The Washington Chiefs always seem to play the Eagles hard and it happened again on Sunday afternoon.
But the Eagles managed an early comeback to win 38-31 and improve to 7-1 on the season. The big NFC East showdown against the Cowboys is approaching.
Let’s get to this week’s report:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 29/38, 319 yards, 4 TDs, 135.7 rating
Although Hurts was hampered by a left knee injury – he had just 6 yards on the ground – Hurts was excellent in the air. This was just the second game of his career with four touchdowns. And this was the fourth game in Eagles history for a QB to complete 75% of his passes for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Jalen Hurts: 10/29/23 (at Commanders)
Nick Foles: 11/3/13 (at Raiders)
Donovan McNabb: 9/23/07 (vs. Lions)
McNabb: 9/18/05 (vs. 49ers)
Group: A
Running back
D’Andre Swift: 16 rushing attempts, 57 yards, 1 TD
Towards the end of the game, Swift showed some water, even when he hit where he should have gone down. While Kenny Gainwell had a big catch, his miss in the second quarter inside the 5-yard line was especially brutal. Overall, the Eagles haven’t been good lately on the floor.
Grade: C+
The recipient
AJ Brown: 8 catches on 8 targets, 130 yards, 2 TDs
What Brown has done in the last month and a half is amazing. On Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history to have 125+ receiving yards in six consecutive seasons. And he did it admirably against the Chiefs. His one-handed catch late in the second quarter is about as good a catch as you’ll ever see. And Brown wasn’t the only one on Sunday. DeVonta Smith got into the mix with 7/99/1 and Julio Jones also grabbed the fourth round.
Grade: A+
A solid finish
Dallas Goedert: 4 catches on 7 targets, 36 yards
It was a quiet day for Goedert but his 16-yard catch on 3rd-and-2 in the fourth quarter was the biggest play of the game. Two plays later, Hurts hit an open Smith for 38 yards to tie the game at 24-24. Third string tight end Grant Calcaterra left the game with a concussion.
Group: B
Offensive line
Hurts was sacked several times on Sunday and had plenty of time to throw for 319 yards and 4 touchdowns. The pass defense looks very strong but the Eagles know they have work to do in the running game. They had just 59 yards on the ground in this one. Side note: Tyler Steen made his first NFL tackle on offense while Sua Opeta missed most of the second half of the season. Opeta was back in the game, but it’s fair to say that Cam Jurgens is the right candidate for IR next week.
Group: B+
The defensive line
Haason Reddick: 1 sack, 1 FF, 2 QB hits, 3 tackles
Sam Howell had been sacked 40 times entering the game and the Eagles had just one sack on Sunday. Even Reddick’s sack on 4th-and-5 was a critical moment. And Reddick should have had one but Howell chose not to throw the ball to anyone else and put it on purpose. Jalen Carter was cooking early against left guard but left the game with a back injury. The Eagles suffered a few injuries at DT but got through the game.
Grade: C+
Linebacker
Nakobe Dean: 12 tackles, 2 TFLs
The Eagles continue to use a rotation at linebacker, which is a little surprising. We saw Dean and Zach Cunningham, we saw Nicholas Morrow and Cunningham and we saw Dean and Morrow together. Sean Desai seems to like this dynamic but it’s fair to wonder if it’s because he hasn’t seen one team separate.
Grade: C+
High school
Reed Blankenship: 1 INT, 1 PBU, 8 tackles
The Eagles on Sunday allowed Howell to complete 75% of his passes for 397 yards and 4 touchdowns. The Eagles finally made a big mistake in the fourth quarter when Blankenship sacked him. But aside from that, it was a tough game for Blankenship, James Bradberry and most of the Eagles’ secondary. At least they made some changes in the second half but it wasn’t good.
Grade: D+
Unique groups
Britain Covey: 1 punt return, 25 yards
Covey bounced back well and never lost any leverage in the kicking game. Jake Elliott kicked his only field goal of the game and hit all five of his PATs. Braden Mann had two punts for 117 yards and a long of 59. He hit one that resulted in a touchdown, which was not good.
Group: B
Teaching
Notes: 7-1
Desai had his hands full with Eric Bieniemy’s mistakes and it’s probably fair to say that Bieniemy got the better of him. On offense, the Eagles continued to insist on playing Gainwell in the red zone, which had a negative effect in the first half. But the Eagles responded after being beaten in the mouth and you have to give them credit for finding ways to distribute wins even when they weren’t pretty.
Group: B
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