Eagles rank by position after huge divisional win over Commanders originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles trailed entering the fourth quarter on Thursday, but eventually pulled away and defeated the Commanders 26-18 at the Linc in primetime to extend their lead in the NFC East.

The defense slowed down a high-powered Washington offense and the Eagles’ offense finally rolled things over late in the game.

These are our figures per position:

Quarterback

Jalen hurts: 18/28, 221 yards; 10 carries, 39 yards, 1 TD

It wasn’t the best game for Hurts, who missed some throws early in the game and generally looked pretty uncomfortable in the first half. He didn’t pull the trigger on a pass to DeVonta Smith and missed AJ Brown when he was open. But give Hurts credit, because he finished strong and made some big plays with his arm and with his legs, including a huge first-down pickup on 3rd-and-7 late in the second quarter. And Hurts didn’t turn the ball over in this one.

Grade: C+

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 26 carries, 146 yards, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 52 yards

Through the first three quarters, Barkley had 20 carries for just 70 yards, but he finally came through in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 146 yards on the ground and 198 scrimmage yards. Barkley topped 20 mph on both of his fourth-quarter touchdown runs, giving him six such runs in the league this season. And give credit to Kenny Gainwell, who actually got the run game going with three consecutive carries for a total of 34 yards early in the fourth quarter, to set up the touchdown that put the Eagles ahead.

Grade: A+

Recipient

AJ Brown: 5 catches on 8 targets, 65 yards

It seemed like Brown would have had a chance to have a monster game, but it didn’t really happen that way. And DeVonta Smith had just 4 catches for 29 yards; Jahan Dotson was just 1 for 8 and that came on the first play of the game. The passing game got a little out of hand on Thursday evening.

Grade: B

Tight end

Dallas Goedert: 5 catches on 5 targets, 61 yards

Goedert’s biggest play of the match almost ended in disaster. He fumbled the back end of his 32-yarder in the fourth quarter, but TE2 Grant Calcaterra made a huge play, jumping on top of the loose football to secure possession. If the Eagles cough up the ball there, who knows what will happen. Instead, they punched in another touchdown to push their lead to two scores.

Grade: B

Offensive line

While it took a while for the run game to get going, the offensive line finally opened up some huge gaps in the fourth quarter to break the game open. It was fun to see Cam bully No. 35 Jurgens twice during the long Barkley touchdown run. Jordan Mailata returned at left tackle and played well, along with right tackle Lane Johnson. Hurts was sacked a few times in this game, but one of them came on a trick play. For the most part, the line performed well, giving him a clean pocket. Landon Dickerson was able to play due to an injury he suffered early in the game. Mekhi Becton did not play his cleanest match; he was the weakest spot of a pretty strong performance.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Jalen Carter: 7 tackles, 1 TFL

The Eagles’ defense was a bit leaky in the first half, but they really came after Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels on Thursday night. Daniels was only sacked three times – one by Brandon Graham, one by Nolan Smith, one by Josh Sweat – but the pressure on him seemed pretty constant. Jalen Carter had one of his strongest performances of the year and he’s starting to pile them up week after week. Carter was huge on the series of plays that led to the turnover on downs.

Quality: A-

Linebacker

Zack Baun: 14 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU

We shouldn’t be surprised by Zack Baun anymore. He is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and he proves it every week. On Thursday, he came into coverage to get a PBU on the first drive and played a big role in the play of the game, tackling Daniels right in front of the sticks on a crucial 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarter. Baun even missed a tackle in the first half and that was a strange sight. Nakobe Dean’s game was not that spectacular, but solid. He had 10 tackles, including a great one-on-1 against Daniels in space.

Grade: A

Secondary

Reed Blankenship: 10 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU

The Eagles’ secondary had its best performance of the season on Thursday. They emphasized a good offense, an impressive starting quarterback and a Pro Bowl receiver. Daniels threw for just 191 yards and was picked off late by Reed Blankenship, who continues to make tough interceptions. It was only Daniels’ third INT of the season. And Quinyon Mitchell completely shut down Terry McLaurin. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Mitchell lined up opposite McLaurin for 20 of McLaurin’s 25 routes and held him without a single target. And it wasn’t that Daniels didn’t look at it that way; he wanted it, but Mitchell was a dean.

Grade: A+

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 2/4 on FG, 1/2 on PATs

It was a tough game for the Eagles’ longtime kicker. This was only the second game in Jake Elliott’s NFL career with two missed field goals and he also missed an extra point. All three misses went wide left. Braden Mann had a nasty 38-yard punt and Sydney Brown was called for a block in the back on a return. Jalyx Hunt forced a fumble on a kickoff, but it was recovered by Washington. And Will Shipley had a 33-yard kick return.

Grade: C-

Coaching

Balance: 8-2

After all the talk about Nick Sirianni earlier this season, he deserves the credit as the Eagles are on a six-game winning streak. This team is rolling and he wants them to do, as he put it, “special things.” Kellen Moore had some trouble getting the passing game going, but credited him with keeping the run going. And Vic Fangio deserves a key to the city or something. His defense has rightly been one of the best in football since the retirement.

Grade: A

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