news

Eagles grade by position after running over Rams in LA

Vaseline November 25, 2024

Ranking Eagles by position after running over Rams in LA originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – After another great performance and an impressive night from their defense, the Eagles turned in a complete performance in their 37-20 victory over the Rams.

They have now won seven straight games entering Week 13 of the 2024 season.

Here are the SoFi Stadium position-by-position numbers:

Quarterback

Jalen hurts: 15/22, 179 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 12 attempts, 39 yards

The Eagles didn’t need Jalen Hurts to really bring it out in this game, but he played a clean game and didn’t turn it over again. He was without DeVonta Smith in this game, so he fed AJ Brown in the passing game. Brown had 6 of Hurts’ 15 completed passes. Hurts also picked up some tough yards on the ground.

Grade: B+

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 26 attempts, 255 yards, 2 TDs; 4 catches, 47 yards

I’m running out of ways to tell you how good Saquon Barkely is. In this game, he had 302 scrimmage yards, becoming only the 12th player in NFL history to have more than 300 scrimmage yards in a single game. He also set an Eagles’ single-game rushing record, surpassing LeSean McCoy’s 217-yard game in the Snow Bowl against the Lions. Barkley also set a new single-season career high in the 11th game of the season. He absolutely needs to be in the MVP mix. And Kenny Gainwell chipped in with 5 carries for 22 yards and a touchdown.

Grade: A+

Recipient

AJ Brown: 6 catches on 7 targets, 109 yards, 1 TD

No DeVonta Smith in this game, so that meant a lot of work for AJ Brown. He probably could have had a few more targets in this game, but he picked up chunks and was running very well after the catch. The only other receiver to catch a pass was Jahan Dotson, who was 1 for 4.

Grade: B+

Tight end

Dallas Goedert: 4 catches on 5 targets, 19 yards

It wasn’t a big day for Dallas Goedert in the passing game, but all three tight ends – Goedert, Grant Calcaterra and CJ Uzomah – deserve credit for their efforts in the run game. The Eagles rushed for a ton of yards on Sunday and the tight ends played a role.

Grade: B+

Offensive line

Barkley may be the MVP candidate, but he won’t do it alone. He had some huge holes to run through against the Rams and that’s thanks to the hard work of the Eagles’ offensive line. The Eagles have rushed for more than 200 yards in four of their seven games during this winning streak. The line held up in pass protection and Hurts was sacked just once in the first half.

Grade: A+

Defensive line

Milton Williams: 2 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 TFLs, 1 FF

Jalen Carter got a double and held for almost the entire game, so it was important that the other guys won their 1-on-1s; Milton Williams did just that, notching the first two-sack game of his four-year NFL career. Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham each had a sack as the Eagles beat up a backup tackle. Graham padded the stat sheet with three quarterback hits and two TFLs off his pocket, but is now out for the season after tearing his triceps.

Quality: A-

Linebacker

Nakobe Dean: 8 tackles, 1 sack, 2 TFLs, 1 FR

It was a relatively quiet night for Zack Baun, who had just three combined tackles. But on a night when Baun didn’t fill in the stats, Nakobe Dean was able to do so. His sack came on a perfectly timed zone blitz and Dean again showed the ability to finish. His tackles for loss were also fun plays with Dean running downhill.

Grade: A

Secondary

Cooper DeJean: 6 tackles, 2 PBUs

Matthew Stafford ended up throwing for 243 yards and Puka Nacua had 117. But the Eagles were on the wrong end of two highly questionable DPI calls. And they were able to slow down an offense that was very dynamic in this game. It wasn’t a perfect match, but it was still an impressive performance for this group. Cooper DeJean was extremely active and his pass breakups were big plays. Darius Slay left the game with a concussion and was replaced by Isaiah Rodgers. The Rams targeted Rodgers quite a bit when he saw action.

Grade: B+

Special teams

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

After a very tough performance against the Commanders last week, Jake Elliott was perfect inside SoFi Stadium. Braden Mann’s lone punt was a 54-yarder. Britain Covey took back his role as a punt returner and had an 8-yard return. It was a mostly quiet day for the Eagles’ special teams.

Grade: A

Coaching

Balance: 9-2

The sequence at the end of the first half was off and it’s the kind of timing and situational mismanagement that could ultimately hurt the Eagles. But that’s the only thing keeping them from a standard A. Vic Fangio has really adapted in this one. After giving up 117 yards in the first quarter, the Eagles held the Rams to -6 in the second quarter. Kellen Moore also deserves credit for keeping up the streak, as it paid off in the end.

Grade: A–