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Jalen Hurts uneven performance, Eagles D-line struggles against Packers
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Jalen Hurts uneven performance, Eagles D-line struggles against Packers

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Straight-up numbers on the Eagles’ performance in their 34-29 win over the Packers:

Quarterback: B-

Jalen hurts was at times spectacular and at times astonishingly bad. He threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns and ran 13 times for 33 yards. But he threw two terrible interceptions — one in the Packers’ end zone — and held on to the ball for far too long at times. But he ultimately led the Eagles to victory and had some tough runs in the final stages, including a time when he dragged a pair of defenders for a first down in the final moments.

Hurts got off to a terrible start with a terrible throw on his second pass and was intercepted by Packers safety Xavier McKinney. A drive later, he fumbled when center Cam Jurgens‘ snap caught him off guard. But the quarterback calmed down and got into a rhythm with quick throws. And then he hooked up with running back Saquon-Barkley with a beautiful touchdown of 18 yards.

Hurts was blitzed early and, as expected, had to throw more than he did last year in a new scheme. He passed a few early tests, though he threw away from a blitzer and took a blindside shot. But he got the ball away quickly to pick up a first down.

Running back: A-

Barkley was as advertised. He led the Eagles with three touchdowns and was a factor on the ground and through the air, rushing for 109 yards on 24 carries. His first carry showed that the field conditions were slick. Barkley cut and went to the ground for a loss of 5 yards. But like Hurts, he recovered from a bad start. He sped 11 yards up the middle on the Eagles’ third possession before running in the score from 18 yards on a wheel route. A drive later, Barkley exploded through the gap for an 11-yard touchdown that put the Eagles back ahead, 14-12, in the second quarter. He had his third touchdown of the game when he drove into the end zone from 2 yards out in the third. Barkley’s longest ground gain — 34 yards — came late in the third quarter on a run from the left side.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Packers Analysis: Saquon Barkley’s 3-TD debut gives Green Bay a 34-29 win in Sao Paulo

Kenneth Gainwell took over on the final drive before halftime and had a nice gain when he made a couple of defenders miss on a first-down catch out of the backfield. Rookie Will Shipley was on the field with Barkley during a play that resulted in a long reception.

Receiver / Tight end: B+

AJ Brown caught five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. The receiver roasted Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander on the second play of the second half and took one to the house for a 67-yard touchdown. His first catch was on a slant that gave the Eagles their first third-down conversion late in the first quarter. He made a man miss another third down in the second. He broke a tackle at the end of a 13-yard reception just before halftime.

DeVonta Smith got the offense boiling with short grabs that resulted in yards after the catch. He covered a defender with a quick turn on an early reception. Later in the second, he caught a tough pass in traffic that converted a fourth down. Tight end Dallas Goedert finished with four catches for 31 yards. His 21-yard crossing route led to a third-and-long in the second. However, he had a false start later in the drive and the Eagles would settle for a field goal.

Jahan Dotson ran a lot of routes as a third receiver, but barely saw the ball. Britain Covey got more snaps on offense than ever. He ran a lot of pre-snap motion. Johnny Wilson saw one target in his first NFL game. Reserve tight end Calcaterra Award caught an 11-yard pass in the fourth. He had some solid moments as a run blocker, but was run over on an early attempt.

Offensive Line: B+

The Eagles’ pass protection was solid overall. The same can be said for the O-line’s run blocking. Hurts had all the time in the pocket on Brown’s 67-yard touchdown catch. There were occasional breakdowns, but most of the pressure the quarterback faced came from holding the ball too long.

Mekhi Becton held his own impressively in his first-ever start at guard. A film review will shed more light on the matter, but Becton had no glaring missteps. Jurgens stepped ably into the retired shoes of Jason Kelce at center. There was the miscommunication with Hurts over the fumbled snap. And the first “tush push” after Kelce didn’t result in a third-and-1. But Jurgens looked like the right fit.

Avenue Johnson was his usual rock-solid self. There was an odd moment when he let Packers edge Rashan Gary rush virtually unblocked in the third. The right tackle wanted a flag for a neutral-zone violation, but a sack was upheld. Left guard Landon Dickerson had a down block on Barkley’s first long rush. He teamed up with left tackle Jordan Mailata for an impressive push for another decent Barkley win in the third. Dickerson appeared to injure his left arm late in the match, but he stayed in it.

» READ MORE: Can Eagles star Saquon Barkley ever be mentioned in the same breath as Barry Sanders, Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith?

Defense Line: C-

The D-line struggled all game with both running and passing. Jordan Davis came into the backfield to disrupt Packers running back Josh Jacobs’ first carry. But the defensive tackle was otherwise quiet for the rest of the game. He had little disruption as a rusher. On the Packers’ fourth possession, they rushed four straight times for 70 yards and a touchdown. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was MIA for a long time. He made an unnecessary rough personal foul in the first half. In the second half, he did a better job of reaching quarterback Jordan Love. But Carter will have to improve his technique. Milton Williams shot into the backfield in the third inning, but the defensive tackle couldn’t stop Jacobs and he picked up 9 yards on the ground.

Josh Sweat was the only edge rusher to stand out. He was given a holding penalty after beating Packers left tackle Rasheed Walker in the first inning and had a few more pressures. Sweat’s starting counterpart Bryce Huff was largely incognito. He finished with an assisted tackle. Brandon Graham had a couple of run supports from the edge. Nolan Smith often looked outmatched. Reserve defensive tackles Moro Ojomo And Thomas Boeker played their part but were unimportant. Rookie Jalyx hunting was inactive, although there was some hope in the summer.

Linebacker: B-

Nakobe Dean started at middle linebacker. Devin White was sidelined with an ankle injury, but Dean had already been given a spot at MIKE. However, he struggled in his first start since suffering a season-ending foot injury last November. The Packers had plenty of success on the ground, particularly on runs up the middle. Dean made a tackle for loss on a Jacobs run. But he missed to bring down the Packers running back a drive later. His most egregious moment, however, came in coverage when he dropped a would-be pick-6 in the second inning. Two plays later, the Packers scored a touchdown.

Love could take advantage of Dean and Zack Bouwman on play-action. Dean bit on a fake in the third and tight end Tucker Kraft was wide open for a 29-yard catch and run. It wasn’t all bad for Dean. He blew up a third-down screen in the third. He had a tackle for loss on a run in the fourth.

Baun made more splash plays and was around the ball more often. He blitzed and had an early sack. But he missed an open field tackle on a Jayden Reed jet sweep that resulted in a 33-yard touchdown. And in the third, he committed a roughing the passer personal foul. He had the game-ending sack on Malik Willis, Love’s backup, and finished with a team-high 15 tackles.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Ben VanSumerenAnd Oren Burks played mainly on special teams.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Packers broadcast trivia: The funniest guy in the locker room, the secret basketball star and more

Corner defender: B

Of Isaiah Rodgers with a hand injury, there was some mystery about how the Eagles would position their cornerbacks. It was no surprise that rookie Quinyon Mitchell started on the outside in starting personnel. To some surprise, when the Eagles went nickel, Beyond Maddox was in the slot after Mitchell had been there the entire training camp. Kelee Ringo could have been the outside option. Mitchell played relatively well in his first NFL game, running stride for stride with receiver Christian Watson on an early deep fade. He was sticky in coverage on several of Love’s drops in the first half. But he was flagged for pass interference in the third quarter, though Baun’s personal foul negated his penalty.

Maddox was beaten early for a 19-yard catch. He was given a pass interference penalty on third down in the third. And a play later, Love went right back to him on a Watson slant for a 2-yard touchdown.

Corner defender Darius kills held his side of the field for the most part. There was an inside slant he allowed on second-and-long in the first. Rookie Cooper DeJean was the sixth defensive back in dime personnel. He didn’t do much to stand out, good or bad. Ringo came in for Mitchell when he left in the third inning with an apparent hand injury. But the rookie returned for the next series.

Safety: B

CJ Gardner-Johnson was inconsistent. He had a couple of strong stops in run support. But the safety appeared to be responsible for blown coverage on Reed’s 70-yard touchdown catch and then missed tackling him in the open field. Gardner-Johnson went off for one snap in the third but returned.

Reed Blankenship recorded the Eagles’ first defensive interception of the season. The safety made a diving catch of an ill-timed Love pass over the middle in the third.

Special teams: B+

Jake Elliott made all of his kicks — two field goals and four extra points. Punter Braden Mann kickoff over Elliott. The Eagles took advantage of the new kickoff rule with a nicely placed Mann boot, which started the Packers on their own 16 on their final drive. Mann kicked in the end zone each time. Ringo was penalized for an illegal formation on the opening kickoff. The Packers kicked just outside the end zone a couple of times. Gainwell botched his first attempt, and the Eagles had poor field position in the first. But Michael Clay‘s special teams did fine. Covey had no returns in the punt game.

» READ MORE: Truths from a Phillies Fanatic: Vic Fangio, the grizzly Eagles DC and baseball traditionalist, plays it straight

Coaching: B

Nick Sirianni to 4-0 in the openers. It wasn’t pretty, and the Eagles still have a lot of cleaning up to do, but they leave Brazil 1-0 and that’s all that matters.

Vic Fangio had a rough first game as defensive coordinator. Packers coach Matt LaFleur found multiple ways to attack his system. He kept messing with the Eagles’ odd- and even-man fronts and poking holes in Fangio’s Swiss cheese run defense. Green Bay also had success through the air, but LaFleur inexplicably got away from the run. As bad as Fangio’s defense was, and there are certainly reasons to be concerned about its future, there were a lot of red-zone stops from his bend-and-near-break unit.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore had a much better night. He obviously has superior talent on his side of the ball. But he did a good job of getting Hurts out of his early slump with quick throws. And he made some impressive calls that were executed to perfection.