Cleveland Browns vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles got their 2016 campaign off to a good start with a 29-10 win over the Cleveland Browns Sunday. In a weekend filled with close scores around the NFL, the Eagles led the entire game. Through Sunday's games, the Eagles are the only team to register a win by double digits.
Quarterback Carson Wentz started strong in his NFL debut. The Eagles marched the ball down the field on a nine-play, 75-yard drive, capped off with Wentz finding wide receiver Jordan Matthews in the corner of the end zone for a 19-yard strike.
The Eagles were able to move the ball with consistency throughout the afternoon despite struggles with penalties and leaving points on the field. The offense finished the day with a respectable 403 yards. Overall, it was an encouraging performance from the rookie quarterback and his teammates.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will be happy with the performance of his unit, but it will need to tighten things up before the next game. The Browns were limited to just 288 yards and an anemic 50 offensive snaps. The Eagles defense registered three sacks, forced an interception and got on the scoreboard with a safety. Save a couple of deep passes, it was in control of the action.
Read on for full grades and analysis of each position unit from Philadelphia's first win of the season.
Quarterback
1 of 9
Wentz got off to a good start and only proceeded to get better as the game went on. The Eagles rookie quarterback spread the ball around, completing passes to six different players. Going 22-of-37 for 278 yards and two touchdowns is a good day at the office.
The most impressive part of Wentz's game had to be the mental side of the position. Standing tall in the pocket and delivering multiple important first-down conversions while getting hit is not something you expect from such a young player. He was able to move defenders with his eyes on some plays. The physical gifts were always going to be evident, but the mental aspects were far beyond what could be reasonably expected for a player making a large jump in competition.
It wasn't all perfect. Wentz took a bit of a beating. Coming off the rib injury in the preseason, that's a bit unsettling. As the present and future of the Eagles franchise, he needs to do a better job of protecting himself. Learning to take some velocity off short throws and a few inaccurate passes are also areas to address moving forward.
Despite these minor hiccups, I don't know how you could watch yesterday's game and not get excited.
Grade: A
Running Back
2 of 9
Ryan Mathews was the lead back and earned each and every one of his 77 yards and a score. With the offensive line still looking to jell and a young quarterback, Mathews did his part to help keep the offense from falling behind the sticks. Each time it seemed like he might break out for a long run he was tackled at the last moment. He played his role and earned a late touchdown for his efforts.
Kenjon Barner was the beneficiary of a few massive holes on the way to 10.5 yards per carry. He's making a case for more touches in the coming weeks. Darren Sproles had a day to forget on the offensive side of the ball. A couple of dropped passes and a botched handoff probably weren't the way he wanted to get the year started.
The best part of the running game this week was seeing 328-pound defensive lineman Beau Allen used as a fullback on the goal line. Football always finds a way to bring a smile to your face if you are paying attention.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 9
These position groups had a good day. They lack a flashy playmaker but continued to make plays when it counted. The drops that have plagued these groups crept back up, which is disappointing. Every one of the six who played was targeted. Achieving balance will help make up for the lack of dynamism.
Matthews and Zach Ertz have developed an instant chemistry with Wentz. Over half of the receptions and yards went to these two. Having two big targets in the middle of the field will certainly be helpful to the young quarterback as he grows and progresses. When the Eagles needed a play in the air, Ertz or Matthews came up big repeatedly.
Nelson Agholor beat Browns All-Pro cornerback Joe Haden to haul in a picture-perfect 35-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles need for the second-year receiver to continue to offer a deep threat and keep defenses honest.
Grade: A-
Offensive Line
4 of 9
The lack of continuity on the offensive line showed up in the Eagles' win over the Browns. The five starters simply haven't practiced much with each other. Brandon Brooks' injury early in training camp and the pending Lane Johnson suspension are the main culprits. If this unit can start to establish some chemistry, it would do wonders for the offense overall.
Against the Browns, the push just wasn't there from the big men in the trenches on run plays. The inability to consistently drive the defense backward stunted the run game. There were also a few plays such as the 4th-and-4 where the offensive line had miscommunications and got Wentz hit.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 9
It was a strange game from the defensive line. Vinny Curry got tackled on a pass-rush attempt. The Browns decided not to block Fletcher Cox or Brandon Graham, resulting in the running back falling down to avoid getting crushed.
Until midway through the third quarter, those two plays were all the defensive line had to show for its effort. Schwartz's defense is built around attacking, dominant defensive line play, and it is the Eagles' most talented unit. So it was highly frustrating to watch it struggle.
Then it finally started to make an impact. It sacked quarterback Robert Griffin III three times and clearly had rattled him by the end of the game. When the defensive line is playing well, the Eagles have the potential to be a top-10-level defense. When the line struggles, so does the entire defense.
Grade: B
Linebacker
6 of 9
The Eagles linebackers were not overly involved in proceedings against the Browns. The Eagles played most of the 50 snaps on defense in their nickel package. Mychal Kendricks was on the field less than punter Donnie Jones.
Jordan Hicks got a hand on the ball that would be tipped up for the Rodney McLeod interception. Nigel Bradham made several sure tackles for minimal gain. The Browns' game plan just meant the linebacker corps wasn't overly needed.
Grade: C+
Secondary
7 of 9
The Browns got over one-third of their yardage total from two deep passes against Nolan Carroll. The first was a well-defended pass that Terrelle Pryor outjumped Carroll for. That's football. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the opponent for a good play. The second was an aggravating poor underthrow with three Eagles defenders in the area. Other than those two plays, the secondary played well.
McLeod came up with a diving interception on a deflected pass to prevent a Browns scoring opportunity. His partner at the safety position, Malcolm Jenkins, was active in run support and just seems to show up all over the field.
Rookie Jalen Mills got some game action late when Leodis McKelvin got dinged up. Mills had a big hit on RG3 late in the game that seemed to injure Griffin. For a player who has a bit of a reputation for not being physical enough, that was encouraging.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 9
Caleb Sturgis missed a 46-yard field goal on the second drive of the game. Sturgis was able to rebound and connect from 22 and 36 yards out before the first half ended.
Jones showed he was excited for the return of real football with some booming punts and twice pinned the Browns deep in their own territory. Sproles had a nice 40-yard punt return. Waiver-wire claim Kamu Grugier-Hill made a great tackle on a fake punt in the first half.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 9
Head coach Doug Pederson did well with time management during the two-minute drill. At least for one week, that part of the Andy Reid coaching tree has been left behind.
Pederson and offensive coordinator Frank Reich did a great job handling the play-calling and design for Wentz. The offense was balanced with 39 pass plays and 34 run plays. That's putting your players in a position to succeed. That part of the Reid coaching philosophy did make its way back to Philadelphia.
Schwartz made some tweaks to the defense from the preseason. The Eagles blitzed a ton in the preseason but rarely on Sunday, which is more characteristic of Schwartz. It will be interesting to see if the heavy dosage of nickel was based on a certain matchup with the Browns and keeping RG3 in the pocket or something that will happen again.
Grade: A
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