Eagles vs. Patriots: Live Preseason Week 2 Report Card for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles were in full dress-rehearsal mode Monday night as they battled a slew of New England Patriots backups in Foxborough, Mass.

With 10 days to prepare for this one and three days off between this game and their third preseason affair with Cleveland, the relatively healthy Eagles let the starters play well into the second half on Monday Night Football.

Here are our quarter-by-quarter grades along with some notable performances:

Quarterbacks

Q1: D+
Q2: B
Q3: A
Q4: B-
OVERALL: B-

First quarter: Michael Vick had one five-yard completion on three passes before taking a big hit and having to leave with another rib injury. He was facing a heap of pressure and again tried to make a play out of nothing, exposing himself for a Jermaine Cunningham shot.

Early in the quarter, Vick also dove awkwardly rather than sliding. He was relieved by Nick Foles, who completed two passes right off the bat, but it wasn't pretty overall. 

Second quarter: Foles looked good for the second straight week, making a beautiful touchdown throw to Clay Harbor on a smooth rollout and making sound decisions throughout the quarter. The only exception came in the final seconds of the half, when Foles was trying to force a big play and tossed an interception. However, if you're going to make a mistake, that's the time to make it.

Third quarter: Foles was even better, which I suppose makes sense considering the competition. He was five-for-six on a touchdown drive to start the half and ended up completing 10 of his 12 passes in the quarter. 

What I really liked seeing was Foles bouncing back after taking a huge shot on a deep ball and then, on the very next play, hitting Clay Harbor on a perfect first-down strike. Must be refreshing for Eagles fans to see a quarterback who can take hits like those while remaining effective.

Fourth quarter: Trent Edwards took over and did a formidable job without taking too much chances. He still checks down a lot, but it wasn't a bad performance. Not enough to move him ahead of Mike Kafka or Foles, though.

Overall: Vick's performance notwithstanding, it was encouraging an encouraging night. Foles looks like a legit backup who can be counted upon, and that has to give the Eagles some comfort.

Running Backs

Q1: B-
Q2: B
Q3: A-
Q4: A
OVERALL: A-

First quarter: LeSean McCoy was barely a factor, running three times for 10 yards. He wasn't bad, and he had a nice pickup on a pass from Foles, but he didn't get enough work to draw major conclusions.

Second quarter: McCoy had a nine-yard run and made a one-yard touchdown dash look especially easy. He's not being asked to do a lot, but he still had 38 yards on eight touchdowns, which isn't bad.

Third quarter: Bryce Brown and Dion Lewis relieved McCoy, and both looked good. Lewis ran with power and aggressiveness, while Brown showed great vision on a 27-yard run up the gut. Chris Polk is in trouble.

Fourth quarter: Polk ran hard and showed some serious toughness, fighting through tackles to keep a drive alive on a third-down catch and running defenders over on a seven-yard run. Yet Brown still outdid him with a 17-yard run and a six-yard grab. 

Overall: They've got a great group of backs behind McCoy, all of whom had their moments Monday night. Would love to see all four of them on the roster, because I doubt they'll be able to stash any of them on the practice squad. Brown led the way Monday night with 67 yards on 11 touches.

Wide Receivers

Q1: D-
Q2: C
Q3: B+
Q4: C
OVERALL: C

First quarter: They couldn't get any separation throughout the quarter. DeSean Jackson had a 15-yard grab and that was it.

Second quarter: Jackson had another grab and Jason Avant made a big first-down catch on the final series of the first half, but Jeremy Maclin was nowhere to be seen. They haven't had any drops either though.

Third quarter: Jackson did a great job adjusting on a Foles underthrow that turned into a 40-yard completion and Damaris Johnson showed up with a nice 23-yard sideline grab. Jackson had a great night.

Fourth quarter: Chad Hall and Mardy Gilyard stepped up with nice catches, but both face an uphill battle. Nothing from rookie Marvin McNutt as a receiver, but he did have a good block on a third-down play.

Overall: Relatively quiet night for every receiver not named DeSean Jackson. I'm afraid they didn't learn much about their depth at the position Monday night.

Tight ends

Q1: C+
Q2: B+
Q3: A
Q4: D
OVERALL: B+

First quarter: Clay Harbor had a five-yard grab but we didn't see much from Brent Celek in his return. I didn't see them blow any assignments, though, so they've got that going for them.

Second quarter: Harbor ran a great route on his touchdown catch. Celek has been quiet, but Harbor's already got three receptions and a score. 

Third quarter: Brent Celek stepped up with a big red-zone grab on the drive that led to another Harbor score. Harbor also had back-to-back grabs on the ensuing series, and appears to have good chemistry with Foles. Good quarter for the tight ends.

Fourth quarter: Chase Ford blew a chance to make a statement by dropping an easy pass in the flat. He won't make the roster. Celek and Harbor sat down, so there wasn't much else to note.

Overall: Look for the Eagles to use more two-tight end sets this year. Harbor has had a great preseason and training camp. It was an impressive night, and it could've been a lot better had Celek been completely healthy.

Offensive Line

Q1: F
Q2: C+
Q3: B-
Q4: B
OVERALL: D+

First quarter: The pass protection was terrible again. Amazing that it was superb guard Evan Mathis who gave up the pressure on the hit that took Vick out of the game. These guys were continually beaten by a group of New England reserves. Inexcusable. 

Second quarter: Foles ran for his life a little too often as well. The run blocking was a little better and King Dunlap did a decent job on Chandler Jones, but right tackle Todd Herremans has struggled.

Third quarter: Demetress Bell relieved Dunlap and had a false start penalty, but the pressure was a little less intense (aside from that huge hit, which doesn't really count because it drew a flag). There were also much bigger holes for the backs. The line has gotten better as the game has progressed.

Fourth quarter: Edwards had a lot of room to work, but the Pats weren't really bringing anything. Still, good gains on the ground indicate the reserves performed well.

Overall: They didn't give up a single sack and had 144 yards on the ground, but those numbers fib. It was a bad night for the line. However, Dunlap's performance was somewhat of a bright spot.

Defensive Line

Q1: A-
Q2: A-
Q3: B-
Q4: B+
OVERALL: B+

First quarter: Without Jason Babin, they did a good job getting pressure, overpowering a shaken up New England offensive line. Fletcher Cox stood out on a play in which he forced Ryan Mallett to throw a pick. The problem was he also took a roughing-the-passer penalty on the play. Oh, and Trent Cole had a sack from a linebacker spot but it was negated by another penalty.

Second quarter: Dudes like Phillip Hunt and Cedric Thornton are showing how deep this line is. Both looked great in the second quarter as the line kept bringing heat. The only negative: Darryl Tapp took his second personal foul of the game. Penalties have killed this defense.

Third quarter: The pressure sort of faded, but the Patriots barely possessed the ball so it's probably not fair to criticize them too heavily here. 

Fourth quarter: There was enough pressure to keep Brian Hoyer from completing his passes, which is key. No sacks or standout performances, though.

Overall: There's really nothing to worry about in regard to this line. They brought consistent heat without Jason Babin.

Linebackers

Q1: C+
Q2: B
Q3: B-
Q4: B+
OVERALL: B

First quarter: Mychal Kendricks was a bright spot, but they were outblocked far too often against the run. Shane Vereen's average is low, but he had a big third-down conversion in an instance in which the entire Philly linebacking corps was overpowered. I still haven't seen much from DeMeco Ryans.

Second quarter: They shut down the run again but struggled a bit in coverage situations. It's not a good sign that Shane Vereen is the Patriots' top receiver from a yardage perspective. Kendricks is still shining, though -- the play in which he took down Brandon Bolden for a seven-yard loss was one of the best I've seen all night.

Oh, and we actually heard Ryans' name, as the veteran middle linebacker made a great open-field tackle on Jeremy Ebert.

Third quarter: The Pats were shut down on the ground again. The tackling has been much better tonight, although no one besides Kendricks has really stood out.

Fourth quarter: The unit did a good job limiting Stevan Ridley to just 18 yards on six carries and Akeem Jordan did a solid job when needed in coverage.

Overall: Kendricks is going to be a star. He's already the most trustworthy member of this group. And it was nice to see Brian Rolle at least avoid mistakes, while Ryans made a play or two. 

Defensive Backs

Q1: B-
Q2: B
Q3: B+
Q4: A
OVERALL: B+

First quarter: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was beaten once but he also had great coverage on a few key plays. He had an interception negated by penalty.

Joselio Hanson had a tough first quarter, but he recovered late in the quarter with good coverage on a pass to Jeremy Ebert. Then again, who the hell is Jeremy Ebert? Nnamdi Asomugha took a bad holding penalty but had a great read on a screen later on. It was a mixed bag.

Second quarter: There were some lapses here and there, like when Deion Branch found a crease on zone coverage to convert a third-and-13, but they were generally quite solid against Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. 

Curtis Marsh was also beat for a 20-yard pickup on a third down, but that had a lot to do with Hoyer's ability to break away from pressure. Regardless, it's concerning that the Pats converted seven of 11 first-half third downs.

Third quarter: Marsh stepped up with good coverage on a third-down pass to Donte Stallworth on the sideline. Mallett had just one completion against the secondary in the quarter.

Fourth quarter: Well, Brian Hoyer didn't complete a single pass on five attempts, so I suppose the reserves did a nice job. I liked what I saw from Brandon Hughes.

Overall: Nnamdi Asomugha made a pair of great tackles and there weren't any notable missteps. Again, this came against New England's second- and third-teamers, but it was still a positive performance.The Patriots' quarterbacks were 15-for-37.

Special Teams

Q1: B+
Q2: A
Q3: C-
Q4: B
OVERALL: B-

First quarter: Brandon Boykin had a solid kick return of 30 yards and the coverage was good.

Second quarter: They forced a fumble on a punt return and the kick coverage was solid. But we're yet to see Damaris Johnson get a crack at a punt return and they've yet to line up for a field goal.

Third quarter: Alex Henery missed a 55-yard field goal but that had more to do with a lack of organization as the Eagles had the wrong personnel on the field and took a penalty. As a result, it wasn't even technically a miss. Either way, it looks bad on the special-teams unit. Henery was good on a 33-yarder later.

Fourth quarter: Chas Henry averaged only 35.5 yards on his two punts, but special-teams didn't really factor into the fourth quarter.

Overall: Nothing of note, to be honest. Would've loved to see Damaris Johnson do something on a return, but there were no significant special-teams plays in this game.

Coaching

Q1: B
Q2: A
Q3: B
Q4: A-
OVERALL:

First quarter: I suppose someone could make the argument that they could've drawn up more of a conservative offensive game plan to protect Vick after what happened last week, but they do have to find out how good or bad this line is. And it's not their fault Vick doesn't follow orders.

Second quarter: Andy Reid might have lit a fire under his team by getting animated on the sideline. At one point, he was right up in Cullen Jenkins' face, and Jim Washburn jumped in to separate the two. A little fire can't hurt. That's something this team lacked last year at this point.

From a Xs and Os perspective, I also liked seeing the Eagles drop Trent Cole back into a linebacker spot and the creative way in which the offense utilized Avant on that touchdown. The play-calling for Foles was very good.

Third quarter: I really thought the play-calling was solid again, but there really wasn't anything good or bad that stood out on either side of the ball.

Fourth quarter: It was nice to see Polk and Edwards, whom I fear aren't getting enough looks. Happy that Reid got them into the game and that Polk got lots of looks. 

Overall: Well-planned attack and nice balance. We got to see lot of the players we wanted to take a look at.

Notable Performances

Andy Reid: I mean, that's how you light a preseason fire...

Bryce Brown: All three of LeSean McCoy's backups played well, but Brown was particularly impressive, averaging 6.0 yards per touch. I don't know if he can win the backup job, but the seventh-round rookie should be guaranteed a roster spot at this point.

Phillip Hunt: The former CFL star had two tackles, a sack and a forced fumble, giving him two sacks and eight tackles in the preseason. He's taken a big leap forward this summer and is now probably in line to grab a roster spot ahead of Darryl Tapp.

Mychal Kendricks: Not only did he have three tackles and show his famous range, but the rookie second-round pick also flashed his ability to rush the passer and revealed some versatility when he lined up as a defensive end. Jim Washburn's going to have some fun with this kid.

Nnamdi Asomugha: He was solid in coverage and really stepped up his tackling. If he can lead by example in that area, it'll be huge for this defense.

Nick Foles: Obviously. The third-round pick has a passer rating of 118.4 thus far in the preseason. Will be interesting to see if he gets the start against Cleveland Friday.