Giants vs. Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Eagles put together a statement win on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants, dominating in all facets of the game en route to a 27-0 win.
"Eagles win, 27-0. 1st shutout since 12/1/96.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 13, 2014"
It was especially sweet for Eagles fans, considering the Giants were quite active in the trash-talking element this week. None of that seemed to translate to the field, though.
Nick Foles and the offense came out firing, LeSean McCoy squelched any doubts about his ability to run with the football and both the defense and special teams turned in strong performances once again. In rolling up close to 450 yards of offense and three touchdowns, the Eagles maintain the NFL’s best overall record (5-1) and look to be arguably the team to beat in this league.
It’s really tough to play much better than this Chip Kelly-led team did Sunday night, and the game grades will certainly reflect that.
Quarterback
1 of 8
In all, Nick Foles played a pretty solid game. He did throw two interceptions, but he made significantly more good plays than poor ones.
Foles completed 62 percent of his passes. He threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns, the first score being a tremendous strike in the corner of the end zone to Zach Ertz. That throw gave Philadelphia an early 10-0 lead.
"That was Nick Foles' best throw of the season, no doubt. Put it in the only place Zach Ertz could catch it despite DRC's coverage. #Eagles
— Khandyman.com (@KhandymanSports) October 13, 2014"
Foles also completed passes to seven different receivers. On a night when the Giants cornerbacks took away Jeremy Maclin, Foles mixed it up to Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews, Brent Celek and Ertz. He was sacked just once, and he rebounded strong from his turnovers to keep the offense moving effectively.
"This is the most 2013 Nick Foles has looked this year, don't you think? #Eagles
— Phil Sheridan (@SheridanScribe) October 13, 2014"
Foles’ turnovers are still up, especially compared to his unsustainable 2013 campaign. But he directed the offense well Sunday night, and this was against a tandem of Giants cornerbacks who rated really well coming into the game.
"Eagles have scored at least 21 points in all 15 games Nick Foles has completed under Chip Kelly.
— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) October 13, 2014"
Grade: B+
Running Backs
2 of 8
Eagles fans have to be extremely pleased with how well McCoy played Sunday. He silenced his doubters, rushing 22 times for 149 yards—by far his highest single-game output of the 2014 season.
McCoy also caught two passes for five yards, giving him 154 total yards from scrimmage. He didn’t waste any time getting started, as he gained 32 yards on three carries just on the opening drive. In all, he looked very much like the All-Pro runner from previous seasons, and he did all of it behind an offensive line missing two starters.
"McCoy on #NYG defense: "They played a lot of 2-high, with one safety in the box. They paid for it." #Eagles
— Mike Sielski (@MikeSielski) October 13, 2014"
McCoy also moved even higher on the Eagles’ all-time rushing list:
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""LeSean McCoy passed Steve Van Buren on the #Eagles all-time rushing list and is now 3d overall.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 13, 2014"
Backup Darren Sproles had another strong game as a punt returner (highlighted in the special teams section). As a runner, he carried the ball seven times for 39 yards and a pretty impressive 15-yard touchdown run.
Sproles left early due to injury, and it has not yet been revealed the full extent of his injury. Here’s the latest news:
"""
""DARREN SPROLES @Eagles appears to sprain L knee MCL. Thankfully no surgery. Chance to return after bye. Not ACL as @SNFonNBC hinted.
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) October 13, 2014"
With Sproles out and Chris Polk unavailable, fourth-string tight end Trey Burton got five late handoffs for 10 yards.
"""""""Trey Burton gets a carry. With Sproles in locker room and Polk out, Burton is No. 2 RB.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 13, 2014"
Grade: A
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 8
With Jeremy Maclin held largely in check, credit should go to his offensive teammates for getting open and hauling in receptions.
Giants cornerbacks Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Prince Amukamara combined to hold Maclin to just two receptions for 16 yards. Fortunately, his counterparts stepped up.
Cooper had five catches for 59 yards, leading the team in both statistical categories. He briefly left the game due to injury, which led to increased action for rookie third-rounder Josh Huff.
"Riley Cooper was only in for 70.8% of snaps; his 2nd lowest in the Chip Kelly era. Part of that was garbage time, and part was Josh Huff.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) October 13, 2014"
Huff couldn’t hold on to a failed trick play lateral, and he finished without a catch. Matthews caught four passes for 50 yards though, which is a solid output.
Tight ends Ertz and Celek were pivotal in the passing game as well. Ertz had three catches for 47 yards, including a tremendous diving touchdown reception in the corner of the end zone. Celek, who has been a non-factor too many times this season, had four reception for 45 yards. That’s seven total catches for nearly 100 yards and a touchdown from the tight end duo.
James Casey also hauled in a nice 26-yard touchdown catch on his only target, giving Philadelphia two touchdowns from its top three tight ends.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 8
The Eagles offensive line was in for a big task in facing the ferocious Giants pass rush, and the unit responded in tremendous fashion.
Foles was sacked just one time. The running backs gained over 180 yards on the ground. In all, Philadelphia’s offense accounted for close to 450 total yards of offense, and this was with Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce both sidelined due to injury.
Jason Peters played a strong game, keeping All-Pro end Jason Pierre-Paul away from Foles, which seemed to be one of the pregame keys to an Eagles victory.
"Chip: I thought (McCoy) ran well, but Jason peters played real well vs Pierre-Paul
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) October 13, 2014 "
JPP finished with just four tackles, no quarterback hits and no sacks. That’s a game ball-quality performance by Peters, whose performance was vital for an Eagles offensive line missing two key starters.
The matchup of Johnathan Hankins vs. Matt Tobin/David Molk seemed like it may present problems, but Philadelphia won this one too. Tobin and Molk held Hankins to four tackles and no sacks, and Foles seemed to have plenty of time to pass.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 8
The Eagles’ beatdown of the Giants started with the battle in the trenches. An extremely underrated Eagles three-man front won’t be underrated for much longer; this unit gets consistent pressure without even having to blitz.
"#Eagles defensive line is bringing it tonight. Eli is running for his life.
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) October 13, 2014"
In all, Philadelphia registered a ridiculous eight sacks. Five of those came in the first half. The Eagles held the Giants running game to just 85 yards and no touchdowns on 23 carries.
They really frustrated the Giants, particularly right tackle Justin Pugh, a 2013 first-round pick:
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""Justin Pugh called it "the worst game I ever played, hands down. Not even close.'' Said he led bad start affect him all game. #nyg
— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) October 13, 2014"
Fletcher Cox had five tackles, including a stuff of running back Andre Williams. Nose tackle Bennie Logan took down Eli Manning near the line of scrimmage (technically it was ruled as a one-yard run, but it was very close to a sack). Cedric Thornton had three tackles of his own.
Pass-rushing specialist Vinny Curry had another superb outing, twice recording sacks of Manning. He now has a sack in three straight games and four during that span. His presence off the edge is extremely valuable, and he’s going to continue to take snaps from Thornton.
Backup Brandon Bair had a late sack to seal the Eagles' shutout.
Grade: A
Linebackers
6 of 8
For a little while, it appeared as if the Eagles would be without both inside linebackers Mychal Kendricks and DeMeco Ryans against the Giants. Kendricks didn’t suit up, but Ryans did, and he finished with five tackles and one for a loss. He helped hold tight end Larry Donnell in check to just one catch for six yards.
But the big story was the outstanding play of the pass-rushing linebackers. Connor Barwin was a beast, racking up three sacks and two tackles for a loss. That now gives him six sacks for the season, putting him on pace for a ridiculous 16. A legitimate case could be made for Barwin as the team’s MVP in 2014.
"Connor Barwin is playing like a man possessed right now.
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) October 13, 2014"
Trent Cole picked up another sack, appearing to beat left tackle Will Beatty off the edge. He also had three tackles and one for a loss. That’s 3.5 sacks for Cole this season, which puts him on pace for nine for the year.
Brandon Graham picked up another sack and tackle for loss, giving him two sacks and two forced fumbles in limited snaps as a pass-rushing specialist this season.
Meanwhile, the surprising improvement of Casey Matthews has been a joy to watch; Matthews had five tackles, two of them for a big loss. He’s no longer a liability as a defender, and he could continue to get snaps even when Kendricks returns from injury.
Grade: A
Secondary
7 of 8
Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher have taken much flack this season, and rightfully so. The Eagles entered Sunday's contest with the Giants rated 25th in points allowed, 28th in total yards allowed and 29th in passing yards allowed.
That’s why the performance of Williams and Fletcher (and Brandon Boykin in the slot) was so impressive. Facing a tremendous trio of receivers in Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle and Odell Beckham Jr., the Eagles cornerbacks won this battle.
Cruz had just two catches for 16 yards before leaving with a devastating knee injury. Randle and Beckham combined for seven catches for 86 yards. That’s a huge victory for Philadelphia, and the Eagles also shut down tight end Larry Donnell.
Fletcher’s late forced fumble was the first turnover by an Eagles cornerback this season. The secondary also deserves some credit for the eight sacks, as the cornerbacks covered well enough that, at times, Manning just had no open receivers.
"Coverage sack. #Eagles secondary has been excellent in the first half.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) October 13, 2014"
Safety Malcolm Jenkins had three tackles and played well in pass coverage. Seeing him in man coverage on Randle by the goal line shows how much coordinator Billy Davis trusts him.
Grade: A-
Special Teams
8 of 8
For the first time since Week 2, the Eagles special teams didn’t score any touchdowns. But it was still a strong performance.
Kicker Cody Parkey converted on both of his field goals. He’s been close to money in the bank this season. Punter Donnie Jones booted the ball six times for 273 yards, getting five of those inside the Giants 20.
Sproles ran back four punts for 57 yards, averaging an impressive 14.3 yards per return, and Burton had a huge block on one of them. And the Eagles partially blocked a punt, giving them ridiculous production this season in that department:
"Eagles have a blocked, partially blocked or tipped field goal or punt in five of six games.
— Bryn Swartz (@eaglescentral) October 13, 2014"
Grade: A
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