Full Philadelphia Eagles Report Card Heading into Week 7 Bye
If the season ended now, the Philadelphia Eagles would be the top seed in the NFC, thanks to wins in five of their first six games. After winning ugly for a couple of games, the Eagles finally put together a complete performance in all three aspects of the game.
They crushed the New York Giants 27-0, recording their first shutout in 18 seasons. Nick Foles threw two touchdowns, LeSean McCoy ran for 149 yards, the offensive line turned in their best game of the season and the defense recorded eight sacks of Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib.
Heading into the bye week, the main focus for the Eagles is rest, as a number of star players have been sidelined with injuries. Running back Darren Sproles, arguably the team's MVP this season, suffered an MCL sprain against the Giants and will likely be sidelined for a week or two.
Offensive linemen Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce are still sidelined, but both expect to return against the Carolina Panthers on November 10th. Linebacker Mychal Kendricks has missed the last four games with a calf injury, and special teams contributors Chris Polk (hamstring) and Brad Smith (groin) are expected to miss several games.
Despite all of their injuries, the Eagles are still flying high, as they've managed to receive significant contributions from basically every player on the 53-man roster. The following slides will highlight a position-by-position breakdown for the Eagles through the first six games of the 2014 season.
Quarterbacks
1 of 10
Nick Foles set the bar too high in 2013. His performance was quite simply out of this world. The second-year quarterback set single-season records for touchdown-to-interception ratio (13.5-to-1) and adjusted yards per pass attempt (10.54). He posted the third-highest single-season passer rating (119.2) and led the NFL in both yards per attempt (9.1) and yards per completion (14.2).
Oh, and the Eagles won eight of his 10 starts to grab the NFC East title.
No one expected Foles to duplicate his 2013 numbers, although it's looking more and more like last year was a fluke. Through six games, Foles has been mediocre, ordinary, average or perhaps not even average. He's first in the NFL in turnovers (10) and his 82.0 passer rating is significantly worse than last year.
At least Foles is playing his best football late in games, however. He led a fourth-quarter comeback against both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts in Weeks 1 and 2, and his three game-winning drives in the fourth quarter are tops in the National Football League.
Don't expect Foles to ever come close to the level he played at last year, but do expect his play to improve significantly when Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce return to the offensive line next month.
Grade: C
Running Backs
2 of 10
The Eagles were the most dominant running team in the league in 2013, averaging 160 yards per game on more than five yards per carry. LeSean McCoy won the league rushing title, Bryce Brown was an effective running back and even Nick Foles got in on the action.
Oh, how things have changed this year.
The Eagles rank just 15th in rushing yards and 18th in yards per carry. At one point from the end of the Colts game in Week 2 to the beginning of the Rams game in Week 5, McCoy rushed 36 times for 39 yards. That's an unprecedented 1.08 yards per carry for arguably the most explosive back in the game.
McCoy has since picked it up, highlighted by a 149-yard outburst against the Giants, but it's clear that he really misses Mathis and Kelce in the middle of the line.
Backup Darren Sproles has been everything the Eagles hoped for and much more. He's averaged 6.6 yards per carry with three touchdowns, providing effective relief for McCoy.
Grade: C+
Wide Receivers
3 of 10
No DeSean Jackson.
That's the big story surrounding the Eagles wide receivers this season, as Chip Kelly released the former three-time Pro Bowler during the offseason. Jackson promptly signed with the Washington Redskins, leaving the Eagles with a healthy Jeremy Maclin and rookies Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff to replace Jackson's production on the field.
It's safe to say that the Eagles miss Jackson so far this year. They're not lost without him, but the big-play threat has all but disappeared.
Maclin has been tremendous thus far, catching 27 balls for 445 yards and four scores. Matthews has been solid and should continue to improve, but Riley Cooper has really struggled, as he did early in the 2013 season. And Huff couldn't even get onto the field for the first four games because of a hamstring injury.
Grade: C+
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Tight Ends
4 of 10
Fans entered the 2014 season with high expectations that Zach Ertz would turn in a breakout season. The jury is still out on whether the second-year tight end will end up posting the big numbers that were expected from him. But the potential and big-play ability is certainly there, as evidenced by his 306 yards and two touchdowns in six games.
Brent Celek really hasn't been able to do much as a receiver. Due to the injuries and struggles on the offensive line, Celek has served as basically a sixth offensive lineman. He's caught just 10 passes for 75 yards and no scores.
The Eagles really like undrafted rookie Trey Burton, a jack-of-all-trades who even carried five times late in the fourth quarter against the Giants. James Casey scored his first touchdown with the Eagles last week.
Grade: B+
Offensive Line
5 of 10
The much-criticized offensive line has been inconsistent but they really haven't been as bad as fans think. Look at the numbers. The Eagles' high-powered rushing attack isn't the same without Mathis and Kelce, but the Eagles do rank in the middle of the pack in most rushing statistics.
Nick Foles has been sacked just seven times in six games, and the Eagles have allowed only two sacks in their last five games—a team record over a five-game stretch since sacks became official in 1982.
Jason Peters has been an absolute rock at left tackle, as he's shut down Robert Quinn and Jason Pierre-Paul in back-to-back weeks.
Matt Tobin and David Molk have been as expected filling in for Mathis and Kelce, meaning they've looked competent at times but have struggled at times. Todd Herremans has been solid at right guard and Lane Johnson has finally returned from a four-game suspension.
When the Eagles get Mathis and Kelce back next month, they're going to return to being one of the most dominant offensive lines in the National Football League.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
6 of 10
Without question, the defensive line has been the heart and soul of the defense. Through six games, the Eagles rank second in the NFL with 19 sacks. Their run defense isn't as dominant as it was in 2013, but it's been serviceable, and the Eagles have allowed just two rushing touchdowns.
A big positive has been the emergence of both Fletcher Cox and Vinny Curry. The former looks like a future Pro Bowler, while the latter appears on the verge of taking a starting spot away from Cedric Thornton.
Grade: A-
Linebackers
7 of 10
The two best players on the Eagles front seven this season have been outside linebackers Trent Cole and Connor Barwin.
Cole, at 32, is still going strong, as the two-time Pro Bowler has collected 3.5 sacks and three fumbles in six games. He rates as Pro Football Focus' best defensive player (login required) on the team this year. Barwin has regained his abilities as a pass-rusher, as he's collected six, including three against Eli Manning on Sunday Night Football.
DeMeco Ryans has been solid in the middle, while Emmanuel Acho and Casey Matthews have both played surprisingly well in place of Mychal Kendricks in the middle of the defense. And veteran Brandon Graham continues to impress in limited opportunities.
If rookie first-round draft pick Marcus Smith could show something anytime soon, the Eagles would even have some nice rotational pieces.
Grade: B+
Defensive Backs
8 of 10
You can pin most of the Eagles' struggles on the defensive side of the ball on the secondary, specifically veteran cornerback Cary Williams. In six games, Williams has allowed a passer rating of 108.5, including three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Bradley Fletcher has played poor enough that the fans have been calling for Nolan Carroll, who rated as one of the top cover corners in 2013 (login required) but has spent most of the year on the bench.
Oh, and the outcry for Brandon Boykin to earn a starting job over either Williams or Fletcher will probably never end, even though the third-year corner has surrendered just a 63.2 passer rating this season (login required).
At safety, Malcolm Jenkins has been a blessing. He's outplayed both Jairus Byrd and TJ Ward, intercepting passes in three straight games from Weeks 2 to 4. The Eagles struggled to convince a disgruntled fanbase that Jenkins' skill set would be a perfect fit in Billy Davis's scheme, but through six games, it's the Eagles' management who knew exactly what they were talking about.
Grade: D
Special Teams
9 of 10
Is it possible that the Eagles' special teams over the past six games have been the greatest by any team in the history of the NFL? That's not an exaggeration. They've been simply jaw-dropping. I've run out of creative ways to talk about how good this unit is. They're that good.
The Eagles put an emphasis on bringing in high-quality special teams players over the offseason, signing safety Chris Maragos from the Seattle Seahawks and Bryan Braman from the Houston Texans.
Both have been tremendous, with the Eagles also receiving key contributions from running backs Darren Sproles and Chris Polk, wide receiver Brad Smith, defensive end Brandon Bair and linebackers Emmanuel Acho and Casey Matthews.
Oh, and punter Donnie Jones has been solid, while rookie kicker Cody Parkey has been a tremendous upgrade over Alex Henery.
The Eagles have scored four special teams touchdowns: a kick return touchdown by Polk, a punt return touchdown by Sproles and blocked punt touchdowns by Smith and Maragos.
Brandon Bair blocked a field goal and tipped a second, Maragos added a partially blocked punt and Parkey hit a walk-off field goal. The Eagles haven't allowed a single big return, while averaging 30.9 yards per kick return and 15.6 yards per punt return.
Grade: Better than A+
Coaching
10 of 10
When judging the coaching staff for the Eagles, the most important factor is the wins and losses. The Eagles aren't winning pretty, and they've only played a couple of good games, but they're 5-1, tied for the best record in the National Football League.
Chip Kelly's offense isn't nearly as dominant as it was in 2013, although it's hard to tell if it's his fault or quarterback Nick Foles'. It also doesn't help that Mathis and Kelce are both injured. And give the Eagles credit for ranking second in the NFL in points scored, even if 49 of those points have not been scored by the offense.
Defensive coordinator Billy Davis, after a slow start, has the Eagles playing really good football. They're second in sacks and 13th in points allowed, and they're thriving despite (likely) no Pro Bowlers.
Special teams coach Dave Fipp has to earn consideration as a future head coach. His unit has been the talk of the city and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down.
Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has held together a unit that has been without starters Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson for most of the season.
On the other side of the trenches, assistant head coach and defensive line guru Jerry Azzinaro has turned a much-criticized front three into the strength of the defense.
During his early days in Philadelphia, Andy Reid had a tremendous coaching staff that featured the likes of Jim Johnson, Leslie Frazier, Ron Rivera and John Harbaugh. It appears that Kelly may have assembled a similar unit in Philly.
Grade: A-
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