Eagles vs. Texans: Full Report-Card Grades for Philadelphia
It was a win that moved the Philadelphia Eagles into sole possession of first place in the NFC East, but it was also the most costly victory in recent memory.
Quarterback Nick Foles, right guard Todd Herremans and inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans all the left game with potentially serious injuries. Nick Foles likely has a broken clavicle.
"Hearing that Foles has a broken clavicle. #Eagles
— Ed Kracz (@kracze) November 2, 2014"
While trying to play through a partially torn bicep, Herremans injured his ankle. And Ryans tore his Achilles tendon on a non-contact play.
Early speculation indicates that Foles could miss four to six weeks, possibly more if the injury is a break and surgery is required.
"If NICK FOLES @Eagles clavicle fracture is confirmed, return projection: Best case = Thanksgiving weekend. Worst case = Christmas weekend
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) November 2, 2014"
This offense belongs to Mark Sanchez right now, and thankfully for the Eagles, the former first-round pick played very well in three quarters after replacing Foles.
Season-ending surgery appears imminent for Herremans, who was unable to play through the injury. All-Pro guard Evan Mathis returns to the field next week against the Carolina Panthers, meaning the Eagles lose one starting guard but gain one (better) guard back.
For Ryans, his season—and possibly his tenure in Philadelphia—is over. The 31-year-old is scheduled to earn $6.8 million in 2015, a hefty amount for a player who has declined noticeably over the last year.
Despite their trifecta of injuries, however, the Eagles used a dominant three-headed running game to defeat the Houston Texans by a 31-21 score. The defense played very well and the offense appeared to click better with Sanchez than with Foles (albeit in a small sample size).
Right now, the Eagles are leading their division and rank first in the NFC in scoring differential. They're hurting right now, literally, but they're still winning, and that's what matters the most.
Quarterbacks
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The injury bug hit the Eagles at the most crucial position in professional sports, as Foles suffered a potentially serious clavicle injury on the final play of the first quarter. The Foles injury means the Eagles will almost certainly be without their starting quarterback for a couple of games for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
Before he left injured, Foles had been good, not great. He threw a beautiful 59-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin, but he also threw an ugly pick-six.
Foles' final stat line—10-of-13 for 124 yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus two sacks—is probably a little bit better than his actual performance on the field, considering the gift-wrapped pick-six. By my standards, he led the Eagles to 0 net points (plus seven and minus seven).
Sanchez, in his first meaningful action since December 2012, played very well. He was clearly the better of the two quarterbacks Sunday. His first play was a 52-yard deep pass to Jeremy Maclin, an extremely bold play call by Chip Kelly.
He finished the game with 202 yards, two touchdowns and two picks (one on a dropped pass). He's also significantly more mobile than Foles and it's no coincidence that the Eagles ran the ball so well under Sanchez.
For the game, the two quarterbacks completed 25 of 35 passes for 326 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. The turnovers are unacceptable, but 31 points of offense should beat almost any team in the league.
Grade: B+
Running Backs
2 of 8
Remember early in the season when LeSean McCoy had full games where he averaged one or two yards per carry? Those days are long gone.
The return of Jason Kelce is the biggest reason why, but credit McCoy for better decision-making as a runner. See the hole, hit the hole.
McCoy ran 23 times for 117 yards, averaging more than five yards a carry, without the benefit of one huge run skewing his numbers.
"LeSean McCoy has 44 rushing yards and 6,022 career, moving ahead of B-West (5,995) for 2nd on team's all-time rushing leader list.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherCSN) November 2, 2014"
Little-used third-string running back Chris Polk carried eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown and couldn't have been more impressive as a runner. He runs hard, he runs downhill and he's not going to be tackled by just one defender. Veteran Darren Sproles carried three times for 17 yards.
In all, the Eagles running backs ran 34 times for 184 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and a touchdown. It was a throwback to the 2013 season when the dominant running game powered the team.
Grade: A
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
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As usual, any breakdown of the Eagles wide receivers/tight ends begins and ends with Jeremy Maclin. Fresh off an ACL tear that cost him the entire 2013 season, Maclin is making a legitimate case as the NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Maclin followed up the best game of his career with perhaps the second-best game of his career. The former first-round pick caught six passes for 158 yards and two scores, including two grabs of more than 50 yards.
"How good is Jeremy Maclin right now? He is 174 yards from his career high for a season. And he's got 8 games left. Good fit for the system.
— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) November 2, 2014"
The rest of the Eagles' receivers and tight ends were relatively quiet. Jordan Matthews had an impressive catch for an 11-yard touchdown and Riley Cooper made two nice catches. Rookie Josh Huff caught three passes, as many as tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek combined.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 8
It was a chaotic day for the Eagles offensive line. The big news was the return of center Jason Kelce, but expect the shuffling of bodies to continue again next week.
Veteran Todd Herremans left the game with an ankle injury. Coupled with a torn bicep that really limited his effectiveness (albeit, against the greatest defensive player in the NFL since Reggie White), it makes sense for Herremans to consider season-ending surgery.
The return of Kelce worked wonders for the running game, although Kelce uncharacteristically had some issues snapping the ball early. With All-Pro Evan Mathis returning against the Carolina Panthers next week, expect the Eagles to continue their run game success.
Pass protection was another issue, however, as the Eagles were beat for four sacks. J.J. Watt collected 1.5, while linebacker Whitney Mercilus recorded two. Poor protection on Foles led to the third-year quarterback suffering his clavicle injury late in the first quarter.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
5 of 8
It was another very good effort by the defensive line for the Eagles, as they held one of the best running backs in the NFL, Arian Foster, to 56 yards on 15 carries. His backup, Alfred Blue, carried seven times for 13 yards. In all, Foster and Blue carried 22 times for 69 yards (3.1 yards per carry).
Reserve defensive linemen Brandon Bair and Beau Allen combined to collect a sack, while nose tackle Bennie Logan added five tackles, two for a loss.
Grade: B
Linebackers
6 of 8
It was a sad day for the Eagles, as veteran linebacker DeMeco Ryans suffered a torn Achilles tendon that will end his season (and possibly his career in Philadelphia). Before the injury, Ryans had played very well, collecting six tackles and an interception near the goal line.
Inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks appears to be back at full strength after missing a month-and-a-half with a calf injury. He led the Eagles with 12 tackles and added a sack, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit.
Veteran Connor Barwin recorded three tackles, a sack, two quarterback hits and two batted passes, while Brandon Graham added a sack and a tackle for a loss.
Grade: B+
Secondary
7 of 8
They've been under constant (and well-deserved criticism) for their play this season, but the Eagles secondary played surprisingly well against the Houston Texans.
Veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick completed fewer than half of his passes, and although he threw two touchdowns, he tossed a costly interception near the end zone. The Texans scored just 14 offensive points during the game.
DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans' first-round pick in 2013, torched Bradley Fletcher all game, finishing with six catches for 115 yards and a long touchdown. But future Hall of Famer Andre Johnson was held to just two catches for 12 yards (on nine targets). Credit Cary Williams, who said last week that Johnson was the best receiver he has ever faced.
It was a quiet day at safety for both Malcolm Jenkins and Earl Wolff, the latter filling in for Nate Allen.
Grade: B-
Special Teams
8 of 8
The Eagles have spoiled their fanbase with their special teams play this season, recording four touchdowns in the first six games. So when they don't do anything spectacular, like today, it seems like a bad game.
Not the case here.
The Eagles held Texans returner Danieal Manning to two kick returns for just 36 yards. Rookie Cody Parkey connected on a 45-yard field goal (twice, actually, as the Texans called a timeout before his first kick), while Texans kicker Randy Bullock missed a 39-yard attempt. Darren Sproles also added a nice 18-yard return on a punt, his first game since before the bye.
Grade: B+
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