Eagles vs. Giants: Full Report Card Grades for Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Eagles held off the New York Giants with a late interception off Eli Manning and another special teams touchdown to win, 34-26. It’s the second consecutive season Chip Kelly has coaxed double-digit wins out of the Eagles, although this one won’t even see Philadelphia qualify for the playoffs.
"Eagles are ONLY the 20th team since 1978 to miss the playoffs despite 10-6 record #6abcEaglespic.twitter.com/DbyFSTOnMX
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) December 28, 2014 "
Some things are for certain in Philadelphia. Kelly is a great head coach. The defensive line is stout and its best player, Fletcher Cox, is a bona fide superstar. And there is talent on the offense in LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz.
But other things are still to be found out, namely who will be the long-term starting quarterback for the Eagles? Mark Sanchez will very likely leave in free agency, but will Kelly draft a replacement for Nick Foles in the draft or will he ride with Foles for another season? Which veteran players could become cap casualties in Philadelphia?
All that will be answered in the upcoming months, but for now, here are final report card grades for the Eagles’ Week 17 win.
Quarterback
1 of 8
Mark Sanchez played pretty well today, maybe well enough that he can compete for a starting job somewhere around the league in 2015. He threw for 292 yards and two touchdowns, although he did turn the ball over once via a poorly-thrown interception.
Sanchez averaged 8.1 yards per attempt though, and he showed impressive agility in moving around within the pocket. Early in the game, he hit Jordan Matthews in stride for a 44-yard touchdown pass.
Amazingly, Sanchez finished the season with an Eagles franchise record, topping even what Nick Foles did in his record-setting 2013 campaign.
"Mark Sanchez set a franchise record for passing accuracy at 64.078 percent. Nick Foles held the mark at 64.039 percent from last year.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) December 28, 2014"
Sanchez’s propensity to turn the football over could keep him from a team wanting him as anything more than a solid backup. He officially threw only one interception today, but had another one called back because of defensive pass interference (and that was on a throw he tossed right into double coverage near the end zone).
"Since Week 9 Mark Sanchez has the MOST Turnovers (14) in the NFL (11 INT's, 3 Fumbles) #6abcEaglespic.twitter.com/yhpjo1rnzj
— Jeff Skversky (@JeffSkversky) December 28, 2014
"
Grade: B
Running Backs
2 of 8
It was another good game for LeSean McCoy, who has turned it on after a slow start to the 2014 campaign. McCoy ran for 99 yards on 17 carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush. He had a scare late in the game, when he went down and clutched his knee, but he appeared to be fine.
That’s another 1,300-yard season from the three-time Pro Bowler. McCoy also caught one pass for 15 yards out of the backfield, giving him 114 total yards from scrimmage.
Darren Sproles was utilized on just one carry (five yards), although he did haul in three receptions for 23 yards on his six targets. Goal-line back Chris Polk scored on a one-yard plunge and also ran for 17 yards on a 3rd-and-18, nearly picking up the first down. He finished with 38 yards on seven carries.
Grade: B+
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
3 of 8
Rookie Jordan Matthews continued his strong rookie season, catching eight passes for 105 yards and a 44-yard touchdown. He was impressive all year and will be a standout player in this offense moving forward.
"WR Jordan Matthews finishes rookie season with 67 catches for 872 yards and 8 TDs. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 28, 2014"
Jeremy Maclin had three catches for 49 yards, and he roughly duplicated DeSean Jackson’s 2013 Pro Bowl numbers for the season.
Riley Cooper was quiet as usual, catching just two passes for 37 yards. Josh Huff had one catch for six yards.
Tight end Zach Ertz had four catches for 56 yards. Brent Celek had one grab for a one-yard touchdown, his first such score of the 2014 season.
Grade: B+
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Offensive Line
4 of 8
It wasn’t the finest day for the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line, particularly left tackle Jason Peters, who was just recently named to his seventh Pro Bowl.
Peters was beaten by Jason Pierre-Paul for a sack off the left side, and then right tackle Lane Johnson was beaten on the right side. The New York Giants racked up four sacks in all, plus five tackles for a loss, although the Eagles did put up 426 total yards.
Right guard Andrew Gardner was the only offensive lineman to be flagged (false start).
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 8
Like the offensive line, the defensive line didn’t stand out, especially considering the New York Giants have a below-average unit protecting Eli Manning.
Fletcher Cox led all defensive linemen with seven tackles. Bennie Logan had six, including a big three-yard stuff early in the game. Cedric Thornton had a tackle for a loss of his own.
The unit combined to allow just 76 rushing yards on 25 carries, holding Andre Williams and Rashad Jennings to just a 3.0 yards-per-carry average. The pair did combine for one touchdown.
The fact that Manning wasn’t sacked is disappointing.
Grade: D+
Linebackers
6 of 8
It was an underwhelming game for the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebackers. Recent Pro Bowl player Connor Barwin had just two tackles, although he did put up two quarterback hits. Trent Cole was limited with his broken hand, and in what could be his final game with the team, he had four tackles.
Mychal Kendricks had six tackles, tops among his positional group, although no impact plays. Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho filled in for DeMeco Ryans’ role, totaling seven tackles and one for a loss. Unsurprisingly, first-round pick Marcus Smith didn’t record a tackle.
Grade: D
Secondary
7 of 8
Fortunately, this will be the last time Philadelphia Eagles fans will have to watch this secondary. The team ended the year having allowed over 4,300 passing yards and 30 touchdowns, and Eli Manning put up 425 yards in the air.
"Eli's 429 yards are second-most ever against the Eagles. Jon Kitna had 446 in 56-21 Eagles win over Lions in 2007.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) December 28, 2014"
Odell Beckham, Jr. torched the secondary for 12 catches, 185 yards, and a touchdown, and his 21 targets were the most by an NFL player all season. To be fair though, OBJ has torched every defense he’s faced over the second half of the year.
Rueben Randle had six catches for 158 yards. Interestingly enough, oft-burned Eagles cornerback Bradley Fletcher was inactive due to a hip injury, but his replacement, Nolan Carroll, didn’t fare much better than Fletcher’s been playing.
"Bradley Fletcher has a hip injury, per the #Eagles. But he will mercifully watch what will likely be his last #Eagles game from sidelines.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 28, 2014
"
Carroll was beat by Randle for a 43-yarder and then an 18-yarder on the opening drive, plus a touchdown later that was called back due to a holding penalty.
Cary Williams held up fairly well. He was beat by Randle on a 25-yarder, but contained OBJ when in coverage on him, twice recording pass knockdowns. Williams did drop a sure interception in the end zone.
Brandon Boykin thrived when called upon, with his most impressive play being a pass deflection against Beckham in the end zone.
"Brandon Boykin playing as if he has something to prove. #Eagles
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 28, 2014
"
Safety Malcolm Jenkins dropped another interception, which has to be at least five for him this season. He had a nice pass defensed against Beckham, but also committed a facemark penalty and missed a tackle on Beckham’s touchdown.
Nate Allen effectively ended the season with a deep interception off of Manning, giving Allen quietly a strong finish to the year.
"Nate Allen's four INTs are most by any NFL safety in second half of the season.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobCSN) December 28, 2014
"
Grade: D
Special Teams
8 of 8
Once again, the Philadelphia Eagles’ special teams units stole the show. The day was highlighted by James Casey’s blocked punt that Trey Burton returned for a touchdown, giving Philly its seventh special team score of the year.
There was also a forced fumble on a New York Giants’ kickoff return.
Kicker Cody Parkey etched his name into the record books.
"Cody Parkey just scored his 145th point of the season, setting the NFL record by a rookie and the Eagles single-season record.
— Brett Strohsacker (@BStrohEagles) December 28, 2014"
Punter Donnie Jones broke his own franchise record as well.
"Donnie Jones has landed 34 punts inside the 20-yard line this season, setting a personal best and a franchise record.
— Brett Strohsacker (@BStrohEagles) December 28, 2014"
And Josh Huff ran back one kick for 29 yards, giving him an impressive 29.6 yard-per-return average as a rookie.
Grade: A+
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