Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Full Report Card Grades for Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Washington Redskins 27-22 on Sunday. The Eagles outgained the Redskins 383 yards to 334. The Eagles dominated time of possession. In the end they just weren't able to make enough plays to get the job done. They botched a field-goal attempt, and Jordan Matthews couldn't get two feet down for a touchdown. An interception occurring on the next play.
It was a strange game, with injuries playing a pivotal role. The Eagles offense was down to third- and fourth-stringers. After Jon Dorenbos and Brent Celek were both hurt, the Eagles were forced to hold tryouts on the sideline, eventually settling on Trey Burton as third-string long snapper. Darren Sproles was injured on a blatant cheap shot trying to field a punt.
Carson Wentz played well overall. He finished with 314 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Zach Ertz had a monster game of his own. The Eagles drove down the field late, but the sheer volume of injuries finally caught up to them as Ryan Kerrigan beat fourth-string right tackle Matt Tobin for a sack.
The Eagles now fall to 5-8 on the season, effectively ending any chance of a miraculous run at the playoffs.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Carson Wentz was very good on the day. Wentz finished 32-of-46 for 314 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was able to elude pressure, both by moving within the pocket and by scrambling, and he maintained composure in the process.
Wentz continues to make several plays every game that make you realize how special he is going to be. While the Eagles didn't get the win, Wentz performed admirably behind a makeshift offensive line with limited receiving options.
Grade: A-
Running Back
2 of 10
It was not a great day for the Eagles running backs. Kenjon Barner was a healthy scratch. Wendell Smallwood injured his knee in the first half, and Darren Sproles was unavailable after a blatant cheap shot while on punt return duty.
Much of the load ended up falling to Ryan Mathews in his first game back from his own injury. He finished with 60 yards on 15 carries, including two long runs. Mathews may not be a top-level NFL running back, but he was able to consistently get positive yardage and keep the Eagles out of third-and-long situations.
The Eagles clearly missed Sproles on the closing drive of the game. Mathews doesn't provide the same ability as a receiver or as a pass-protector.
Grade: C+
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
It's December, so like clockwork, Zach Ertz has emerged to wreak havoc on opposing defenses. Ertz finished with 112 yards on 10 catches. Jordan Matthews had a typical game. He finished with eight catches for 79 yards. Trey Burton was a special teams hero, but his 65 yards receving were also important.
Those three players will form the nucleus of the Eagles receiving corps moving forward. They provide big targets for Wentz and run solid routes over the middle of the field. The Eagles still need a dynamic player to add to the mix, but these three can form a nice security blanket in the interim.
Paul Turner had a nice catch on third-down to extend a drive.
Grade: B
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It's hard to give the Eagles offensive line a fair assessment. They were solid for most of the game. The constant reshuffling has taken its toll on the running game. The big guys up front simply haven't been able to mesh.
By the end of the game the Eagles were playing their second-string left guard, third-string right guard, and fourth-string right tackle. If any of them had been hurt, the Eagles would have had to use a tight end as an offensive lineman.
Matt Tobin gave up the strip-sack that ended the game, but again, he's the fourth-stringer. It's hard to lay too much blame at his feet.
Grade: C-
Defensive Line
5 of 10
Fletcher Cox is back. After failing to record a sack for over two calendar months, Cox recorded 1.5 today. Bennie Logan got the other half sack. The two starting defensive tackles were fired up and hustling all over the field to lay the wood on people. Logan's six tackles led the team.
Beau Allen and Brandon Graham had nice days stuffing the run.
The most notable change to the defensive line on the day was an increase in snaps for Marcus Smith and Steven Means. With Vinny Curry and Connor Barwin underperforming, the coaching staff made a concerted effort to play their backups more to send a message.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
6 of 10
Jordan Hicks is quietly becoming a very good player. He doesn't always stuff the stat sheet but he makes cerebral plays and combines that with good physicality. Hicks diagnosed a screen on third down during the Redskins final drive and forced Kirk Cousins to throw the ball away. Again, that won't show up on the stat sheet, but those kinds of plays are why he's becoming an impact player for the Eagles defense.
Nigel Bradham was quiet but generally fared well against the run. Mychal Kendricks had another missed tackle.
Grade: B
Secondary
7 of 10
The Eagles secondary put on a performance of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde against the Washington Redskins. They were excellent to start the game. They provided tight coverage and were able to get off the field on third down.
They proceeded to be awful for most of the third quarter, allowing two touchdowns, including an 80-yard score to DeSean Jackson. Leodis McKelvin would then atone for allowing the deep bomb by jumping an out-route and returning it for a touchdown.
No play sums up the day for the Eagles secondary better than Jamison Crowder's 33-yard catch on the Redskin's go-ahead drive. Jalen Mills was badly beaten off the line, but recovered enough to make the catch difficult. Rodney McLeod then flew in and dislodged the ball. It was initially ruled an incomplete pass but was reversed to a catch and fumble after review. Some good but not quite enough.
Grade: C
Special Teams
8 of 10
The Eagles held tryouts for an emergency long snapper on the sideline. It was a weird day for the special teams. Jon Dorenbos hurt his wrist, so Brent Celek was forced into the role. Celek misfired on a field-goal attempt, but then got a clean snap off on a punt, only to suffer a neck injury. Trey Burton stepped in with minimal practice and with the help of holder Donnie Jones, Caleb Sturgis put the ball through the uprights to momentarily give the Eagles the lead.
Darren Sproles returned a punt for a touchdown only for a soft block in the back penalty on Zach Ertz to nullify it. The Eagles would then miss a field goal on that drive. That's a seven-point swing in a game the Eagles lost by five.
The hit on Sproles was bush league. Deshazor Everett never gave Sproles a chance to field the punt and instead was simply head-hunting. Everett should have been ejected, especially after the hit sparked a scrum on the field.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The Eagles had a good game plan and executed it well. Head coach Doug Pederson maintained a balanced attack for most of the game, and was able to get Wentz in rhythm early by using bootlegs to get him short, easy throws and build his confidence.
The Eagles had 13 more minutes of ball possession than the Redskins, and they outgained the Redskins.
The game boiled down to the Redskins making three or four big plays, and a couple of missed opportunities by the Eagles. Pederson clearly pushed the right buttons during the week and the team came out fighting.
Grade: B+
Final Grades
10 of 10
| Position | Grade |
| QB | A- |
| RB | C+ |
| WR & TE | B |
| OL | C- |
| DL | B- |
| LB | B |
| Secondary | C |
| ST | B |
| Coaching | B+ |
Cumulative Grade: B-
The Philadelphia Eagles are now 5-8. Their season is effectively over. There will be no questions about effort this week because the team came out fighting. They were simply too injured, and weren't able to get the job done. Carson Wentz continues to improve, and the future is bright.
They head to Baltimore next week to take on the Ravens.
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