It wasn’t the prettiest game but the Eagles were able to survive.
They ended up beating the Cowboys 24-20 on Thursday Night Football and will head to Kansas City for a Super Bowl LIX rematch with a 1-0 record.
Here are the grades by position:
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts: 19/23, 152 yards, passer rating of 94.2; 14 rushing attempts, 62 yards, 2 TDs
Hurts was awesome, especially early in this game. He looked fast and quick when he turned into a scrambler and really seemed to make good decisions. He scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half and neither were on Tush Pushes. His final stat line won’t blow you away but he was efficient in this game and did exactly what the Eagles needed to win
Grade: A
Running back
Saquon Barkley: 18 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD; 4 catches on 5 targets for 24 yards
It shouldn’t be a surprise to hear that Barkley faced a stacked box on 66.7% of his rushing attempts on Thursday night, per NextGen Stats. He wasn’t able to break a big one but had a few spectacular plays that went for 5 yards a pop. One was a great one-handed catch that the finished with a strong stiff arm. Will Shipley left the game early with a ribs injury but did have a 20-yard gain. And A.J. Dillon had a 9-yard run on his first play.
Grade: B
Receiver
Jahan Dotson: 3 catches on 3 targets for 59 yards
A.J. Brown didn’t see a target until late in the fourth quarter when he had an 8-yard reception to set up a 3rd-and-3 that helped clinch the game. Obviously, it would be ideal to get Brown (1 catch for 8 yards) and DeVonta Smith (3 for 16) more involved. But Hurts hit Dotson on a beautiful deep ball for a 51-yard gain in the second quarter to help set up the third touchdown.
Grade: C+
Tight end
Dallas Goedert: 7 catches on 7 targets for 44 yards
While Goedert averaged just 6.3 yards per catch in this game, he did see some volume as a safety valve for Hurts. Goedert’s long was just 9 yards. Kylen Granson got some work as a leader blocker/fullback after Ben VanSumeren went down on the opening kickoff.
Grade: B
Offensive line
Despite having meniscus surgery on Aug. 13 and despite having a back injury coming into this game, Landon Dickerson was able to start but could not play the entire game. He was replaced by Brett Toth in the second half. Dickerson didn’t quite look like himself before exiting. The Eagles’ O-line had some ups and downs in this one. New right guard Tyler Steen seemed to play well.
Grade: B
Defensive line
Jordan Davis: 6 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
The D-line got off to a tough start in this one when Jalen Carter was ejected before the first defensive snap for spitting on Dak Prescott. That meant that Davis and Moro Ojomo had to play 50 snaps apiece (89%) in this game. That’s a huge ask but they did some good things. Davis got some pressures and played his second-most snaps ever. Byron Young also had a nice game, helping to pop the ball loose from Miles Sanders and Young nearly had an INT on a deflected pass.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
Zack Baun: 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
Both Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell made plays in their first game together as starters. On the Eagles’ takeaway drive in the third quarter, Baun and Campbell came through huge. First, Campbell sank super deep into coverage to bat down a pass. Then Baun chased down Miles Sanders to save a touchdown — he reached 20.68 mph on that chase-down, per NextGenStats. Baun also carried Jake Ferguson deep into coverage to knock a pass down. And then Campbell forced a fumble. In their first game together, Baun and Campbell were already really good.
Grade: A+
Secondary
Quinyon Mitchell: 4 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 FR
It was a rough night for veteran Adoree’ Jackson, who gave up 5 catches on 7 targets for 103 yards. CeeDee Lamb caught 3 for 72 on Jackson and the Eagles were lucky Lamb dropped several passes in the second half. It’ll be interesting to see how long the Eagles stick with Jackson, who really struggled. Quinyon Mitchell mostly played well but he was called for a DPI and dropped another interception, which was an issue in his rookie season. The Eagles used Drew Mukuba as their safety in nickel and Sydney Brown as a safety in base.
Grade: C+
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 1/1 on FG with a make from 58; 3/3 on PATs
After going 1-for-7 from 50+ yards during the regular season last year, Elliott drilled a 58-yarder in the third quarter of this game with more than enough leg. Braden Mann came through with a couple of big-time punts in the second half. And the Eagles’ kick coverage teams kept dangerous return man KaVontae Turpin in check.
Grade: A
Coaching
Record: 1-0
There’s plenty to clean up from this game and it starts with discipline. The Eagles on Thursday night were penalized 9 times for 110 yards. Some penalties are unavoidable but they need to get the personal fouls in check. Vic Fangio’s defense really came around after giving up points on the first four drives; they seemed to adjust. Kevin Patullo had a good knack for pushing the right buttons early but got a little too conservative at times in the second half.
Grade: B
Read the full article here
