Eagles Team Grades: Philadelphia Defense Receives High Marks After Topping Red-Hot Falcons
The Philadelphia Eagles got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon with a 24-15 win against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field. Nothing came easily for the Eagles, but once again they proved they play better when at home.
Offense: B
Ryan Mathews was a big contributor for the Eagles in this one with 108 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Wendell Smallwood had a productive day on the ground as well, with 70 rushing yards.
As a team, the Eagles rushed for 207 yards, with Carson Wentz picking up 10 yards to go with his 231 passing yards. Wentz was without a touchdown pass in this one, but he also avoided making a mistake through the air (he did lose a fumble). Jordan Matthews caught six passes for 73 yards to lead the team, and Darren Sproles and Zach Ertz each had over 50 receiving yards.
The Eagles offensive line played well for much of the game, which was a pleasant surprise. One negative would continue to be Nelson Agholor, who caught just two of the five passes intended for him, picking up seven yards between them.
Defense: A
Give defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz some props, because he dialed up a solid defensive plan to slow down what had been a red-hot Atlanta Falcons offense. Julio Jones still got his 100 yards and the Falcons did make some big plays, but allowing just one touchdown to this Falcons offense is a tremendous credit to the work done by the Eagles defense. Atlanta was held to less than 300 yards of offense and just two third-down conversions out of 11 heading into the two-minute warning.
It was a great afternoon for the defense, with Connor Barwin recording a pair of tackles for a loss to lead the defensive front and Brandon Graham recording a sack. Leodis McKelvin had a sure interception bounce off his hands late in the fourth quarter, but he made up for it in the final minutes by picking off a pass from Matt Ryan to allow the Eagles to run out the clock.
Special Teams: B+
The usually reliable Caleb Sturgis did miss two field goals in the game, but he came through with a late field goal to put the game on ice. Punter Donnie Jones remains one of the best in the league, and the return game on special teams turned out some good returns. Kenjon Barner had three returns to pick up 114 yards, including a 52-yard return in the second half. Wendell Smallwood had a pair of returns as well, but was unable to break anything loose for a big gain. Atlanta punted four times, but the Eagles never were able to get a return.
Coaching: B+
Though the press has been hard on Doug Pederson the past few weeks, perhaps it's time to give him a break; at least, for this week. The Eagles probably should have performed better on offense against an awful Atlanta defense, but Philadelphia attacked the ground and seemed prepared enough to go pick up a win.
Schwartz gets high marks for the defense, but there were still some sloppy penalties the Eagles have to avoid making if they are to build any momentum in turning things around and make a playoff push. Pederson also made a couple of better decisions in crunch time by kicking a field goal when the Falcons may have wasted a timeout. This gave Pederson a little extra time to think about a late-game situation just before the two-minute warning.
Up Next: Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks, Nov. 20, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
The Eagles hit the road for the third time in four games next week with a cross-country flight to Seattle. Philadelphia is taking on a Seahawks team that will be coming off a Sunday night game against the New England Patriots on the road. The Seahawks have been racking up the miles lately, with three road games in their last four games. The Eagles last won in Seattle in 2008, but the Seahawks have won two straight meetings with Philadelphia.
Post Author: Kevin McGuire.