Eagles Team Grades: Wentz Plays Like MVP As Eagles Improve On NFL's Best Record
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles continued to make their case for being the best team in the NFL this season. A 34-24 victory over Washington gave the Eagles a 6-1 record and a nice early cushion in the NFC East standings after a season sweep of their division rivals from the nation's capital. Carson Wentz was the man of the hour, but a couple of key injuries could come back to hinder the Eagles in the future.
Offense: A
Wentz took the football world by storm in the way he overcame a sluggish start for the entire offense. After the offense failed to record a first down on their first two possessions (and Wentz tossed up an arm punt), the Eagles started to look locked in with the football. Wentz passed for 268 yards and four touchdowns, and had a team-high 63 rushing yards. He seemed to be a magician at times with the way he avoided pressure to complete a touchdown pass to Corey Clement, or run for 21 yards out of a pile. It was an MVP-worthy performance from the franchise quarterback.
Zach Ertz caught five passes for 89 yards and a score, and Nelson Agholor and Mack Hollins each added a touchdown catch as the Eagles spread the ball around. After the first two possessions of the game, the Eagles converted six of 10 third-down attempts for first downs. The loss of Jason Peters, who was carted off, could be an issue for the offensive line to worry about moving forward.
Defense: B+
Washington never quite went away, but the Eagles were able to avoid allowing the Redskins to seize back momentum in key spots. Kirk Cousins was sacked four times, including twice by rookie Derek Barnett, and Malcolm Jenkins led the way with 10 tackles. The run defense continued to thrive, although Washington only tried running the ball 18 times (for 75 yards). Cousins put together 303 passing yards with three touchdowns, so the pass defense has some film to study to improve in the second half as players get healthy. Washington converted just four of 12 third-down plays for a first down. The defensive line was relentless with pursuit, and Brandon Graham managed to get a hand on Cousins to disrupt a pass and lead to an interception by Corey Graham.
The Eagles endured a tough loss at linebacker with Jordan Hicks leaving the game with an injury. The team fears he suffered a torn Achilles, which would end his season.
Special Teams: B+
Special teams coverage played well in tracking down Jamison Crowder. Washington's dangerous punt returner had three returns for 24 yards with a fumble (Washington recovered). Kenjon Barner had an OK outing returning kicks and punts, although he did not break any long returns. Donnie Jones remains reliable punting the ball with three punts averaging 51 yards per punt, with one downed inside the 20-yard line. Rookie kicker Jake Elliott had his consecutive field goal streak snapped in the fourth quarter, but he remains confident with two field goals on the night. Elliott booted a 50-yard field goal to get the Eagles on the scoreboard in the second quarter and a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to tack on some insurance points. Elliott was also a clean 4-for-4 on extra point attempts.
Coaching: B+
The Eagles got off to a sluggish start with a seemingly never-ending series of penalties before getting a chance to get moving. That can fall on coaching to a certain degree, but Doug Pederson deserves credit once again for sticking to his game plan and showing trust in Wentz to make some calls at the line of scrimmage. Everything appears to be going smoothly for Pederson and the Eagles, but the expectations continue to rise and that can make the job more difficult. Pederson seems confident right now, and more importantly, he looks competent. There will be a moment of adversity to come, but Pederson continues to look like a coach who knows what he is doing.
Up Next: With the best record in the NFL, the Eagles will stay home next week to play a team still looking for their first win of the season. The San Francisco 49ers (0-7) do not appear to be much of a threat, but that can present a challenge for a young Eagles team still coming together. The Eagles will be a heavy favorite, a role this team has not been in yet.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer and college football editor for The Comeback and host of the No 2-Minute Warning Podcast. Follow McGuire on Twitter and like him on Facebook.