Eagles End Home Losing Streak, Team Grades Are Positive
By Kevin McGuire
The Philadelphia Eagles finally brought an end to a streak of torment at the Linc. It had been over a year since the last home win for the Eagles but on Sunday the home losing streak was snapped with a 24-16 victory over the Washington Redskins, moving the Eagles into sole possession of first place in the NFC East. What looked to be a game well under control provided some tense moments before the win became official. After losing so much at home nothing should have been taken for granted.
Here's a quick look at how the team performed in Sunday's win.
Quarterback Grade: B+
Nick Foles may not have had a touchdown pass, but he did run for one and put the offense in striking distance. Foles did not have his most accurate day on the field, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts, but he nearly threw for 300 yards (298) and avoided throwing a single interception as well. Foles was second on the team in rushing in this one, accounting for 47 rushing yards on nine carries. He is certainly no dual-threat quarterback but he managed to outperform his counterpart, Robert Griffin III.
Offense Grade: B
The Eagles averaged 6.5 yards per play against the Redskins, a full yard more than the Redskins offense was able to manage to pick up. LeSean McCoy had a huge game against Washington in the season opener and put together another fine outing showing balance between his rushing and receiving. McCoy rushed for 77 yards and added 73 receiving yards. He also rushed for two touchdowns.
DeSean Jackson led the Eagles in receiving with 82 yards. Brent Celek nearly scored a long touchdown after showing some good speed and finding open space to work with against the Redskins defense, but a video review correctly ruled him down just shy of the end zone.
Eight different Eagles caught a pass and the offense did not lose a fumble. The Eagles did struggle to run out the clock in the fourth quarter though, turning the football over on downs once and having to punt twice. This allowed Washington to climb back in to the game as well.
Defense Grade: B+
For three quarters the Eagles put the clamps down on Washington, forcing the visitors to punt on each of their first three drives and forcing a fumble on their next. The defense got tripped up on a long touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter for a one-play scoring drive and Washington later moved 85 yards for a touchdown to really make things interesting, but when the defense needed to come up with the biggest play of the game, Brandon Boykin did with a game-saving interception on the 17th play of a drive that started at the Washington four-yard line. The defense also sacked Griffin four times, including twice by Trent Cole.
Special Teams Grade: B+
Eagles kicker Alex Henery was perfect when called on Sunday, successfully converting all three extra point attempts and kicking a short field goal in the second quarter to help the Eagles build a 24-0 lead before Washington made any threats. DeSean Jackson was sent back to field a couple of punts but not much came out of them (six yards on two returns). Punter Donnie Jones had a big day, punting six times for an average of 50.7 yards per punt and pinning four punts inside the 20-yard line.
Overall Grade: B+
There was a lot to like about what the Eagles did Sunday. The whole team took it to a division rival to put the game out of reach, or so it seemed, and when the defense had their backs against the wall they responded by coming up with the big play to slam the door shut on their division foes. In the end, the Eagles finally put behind them the stench of losing game after game in their home stadium. It may not have been a perfect game, but after so many losses, it now may prove to be the time the momentum changes for the Eagles. Is this team now a legitimate contender in the NFC? Probably not, but they are starting to think about the opportunity to host a playoff game, where anything can happen.
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Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
