Plenty of ‘A' Grades for Eagles After Huge Win Over Broncos

Week 10 Eagles grades by position after huge win over Broncos originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

DENVER — The Eagles were riding high on Sunday night as they left Empower Field at Mile High.

And it had nothing to do with the altitude.

Nick Sirianni’s team played its most complete game and picked up its biggest win of the season, 30-13, over the Broncos on Sunday.

Here are their position-by-position grades:

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 16/23, 178 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 14 attempts, 53 yards

The first half in Denver was the best Hurts has ever looked as an Eagle. He was completely in control. He was hitting everything from the pocket, moving around to buy time, and using his legs to pick up big chunks. He should have had three touchdowns in the first half but Quez Watkins dropped one. Hurts wasn’t asked to throw much in the second half, but did throw a pick when his arm was hit by a defender. Overall, this was a very good game from Hurts and he’s definitely trending in the right direction.

Grade: A

Running back

Jordan Howard: 12 carries, 83 yards; Boston Scott: 11 carries, 81 yards

Another huge day for the Eagles’ running backs. Howard began the season on the practice squad and Scott was a complete afterthought on offense. And now they’ve starred in the team’s two biggest wins of the season.

Grade: A+

Receiver

DeVonta Smith: 4 catches on 6 targets, 66 yards, 2 TDs

Smith was tremendous on Sunday, his 23rd birthday. He not only had those six catches but also had a great PBU on an under thrown ball from Hurts. Smith knocked it away from his former teammate Patrick Surtain. Smith also beat Surtain on a 1-on-1 for his first touchdown and showed elite body control. Smith has been great, but the Eagles need more from their other receivers. Watkins had 4 for 33 but a big drop and Jalen Reagor had just 1 catch for 12 yards and a run that went for a big loss.

Grade: B

Tight end

Dallas Goedert: 2 catches, 28 yards

The Eagles lost Goedert in the first quarter with a concussion but the play where he suffered the injury was also an impressive 24-yard grab. Even after Goedert was out, the Eagles kept using 12 personnel with Jack Stoll and Tyree Jackson. Stoll ended up with 2 catches for 6 yards and did some nice things as a blocker. Jackson has some work to do in that area.

Grade: B-

Offensive line

The Eagles ran for 214 yards and Hurts was sacked just one time for six yards. The offensive line loves this new offense because they get to move forward and dictate how the game gets played. They are meshing very well right now.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Derek Barnett: 2 tackles, 1 sack

The D-line managed to get just one sack on Teddy Bridgewater — it came from Barnett — but they still had a nice afternoon. Fletcher Cox didn’t do a ton in the stat sheet but this was as well as he has played in a while; he was in the backfield. The Eagles did give up some chunks on the ground but it’s hard to fault anyone too much after a game like that.

Grade: B+

Linebacker

Davion Taylor: 7 tackles, 2 forced fumbles

The Eagles’ defense has been completely different since they shuffled the linebacker spots. Having Taylor and T.J. Edwards as their top two backs has given the Eagles’ defense an added level of physicality they had been missing. Taylor returned to Colorado and had a really nice day, forcing the biggest turnover in the game.

Grade: A

Secondary

Darius Slay: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD

Obviously, Slay’s touchdown was the highlight. But the Eagles held Bridgewater to 61.1% for 226 yards and no touchdowns. Bridgewater came into the game as one of the league’s most accurate passers and the Eagles were able to limit damage.

Grade: A

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 3/3 on field goals, 3/3 on PATs

Elliott was perfect, K’Von Wallace blocked a field goal and Arryn Siposs averaged 51.3 yards per punt and downed one inside the 20. The Eagle didn’t get much going in the return game but at least Reagor went forward.

Grade: A

Coaching

Eagles record: 4-6

Sirianni had a great game plan on offense and the Eagles executed it to perfection. Not only has he shown a commitment to the run but he seemed to have a knack for calling the right plays in the right moments on Sunday. And on defense, Jonathan Gannon dialed up a more aggressive game plan and it really worked. Both coaches deserve credit for their willingness to adapt. The Eagles did end up with 7 penalties for 89 yards, which keeps this from being an A+.

Grade: A

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