Eagles analysis

Eagles grades by position after big win over Steelers

Here are Eagles grades by position after a huge 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

NBC Universal, Inc. Eagles talk about setting a franchise record with their 10th straight win but know they have bigger goals than setting records.

The Eagles won their 10th game in a row and dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at the Linc.

The final score was 27-13 but this game wasn’t even that close.

The Eagles out-gained the Steelers 401-163 and had 26 first downs to the Steelers’ 10. This was a huge win for the Eagles as they gear up for a playoff run.

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 25/32, 290 yards, 2 TDs; 15 rushing attempts, 45 yards, 1 TD

After a rough game last week against the Panthers, Jalen Hurts responded in a big way on Sunday. He was decisive and surgical against the Steelers. There were questions about the passing game and about Hurts all week and he came out with a statement game. It was probably his best game of the 2024 season. The only negative play was a fumble when T.J. Watt punched the ball out.

Grade: A

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Running back

Saquon Barkley: 19 carries, 65 yards; 2 catches, 9 yards

Tough sledding for the Eagles in the run game as the Steelers sold out to stop Saquon Barkley. Barkley had to fight through an injury in this game but still ended up with 74 scrimmage yards. Kenny Gainwell made the most of his chances. He had 7 carries for 20 yards and 3 catches for 40. All three of Gainwell’s catches were third-down conversions.

Grade: B+

Receiver

A.J. Brown: 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD; DeVonta Smith: 11 catches, 109 yards, 1 TD

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were the only Eagles receivers to catch a pass on Sunday and that was fine. They combined for 23 targets and each went over 100 yards. This was the first game they each went over 100 yards with a touchdown since the 2022 game against the Titans. The Eagles got both of them involved early and often and answered a bunch of questions about the passing offense in the process.

Grade: A

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 1 catch for 22 yards

Hurts hit Grant Calcaterra for 22 yards on the Eagles’ first offensive play of the game and Calcaterra didn’t see another target. But it was nice to get a chunk play out of the game; it let you know exactly what type of game this was going to be. While the tight ends didn’t catch the ball in this one very much, they were out there blocking in certain situations. 

Grade: B

Offensive line

Lane Johnson had to block one of the best pass rushers in the NFL on an island all afternoon and really minimized the damage Watt was able to cause. In this game, the Eagles had injuries to Landon Dickerson and Mekhi Becton and the line still held up. Tyler Steen came in for Dickerson and was called for holding twice early but then seemed to settle in. The Eagles weren’t super effective running the ball in this game but pass protection was solid.

Grade: B+

Defensive line

Nolan Smith: 4 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 2 TFL, 1 PD

The Steelers wanted to run the ball on Sunday but they simply couldn’t. They had 17 attempts for just 56 yards (3.3 per attempt) on Sunday. Starting running back Najee Harris had 6 carries for just 14 yards. The defensive line played a huge role in the run stuffs. Nolan Smith had a really active game. He and Josh Sweat had the Eagles’ only two sacks. 

Grade: A

Linebacker

Nakobe Dean: 10 tackles, 1 FF

Despite a bulky brace on his right elbow, Nakobe Dean still led the Eagles in tackles on Sunday and made some big run stops in this one. Zack Baun didn’t fill up the stat sheet like normal but still had a big game. He had tight coverage on that flea flicker to Calvin Austin III but somehow Austin was able to pull in the 31-yard catch. That was really the only big play the Steelers had.

Grade: A

Secondary

Darius Slay: 1 tackle, 1 FR

Entering Sunday, Russell Wilson had never lost to the Eagles; he was 6-0 all-time against the franchise. In this one, Wilson was without his top target George Pickens and couldn’t get much going. Wilson threw for just 128 yards. Darius Slay fought through an injury and had that fumble recovery in a crucial moment. The only Steelers’ touchdown came on a drive when Reed Blankenship was flagged for a very questionable unnecessary roughness call on Justin Fields.

Grade: A

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 2/2 on FGs — makes from 34 and 41 

After a tough game last week, Elliott bounce back to make both of his field goals in this game. He even made a 49-yarder that came off the board because of a penalty before then made a shorter kick. Braden Mann had a rare bad punt that went just 29 yards. And Cooper DeJean fumbled the ball on a punt return in the first half.

Grade: B-

Coaching

Record: 12-2

Nick Sirianni and the Eagles faced some adversity this week and they responded on Sunday. Give Sirianni credit for how everything this week was handled. To see the Eagles put together that game after a drama-filled week was impressive. As far as the on-field stuff, Kellen Moore had a great game plan for this Steelers defense and was able to get Hurts into a rhythm by using empty and plays designed to get the ball out quick. On defense, Vic Fangio consistently has his group playing like the best unit in the NFL.

Grade: A+

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