Eagles Report Card: Grading Birds’ victory vs. Rams by position
Better to learn from a win than a loss
From Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/2bprmy7m
PHILADELPHIA — Here’s the Eagles’ postgame report card after a crazy 33-26 win over the Rams on Sunday, capped by Jordan Davis’ walk-off blocked field goal return at the final horn.
Quarterback: B+
For two dreadful quarters, the passing game sputtered (-1 yards). And Jalen Hurts fumbled the ball away at the Eagles’ 13-yard line early in the third to set up a Rams touchdown. Then Hurts found rhythm — and his talented receivers — and the sticks started to move.
He finished 21 of 32 for 226 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, adding a short rushing score, all while engineering a 19-point comeback and drilling the go-ahead 4-yard out to DeVonta Smith on fourth down with 1:48 left.
The key second-half explosives — a 38-yard rainbow to A.J. Brown and a 33-yard TD to Dallas Goedert — flipped the field and the feel.
“We just had to go out there, execute and play our brand,” Hurts said.
Running backs: C
Saquon Barkley rarely had clean daylight and couldn’t shake tackles early. He ground out 46 yards on 18 carries (2.6 per), with most of his modest gains arriving after the passing game loosened the box. He also had a rough rep in blitz pickup that contributed to a sack.
A.J. Dillon played but didn’t record a touch. While Barkley’s overall production wasn’t there, his late runs helped get the offense on schedule. It wasn’t surprising the Rams’ defense keyed on him, considering he rang up 460 combined rushing yards in the teams’ previous two meetings.
Wide receivers/Tight ends: A-
This was the A.J. Brown spark the offense had been missing. He finished with six catches for 109 yards and a touchdown, forced a crucial pass-interference in the end zone, and powered through tackles to move the chains in the fourth.
Smith (8-60-1) provided the decisive score on fourth down — steady, sharp and clutch. Goedert’s lone catch was the 33-yard score that finally stressed L.A.’s zone. The ancillary targets were quiet, but the stars carried it when it mattered.
Once the Eagles finally got their receiving weapons involved, they were off to the races. Maybe they should start doing this earlier going forward.
Offensive line: B-
An uneven day that stabilized after the reshuffle at right tackle. Future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson exited with a neck injury, replacement Matt Pryor struggled out of halftime, and Fred Johnson’s entry steadied protection and perked up the run game to the right edge.
The group still had penalties and breakdowns early, but converted all three quarterback sneaks to extend drives. Coach Nick Sirianni later lauded Johnson’s value and credited the staff for the in-game switch.
Defensive line: B
Not much early surge against the run or against Rams QB Matthew Stafford, then the interior woke up. The edge rush was mostly muted and the unit logged just one sack, but situational stops kept the door cracked for the rally.
“There’s something dangerous about a team that doesn’t stop coming,” Sirianni said.
Linebackers: B+
Zack Baun set the tone with some impactful tackles, an early interception and a series of third-down plays that forced kicks, then briefly left before returning. Rookie Jihaad Campbell had some issues against the run, then battled back and drew a key holding penalty near the goal line. Not a splash-play avalanche, but timely work in space and on money downs shaped the middle of the field for this corps
Cornerbacks: B+
Quinyon Mitchell competed against Davante Adams in high-leverage snaps and responded after a defensive pass interference call. Nickel Cooper DeJean’s day was feisty and imperfect — a missed tackle here, a red-zone pass deflection there. CB2 Adoree’ Jackson provided some decent run support with but missed some tackles and allowed yards-after-catch before exiting (groin), forcing late snaps from Jakorian Bennett. The group tightened on third downs in the second half and disrupted the Rams’ perimeter game.
Safeties: B
Reed Blankenship lost a downfield hand fight on a 44-yard shot to Adams but later broke up a fade in the end zone. Adams should have been called for offensive PI on the 44-yarder. Drew Mukuba and Sydney Brown rotated by package; Brown missed one open-field tackle yet flew to the ball on teams and defense. Overall, improved discipline and leverage helped hold the Rams to three in several red-zone trips.
Special teams: A-
Two blocks in the fourth. First, Jalen Carter blew up a field goal attempt, then Jordan Davis delivered the play of the year by blocking the final kick and rumbling it back 61 yards for the final score — at 18.5 mph, the fastest speed on record for a ball carrier weighing over 300 pounds.
Braden Mann netted 42.3 yards on four punts and Jake Elliott was perfect on PATs. The blemish: a chaotic day fielding those knuckling kickoffs from the Rams, with multiple muffs and short returns that repeatedly put the offense behind the eight ball. Results still speak loudest: seven points saved, six points scored, game over.
Coaching: B-
It was choppy — an insular first half on offense that showed no daring — but at least the staff adjusted (out of necessity) with more tempo, quicker intermediate concepts, and a right-tackle change that stabilized things. (Plenty of staffs don’t adjust, and lose.)
Sirianni credited his coaches and called tempo “a weapon for us.” Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s second-half sequencing finally put stress on L.A.’s coverage rules. The Eagles' defense bent but hardened in the red area, and special teams ended up winning the day.
Big picture
A flawed first half gave way to a bold second-half identity that featured stars making plays and coordinators leaning into what works. The lesson going forward: Get the ball to the playmaking receivers, which will also open up the offense for Barkley in the running game. Don't overthink. This roster, when maximized, can do it all.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.