Eagles rise by position after big win over Steelers – NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles won their 10th straight game, dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at Linc.

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

The Eagles defeated the Steelers 401-163 and had 26 first downs while the Steelers suffered 10 losses. This was a big win for the Eagles as they prepare for the playoffs.

quarterback

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

After a tough game last week against the Panthers, Jalen Hurts responded great on Sunday. Against the Steelers, he was decisive and surgical. There have been questions about the passing game and Hurts all week, and he came out with a statement about the game. It was probably his best game of the 2024 season. The only negative play was a fumble when TJ Watt kicked the ball out.

Grade: A

Run back

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

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

Grade: B+

Recipient

AJ Brown: 8 catches, 110 yards, 1 TD; DeVonta Smith: 11 catches, 109 yards, 1 touchdown

AJ 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 passed for over 100 yards. This was the first game since the game against the Titans in 2022 in which each of them rushed for more than 100 yards with a touchdown. The Eagles included both early and often, answering a number of questions about the passing attack.

Grade: A

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 1 catch for 22 yards

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

Grade: B

Offensive line

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

Grade: B+

Defensive line

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

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

Grade: A

Linebackers

Nakobe Dean: 10 tackles, 1 FF

Despite a major right elbow strain, 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 as usual, but still had a big game. He had the Flea speedster well covered against Calvin Austin III, but somehow Austin managed to make the 31-yard catch. That was really the Steelers’ only big play.

Grade: A

Secondary

Darius Slay: 1 tackle, 1 FR

Russell Wilson had never lost to the Eagles on Sunday; He was 6-0 overall against the franchise. In this case, Wilson was without his main target, George Pickens, and couldn’t get much going. Wilson only threw for 128 yards. Darius Slay fought through an injury and struggled to recover at the crucial moment. The Steelers’ only 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 34 and 41

After a tough game last week, Elliott bounced back and made both field goals in this game. He even managed a 49-yarder that fell off the board due to a penalty before then taking a shorter free kick. Braden Mann had a rare bad punt that only went 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 responded on Sunday. Praise Sirianni for how everything was handled this week. Seeing the Eagles put this game together after a dramatic week was impressive. On the field, Kellen Moore had a great game plan for the Steelers defense and managed to get the Hurts into a rhythm by using empty plays designed to get the ball out quickly. On defense, Vic Fangio always has his team playing like the best unit in the NFL.

Grade: A+

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