The Eagles improve their position after a narrow win over the Panthers

Eagles rank by position after narrow win over Panthers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles went into Sunday as clear favorites against the Panthers and while they were able to come away with a win, it was a little too close for comfort.

No blowout in this case.

But the Eagles were able to pull out a 22-16 victory and improve their season record to 11-2.

Here are our grades by position:

quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 14/21, 108 yards, 2 touchdowns; 8 runs, 59 yards, 1 touchdown

It was a shaky game for the Eagles’ quarterback and their passing offense in general. Several offensive players expressed frustration with the state of the passing game and Jalen Hurts admitted he needs to get better. That doesn’t mean he didn’t do some good things on Sunday. He was able to pick up some big yards on the ground on scrambles and managed a 35-yard run on a key 3rd-and-11 on the final play of the third quarter to set up the Eagles’ game-winning touchdown. But Hurts struggled to find a rhythm in this game and made some questionable decisions, like when he took a 9-yard sack to avoid a five-yard penalty. But he also made some nice throws, like a conversion to AJ Brown on a third-and-long and the touchdown to Grant Calcaterra.

Grade: C

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 20 carries, 124 yards

Saquon Barkley was 108 yards shy of the single-season franchise record set by LeSean McCoy in 2013 entering the fourth quarter in that game. Barkley averaged 6.2 yards per carry in that game and is up to 1,623 yards this season and is still on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s NFL record for rushing yards in a season. Kenny Gainwell also threw for 26 yards on three carries, including a 20-yarder.

Grade: A

Recipient

AJ Brown: 4 catches on 4 targets, 43 yards

Brown showed some frustration during this game, and that’s understandable. The Eagles’ passing offense struggled to get much going on Sunday, and Brown finished the game with just four goals and didn’t see his first goal until late in the first half. DeVonta Smith returned from a hamstring injury and went 4 for 37 and a touchdown. The only other receiver to have a catch was Jahan Dotson, who went 1-for-5.

Grade: B

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 3 catches on 3 targets for 16 yards, 1 touchdown

The Eagles did not have Dallas Goedert in this game. The Eagles placed their starting tight end on IR on Saturday, meaning he will miss at least three more games. Calcaterra filled the ball and caught a 4-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter that clinched the game. It was his first career touchdown. The Eagles also had CJ Uzomah and EJ Jenkins as blockers in this game.

Grade: B

Offensive line

Hurts was sacked four times in this game, but it felt like he applied a lot of pressure himself. But that doesn’t mean it was a perfect game from the O-line, which wasn’t great in pass defense. They shared frustration with the shaky passing offense. But the line prevented Barkley from hitting 124 and a 6.2 average.

Grade: B

Defensive line

Jalen Carter: 3 tackles, 3 QB hits, 2 TFLs

Another week of Jalen Carter being a threat to the opposing offensive line. According to NFL NextGen Stats, he had a career-high 6 pressures and 38 pass rushes. He also had a few QB hits in his first season. But the Eagles struggled at times to contain Chuba Hubbard, and the only sack against Bryce Young came from a linebacker despite some chances. Josh Sweat had Young under control late in the game deep in Carolina territory, but Young was able to break free and convert a huge third down through the air. A couple of good tries from Jordan Davis and Jalyx Hunt in pursuit of Young.

Grade: B

Linebackers

Zack Baun: 11 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 3 TFLs

Eagles free agent pickup Zack Baun continues to make one big play after another. He seems to have a knack for that. Nakobe Dean ended up leading the team with 12 tackles. We mentioned that Hubbard was able to gain some yards after contact on this play. According to NFL NextGen Stats, he forced 10 missed tackles for the Eagles.

Grade: A-

Secondary

CJ Gardner-Johnson: 6 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBUs

It wasn’t a perfect game from CJ Gardner-Johnson, who was the closest player to a touchdown pass in the second quarter and didn’t make a good play on a near-deep touchdown in the fourth. But give CJGJ a ton of credit for this game. He battled multiple injuries, had an interception and a huge hit early in the game. Also, give credit to Darius Slay for the huge PBU on fourth down that secured the win. Slay and Cooper DeJean were targeted and allowed a few catches, but ultimately the defense did enough. It was a quiet day for Quinyon Mitchell; Teams just don’t throw at him. While Tristin McCollum was fine, the Eagles were without Reed Blankenship (concussion), who could be back next week.

Grade: B+

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 0/1 on FG; Miss from 52

The Eagles could have a legitimate kicker problem. Jake Elliott missed a 52-yarder and is now 0 of 5 from 50+ this season. And then Nick Sirianni decided to punt in the fourth quarter instead of attempting a field goal from about 55 yards out. Braden Mann had a great punt and Avonte Maddox made a great play as a shooter (replacing Sydney Brown) and hit the ball on 2nd down. Kelee Ringo also had a big tackle early on as a shooter.

Grade: B

Coaching

Record: 11-2

Sirianni’s decision to go for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter will be the subject of much conversation next week. He explained that there was some wind on that side of the field and he was comfortable putting the Panthers in a backup situation. Kellen Moore’s offense continues to struggle to start games; The Eagles again failed to score in the first quarter. It wasn’t the best game for Vic Fangio’s defense either, but they only gave up 16 points in the end.

Grade: B-

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