Eagles rank by position after huge win over the Bengals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
CINCINNATI – The Eagles fly back from Cincinnati with a 5-2 record after their second straight win.
This time it came against a better opponent.
That’s why we can consider the Eagles’ 37-17 win over the Bengals as the best and most complete win of the season. On Sunday afternoon at Paycor Stadium they were good in every phase and that is reflected in the numbers:
Quarterback
Jalen hurts: 16/20, 236 yards, 1 TD; 10 carries, 37 yards, 3 TDs
On the Eagles’ second drive of the game, Hurts had a really bad throw to Kenny Gainwell, who almost got knocked out. And that was actually his only bad play in this match. Hurts was efficient on Sunday and did everything the Eagles expected of him. He hit his targets all over the field and involved AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith and Grant Calcaterra in the passing game. And he even had some grandly designed runs and scrambles in this one. It was his best match of the season so far and he defeated Joe Burrow.
Grade: A
Run back
Saquon Barkley: 22 carries, 108 yards
After signing with the Eagles this offseason, Saquon Barkley played in seven games for the Birds. He has now rushed for more than 100 yards in four of them. Barkley only had 35 yards at halftime, but had some tough plays in the second half to help the Eagles kill the clock and walk away with another big win. He made some spectacular plays on the field and even one on the sideline when he interfered with a cameraman. Not much work for Kenny Gainwell in this one (5 for 19) and unfortunately Will Shipley had his first career touchdown taken away due to a hold. We did see more Ben VanSumeren as a wing defender; that’s not going anywhere.
Grade: A
Recipient
DeVonta Smith: 6 catches on 7 targets for 85 yards, 1 TD
It was no surprise to anyone that Smith followed up his 1-catch for -2 yards performance with a big game in Cincinnati. It seems like when Smith has a low-production game, the Eagles do their best to include him. Smith not only had a 45-yard touchdown catch, but he also made some big catches to move the chains. Not to be outdone, AJ Brown was 5 for 84 in this game. No other receiver was targeted, but that didn’t matter. Rookie Ainias Smith made his NFL debut and got some offensive snaps.
Grade: A
Tight end
Grant Calcaterra: 3 catches on 3 targets for 58 yards
The Eagles were again without Dallas Goedert (hamstring) in this game, but Calcaterra has proven to be a legitimate threat in the passing game. Hurts really seems to enjoy throwing the ball to Calcaterra and Calcaterra deserves those goals. He even had a nice block on Hurts’ 7-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. (And Goedert was the man who took the double knot out of Hurts’ boot in the second half – he contributes even when he’s not playing.)
Grade: B+
Offensive line
Fred Johnson played against his former team on Sunday and did an admirable job against Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson. The Eagles were without Jordan Mailata and Mekhi Becton in this game, but the offensive line held strong in pass protection and did enough to help the ground game get 161 yards on the ground.
Grade: A
Defensive line
Nolan Smith: 2 tackles, 1/2 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 PBU
The Eagles defensive line had just one sack on Burrow and it was split between Smith and Milton Williams. So they didn’t maintain the sack pace of the past two weeks, but they still did their job. And the Bengals just couldn’t run the football against them. Cincinnati had 20 carries for 58 yards (2.9) on the ground.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
Zack Baun: 12 tackles, 1 FF
There was one bust in the coverage where it looked like Nakobe bit Dean on a play fake, but other than that it was another strong game from Dean and Baun. Baun forced a fumble in the second half and Dean was there to jump on it. Dean had 9 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL and a fumble recovery.
Grade: A
Secondary
Cooper DeJean: 3 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU
The Bengals were without Tee Higgins in this game and that didn’t help their case, but they still had Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Chase had 9 catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. He’s going to get his, but the Eagles limited the damage. And they finally got an interception on an impressive play by Isaiah Rodgers against Chase, with Rodgers tipping the ball to CJ Gardner-Johnson. It was CJGJ’s first pick of the season and the first not to come from Reed Blankenship this season. Also a really big fourth-down tackle from Cooper DeJean, who continues to play well. DeJean dropped an interception and Quinyon Mitchell came very close again with his first. At some point these guys will be given a choice.
Grade: A
Special teams
Jake Elliott: 3/3 on FGs, 4/4 on PATs, 13 points
The Eagles avoided major catastrophes on special teams. Elliott made all three of his field goals of 39, 49 and 47 against the team that drafted him in 2017. Braden Mann’s lone punt was a 52-yarder that rolled into the end zone; You’d like to see him pin the Bengals deep there.
Quality: A-
Coaching
Balance: 5-2
The Eagles gave up a 10-minute touchdown drive on the first possession, but then Vic Fangio’s defense settled down. And Kellen Moore ultimately had a solid day as the play-caller on offense. As reporters were ushered into the locker room, Nick Sirianni ran around singing Michael Jackson’s “PYT” at the top of his lungs. The Eagles are now 3-0 since the buzz cut.
Grade: A
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