The Eagles fell just short of the mark in a heroic comeback bid against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but what did we learn? It's time to take a closer look at each positional group before we look forward to preparations for a short week.
Quarterback
What Carson Wentz did in the fourth quarter yesterday is something that very few quarterbacks could. Against an elite defense, who forced a bodge-job offensive line to give up 16 hits and 6 sacks, Wentz pushed the offense to 22 points in the final stanza in the ultimate quarter of 'YOLO' ball. He wasn't perfect, but this was very much a performance to silence the doubters and galvanize a locker room. The toughness and heart are unquestioned.
It was also really encouraging to see more from Jalen Hurts. The Eagles offense really thrived when he was on the field, amassing over 100 yards and playing a part in the huge 74-yard breakoff Miles Sanders touchdown run.
The duo of Wentz and Hurts did just about everything they could've done to put their team in a position to win yesterday.
Grade: B
Running back
Miles Sanders once again showed how lethal he can be in open space, but those flashes in the pan are all we're going to see so long as the offensive line continues to be comprised of players with minimal NFL experience behind them. Boston Scott remains ineffective but it doesn't help that the Eagles are constantly getting away from the run due to sluggish starts offensively and early deficits. It's hard to really grade them as a result.
Grade: D
Offensive line
Yeah, not great. Wentz is on pace to be sacked 66 times this season, which is a ridiculously high number. With injuries ripping through the group, Wentz has taken 5+ sacks in back-to-back games, which hasn't happened to an Eagles QB since 2001.
Jamon Brown gave up 2 sacks, 4 hits, 3 hurries and 9 pressures, according to PFF. By himself.
Brett Toth got his first taste of NFL action and was immediately bulldozed by Marlon Humphrey.
The Eagles might need to bring in some help soon, because this is getting terrifyingly bad.
Grade: F
Tight End
Zach Ertz put up 33 yards before being pulled from the game with an injury in a game that saw a definite step forward, and a debatable step back. Ertz still doesn't look 'right' and that's bad news for an offense that should be leaning on him now more than ever.
Instead, Richard Rodgers made us to this...
https://twitter.com/PhiladelphiaSN/status/1317924246014840837?s=20
And Jason Croom became the latest practice squad hero to steal our hearts by hauling in a touchdown pass. How could we discredit such a heartwarming moment?
Grade: C
Wide receiver
Travis Fulgham took a while to get going, but chalk on another 6 receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. That's touchdowns in 3 consecutive weeks for the Fulg Meister General for those counting at home.
John Hightower had a soul-crushing drop early in the matchup and (kinda) redeemed himself later on with a (wide open) 50-yard reception.
Greg Ward Jr. took his next step in the journey to becoming a bonafide star by making a saucy toe-drag catch in a clutch moment...and even JJAW scored a touchdown...somehow.
All things considered, not a bad day at the office at all.
Grade: B-
Defensive line
Malik Jackson is a runaway train and I am living for every play he tears into the backfield like a hot Knife through butter. The front-four did a great job of suffocating the run...at least as far as the actual RB's were concerned.
Josh Sweat continued to show out, getting his hands on a couple of passes, pressuring Lamar Jackson consistently, and rallying to 3 TFL.
Overall, the unit did about as well as they could, but I still want to see more from Fletcher Cox, who is still sailing swiftly under the radar.
Grade: C
Linebacker
Nate Gerry was absolutely dreadful (shock) and cost the team dearly, but there were positives to take. Alex Singleton played a really good game, tying Gerry for the team-lead in tackles, and we saw some actual snaps from Shaun Bradley and Davion Taylor. The inexperience was clear, but the bar is so low that any sign of development has to be considered as a positive and I think we saw that on Sunday.
Grade: C-
Cornerback
Darius Slay did Darius Slay things and oddly enough, the corners (NRC aside) didn't seem too bad. Cre'Von LeBlanc had a solid day out, we saw a brief spurt from UDFA Elijah Riley, and the tackling across the unit was fairly sound.
Grade: C
Safety
Getting Will Parks back was huge and he played a massive role in limiting what we saw from Mark Andrews. Rodney McLeod has had better days at the office, but wasn't bad by any means outside of a couple of bad calls. The back-end was, much like the corners, surprisingly solid.
Grade: C
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
