Looking back on yesterday's loss to the Seahawks was never going to be an easy task, but are there any positives we can take from the Eagles' offensive collapse? Here's a look at how each position played.
Quarterback
Awful.
Unfortunately, there's no other word to describe the game Carson Wentz had on Sunday. His stats show someone that maybe got 'a little unlucky' without his starting wide receiving group, star running back, and starting offensive line on the right side, but the tape shows a QB who just crumbled.
He missed open throws, coughed up the ball at an alarming rate, took way too many hits and sacks while trying to force the ball down the field, and failed to scan through his reads effectively.
From a quarterbacking perspective, this is the worst game we've seen from Wentz...period.
Grade: E
Running back
It's really hard to grade the running back position this week. Miles Sanders averaged over 5 yards per carry on 12 attempts but was missed on a pair of wide-open receptions that could have done some real damage. What's even more frustrating is that every run just seemed to be an outside-zone to the left with Dallas Goedert as a lead blocker. It got stale very quickly.
Jay Ajayi has a role as a short-yardage back so...that's cool?
Grade: C
Offensive line
Starting Dillard at RT was a mistake. I said that in an article before the game and not even a quarter into it, it proved to be true. Brandon Brooks had to sit this one out due to anxiety, giving Big V and Matt Pryor a chance to team up as they once did at TCU.
I don't think the line was as bad as it was last week, but that's not saying much. They still struggled and it ultimately did impact Carson Wentz and the struggles he faced.
Grade: D+
Tight end
Zach Ertz predictably led the team in receiving yards, while Dallas Goedert was targeted 8 times. The offense is becoming very TE focused which isn't a bad thing given the current state of the offense, but unless there's going to be some creativity injected soon, their success might be shortlived.
Grade: C
Wide receiver
Greg Ward Jr. picked up 40 yards and his first NFL receptions. Good for him. That's genuinely the only bright point offensively to take from this game and he absolutely deserves some credit.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside showed some toe-drag swag and made a big catch too, but outside of that, it was more of the same for a depleted WR group.
Grade: D
Continued on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive line
You couldn't really ask for much more from the defensive line on Sunday. Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox played with the same intensity from the first whistle until the last, despite the offense throwing away the gift of possession on countless occasions.
Schwartz presented five-man fronts again and really tried to keep Russell Wilson inside the pocket, which worked beautifully. They held the budding MVP to 15 rushing yards, 200 passing yards, 1TD and 1 INT. A lot of that comes from the product of pressure and there was plenty of it.
Grade: B-
Linebacker
I'm not quite sure what Nate Gerry had for breakfast, but I'd like to order a box of it. 2 QB hits, 0.5 TFL and 0.5 sacks sound impressive, but he had an excellent pass breakup in coverage that really stood out.
Nigel Bradham led the team in tackles in his return to the field and even Alex Singleton made an impact. This was a much better game from a linebacker corps that had suffered from inconsistency in recent weeks.
Cornerback
Ronald Darby can't tackle (I'll pretend to be shocked and act like I haven't preached this since the moment he re-signed) and it stung the Eagles yet again, but overall, aside from a couple of deep shots and a trick play, they played really well.
Jalen Mills has been in the form of his life since coming back from injury and it's really exciting to see, while Avonte Maddox is seemingly back to his best too.
Grade: B-
Safety
Malcolm Jenkins really stood out on Sunday in what was easily his most dominant game of the season, while Rodney McLeod picked off Russell Wilson. The duo combined for 5 QB hits, but Jenkins claimed 4 along with 2 sacks and 2 TFL.
Rampage.
Grade: A
Special teams
Jake Elliott was money once again but Cameron Johnston did seem to waver a little for the first time in...forever? Not the best, but not the worst outing by Fipp's unit.
Grade: C
What would you grade this game? Let us know in the comments!
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
