For the second time this season, the Eagles fell to a 17-defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, but there is no questioning which loss hurt more. As upsetting as this defeat was to take, the Eagles made a strong account of themselves. How well did they play? For the penultimate time this year (season report-card pending), it's time to get out your whiteboards and markers.
Quarterback
Heartbreakingly, this grade isn't about Carson Wentz, but rather 40-year old Josh McCown who played in his first-ever playoff game on Sunday. The 17-year veteran stepped up in relief of the stricken Carson Wentz and completed 18/24 passes for 174 yards.
McCown wasn't perfect. Far from it, in fact. But he made some big-time throws and showed confidence in his receivers. That confidence stretched as far as Shelton Gibson, whose PI draw was his biggest contribution as an Eagle yet...and he was a draft pick who was cut a few years after.
Could McCown have been a little smarter at times? Maybe. Did he try to do too much? Definitely. Can you blame him? Absolutely not. It was an incredibly admirable showing from a quarterback who left it all out on the field in a very difficult spot.
Grade: B-
Running back
The Eagles didn't have a lot of success running the ball on the surface, but maybe that's because of drives being stifled by penalties and missed opportunities elsewhere. Miles Sanders averaged 4.9 yards per carry, while Boston Scott tallied 48 total scrimmage yards.
The screen-game disappeared toward the end of the game, but it's hard to ask anything more from the Eagles running backs than what they did on Sunday.
Bonus points for Miles Sanders and his matrix-like reception.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
Penalties, penalties, penalties. The Eagles were without Lane Johnson and Brandon Brooks, but there were just a few too many inconsistencies this time around. A miscommunication on that second fourth-down attempt caused pressure to fly into the face of Josh McCown, who was running for his life all night long, taking six sacks in the process. Definitely not their best night.
Grade: C-
Tight End
Zach Ertz played through two rib fractures, a rib cartilage fracture AND a separate kidney injury, and still had 44 receiving yards on the night. Dallas Goedert led the team in receiving, setting a career-high in postseason receptions and was manhandling the Seahawks as a run-blocker. There was one play where he literally moved two defenders at once down the field. Unreal.
Grade: B+
Wide receiver
When Shelton Gibson makes the biggest play of the day on a drawn PI, that says a lot. Greg Ward Jr and Deontay Burnett were the only other Eagles wideouts to make a catch in a game where Seattle played a lot of man-to-man in an attempt to really exploit their lack of prowess at the position. Credit where it's due, they gave it all they had...but a breakout just wasn't on the cards.
Grade: D
Defensive grades on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Defensive line
Fletcher Cox was the most disruptive he's been all year long. 3 TFL and 1 QB hit don't do him justice, he was an absolute wrecking ball on Sunday and it helped names like Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry feast on Russell Wilson, largely taking away his dynamicsm for the most part...until they burned out after an exhausting game.
Again, there's not much more you could ask from this group, who were a force to be reckoned with in containing the rushing attack from both QB and RB.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
A missed tackle from Nigel Bradham and a flying Nate Gerry allowing a dump pass to Marshawn Lynch stand out here. The linebacking corps needs examining this offseason. There were some positives to take, but just as the narrative has been all year, the middle of the field is a danger-zone with so many missed plays and assignments.
Grade: D
Cornerback
It wasn't a great day for the Eagles corners, who also missed tackles. But, they did make a flurry of strong plays. LeBlanc, Mills, and Maddox all flashed their potential, while demonstrating how much growth there is left to harness. Pass defense has been a weakness all year, and it featured glimpses of both improvement and regression on Sunday evening.
Grade: C-
Safety
Outside of a busted coverage on the DK Metcalf touchdown, Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod played exceptionally. Marcus Epps even got in on the action with a big play down the stretch. The group played hard, set the tone, and were constantly around the ball.
Grade: B
Special teams
Jake Elliott was money all night long and Cameron Johnston deserves a statue outside of the Linc. Oh, and shoutout to Duke Riley for unrelenting hustle on punt returns.
How would you grade this game? Let us know in the comments below!
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
