Eagles grades: Defensive excellence compensates for a timid offense in a sloppy win over the Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 10-7 win over the Packers on Monday night:

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense looked sluggish for most of the game. But the quarterback and his unit came through in the clutch. Hurts had two big-time throws in the fourth quarter. He found DeVonta Smith matched up alone on a deep cross/corner route. His pass was underthrown, but his receiver pulled in the jump ball for a 36-yard touchdown.

Later on, Hurts hooked up with Smith again on a 16-yard out route that converted a third-and-10. He had some shaky moments and struggled to see the field — like when he overthrew an open Grant Calcaterra on a seam route in the third quarter. There was also a costly fumble on the Eagles’ opening drive. But Hurts did what he does more than any current quarterback and that’s win.

The Eagles’ running game issues returned. Saquon Barkley rushed for only 60 yards on 22 carries. Despite the struggles to get much going on the ground, Barkley had the play of the game to that point as a receiver. After catching a pass in the flat, he spun away from a would-be tackler and picked up 41 yards in the fourth quarter.

Barkley had no chance on some of his carries. In the third quarter, with Hurts under center, Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt was on the running back in milliseconds for a 6-yard loss.

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Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley picked up a combined 24 yards on seven totes. Shipley converted an early third down when he caught an 11-yard pass on a scramble drill.

Receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith went long stretches without many targets, but the latter delivered when he outjumped safety Evan Williams for the team’s lone touchdown in the fourth quarter. Smith’s route on the 16-yard out was precise.

Brown, who took an illegal shift penalty in the second quarter, saw just three passes come his way in his return after a one-game absence. He caught the first two for 13 yards, while the third was a deep shot that fell incomplete on a fourth down with under 30 seconds to play.

With the receivers drawing extra attention from the Packers secondary, tight end Dallas Goedert was Hurts’ main outlet. He caught four passes for 43 yards, including a 22-yard catch over the middle. He drew a third-down pass interference penalty in the second quarter.

Darius Cooper slipped and injured his shoulder on what appeared to be a pass designed to go to the receiver on the Eagles’ first series.

No. 2 tight end Calcaterra had more ups and downs as a blocker. Tight ends Cameron Latu and Kylen Granson split time as the up back in various formations.

The Eagles managed to hold Micah Parsons without a sack. The Packers edge rusher had some pressures, but particularly an early one when matched up inside vs. right guard Tyler Steen. But the Eagles’ tackles kept the game-wrecker away from Hurts.

Lane Johnson left late in the first half with an ankle injury when Packers safety Evan Williams fell into his left leg. Fred Johnson, who was the sixth offensive lineman on several earlier plays, was his replacement at right tackle. Johnson mostly held up, but he was late to pick up a run-blitzing Quay Walker, who dropped Bigsby in the backfield in the third quarter.

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Lane Johnson returned late in the fourth quarter and was pivotal in the four-minute offense that moved the ball into Packers territory.

Center Brett Toth filled in again for the injured Cam Jurgens (knee). He had his moments, but it was a grind. Toth’s holding penalty brought back a 21-yard Barkley run in the second quarter. Left tackle Jordan Mailata had a rough first half with two false starts. He also slipped on a pull block and Barkley ran into him for a loss.

It took all of three plays for the Eagles to use the Tush Push, a play the Packers tried to get banned in the offseason. The Birds probably got away with a false start, but Hurts picked up the first down running behind Mailata and Landon Dickerson on the left.

The big boys up front led a defense that manhandled a potent Packers offense. New addition Jaelan Phillips got the start at outside linebacker and had a great debut. His pressure on the Packers’ opening possession resulted in Jalyx Hunt getting a sack. Phillips was also effective as a run defender and tallied six total tackles. Hunt, too, had his moments and dropped Jacobs for a 4-yard loss in the third quarter. Phillips was in the backfield on Reed Blankenship’s game-clinching forced fumble with just over a minute to play and recovered an earlier fumble.

Outside linebacker Nolan Smith returned after a five-game absence. He was credited with a sack when the pocket collapsed on Love just before the half. Smith’s pressure off the edge forced Love into an errant pass late in the game.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter batted two passes in the first half. Moro Ojomo shot into the backfield and helped force a run for loss in the second quarter. Jordan Davis assisted on three run stops. Brandon Graham played in his first game since coming out of retirement.

Nakobe Dean was at the center of keeping Packers running back Josh Jacobs mostly in check (21 carries for 74 yards). He green-dog blitzed Love and was credited with a strip sack. It ended the Packers’ lone productive drive of the first half and kept at least a field goal off the board. A play earlier, Dean’s mush rush blitz contained the Packers quarterback and resulted in Smith’s sack. Dean finished with seven stops. Zack Baun had one more tackle than his linebacking mate and was his typical menacing self.

Jihaad Campbell lined up at outside linebacker on some base personnel downs. He appeared to get sealed off the edge on Jacobs’ 11-yard run outside in the second quarter. Campbell’s pass interference on a fourth-quarter wheel route resulted in a 21-yard gain into the red zone. Two plays later, Jacobs carried the rookie and other Eagles into the end zone.

With Packers coach Matt LaFleur’s commitment to the run, the Eagles’ secondary didn’t get as much work as normal. But the defensive backfield mostly answered the bell when called upon. Adoree’ Jackson got the start on the outside after missing a game because of a concussion. He got stiff-armed on a Jacobs catch-and-run for a first down on the Packers’ opening drive. Jackson had some nice plays in coverage, though.

Quinyon Mitchell had tight coverage on a deep third-down pass to receiver Christian Watson on the Packers’ first drive. He got dinged on the play but returned. Receiver Dontayvion Wicks caught a 20-yard pass over Mitchell in the third quarter. But Mitchell was otherwise sound in coverage and had two pass breakups.

Cooper DeJean didn’t have his best game. He trailed Watson on a 20-yard completion in the third quarter after he committed a holding penalty that was declined. DeJean had another hold that was declined on the Packers’ next possession.

The Eagles’ two new faces — Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter — didn’t contribute much. Alexander didn’t make the trip and Carter was rarely used, if at all. Jakorian Bennett was inactive even though his practice window was opened before the bye after a stint on injured reserve.

Drew Mukuba had a quiet night deep in the post, but when Love was forced to throw deep in the middle of the field, he completed a 25-yard pass to Watson ahead of the late-arriving safety on the Packers’ penultimate drive.

Blankenship had one of his better games in recent memory. He had seven tackles, one forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and helped thwart a fourth-down pass in the third quarter.

Kicker Jake Elliott’s 39-yard field goal gave the Eagles the first points of the game in the third quarter.

Braden Mann averaged 39.2 net yards on five punts. He flipped the field with a massive 66-yard punt in the second quarter. Mann then uncharacteristically shanked one for 31 yards on his next boot. Kelee Ringo’s holding penalty negated a solid Mann’s punt late in the first half and resulted in a 24-yard net gain for the Packers on the redo.

Xavier Gipson handled punt-return duties for a second straight game. He had an 18-yard return in the second quarter and averaged 15.5 yards on two returns overall.

Coach Nick Sirianni just keeps his team humming along with another win that moved the Eagles to 7-2. There were some questionable decisions, however. LaFleur was just worse. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was overly timid in his play calling. The Eagles added to their league-leading three-and-out total with three more vs. the Packers.

I’m never a fan of coward’s draws, no matter the distance, and Patullo called one on third-and-14 in the second quarter in which Shipley was the ball carrier and dropped well short of the marker. He had Hurts hand off to Shipley again just before the half, even though the Eagles needed just about 17 yards to get into Elliott’s range and had three timeouts.

Patullo’s conservative play-calling continued on the opening drive of the second half when he essentially settled for a field goal with a third-and-12 handoff to Shipley.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had the Packers offense out of sorts through most of the night. Green Bay gained just 143 yards on its first seven possessions. There were some late-game nail-biting scenarios, but the defense came through in the end.