Eagles grades: Defensive line dominates; Jalen Hurts struggles in win over Lions

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 16-9 win over the Lions:

Jalen Hurts struggled again as a passer. He completed just 50% of his throws for 135 yards. He had some good throws and protected the football, per usual. Hurts also converted two long third downs on draw plays.

But he got off to a slow start and never got into rhythm. Hurts completed just 5 of his first 14 passes for 30 yards. But he was a perfect 4-for-4 on the touchdown drive before the half.

Hurts’ best moment to that point came when he evaded pressure from Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and hit receiver Jahan Dotson on the move for 34 yards in the third quarter.

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It was a tough row to hoe again for Saquon Barkley. He managed just 83 yards on 26 carries, but he got the job done in the Eagles’ four-minute offense. Barkley had some earlier moments, like an early 14-yard run on a toss to the left opposite an unbalanced line. But there wasn’t much room on the ground.

Tank Bigsby fared better. He got downhill on an outside zone run that went 17 yards and finished with 34 yards on four carries.

A.J. Brown got his wish, but it was an up-and-down night for the receiver. After his comments last week, Brown caught 6 of 8 targets for 43 yards — his most receptions in any first half of his career. He finished with seven grabs on 11 targets for 49 yards.

Brown had nice catches, including one that converted a third-and-10 from his knees. He also drew a late pass interference penalty. But his effort on a sideline route in which Hurts went to him deep seemed less than ideal in the third quarter. He later stumbled and was flagged for a low block.

DeVonta Smith didn’t have his first catch — his lone grab of the game — until the fourth quarter. He dropped what would have been a third-down conversion in the second quarter. Tight end Dallas Goedert caught two passes for 24 yards but dropped a pass on the Eagles’ first drive.

Dotson caught the Eagles’ longest pass of the game, a 34-yarder in the third quarter. Rookie Darius Cooper false-started on a Tush Push attempt. Tight end Grant Calcaterra had a nice wham block on Bigsby’s 17-yard run off the right. Barkley was down just short of the goal line, but tight end Cameron Latu had a nice lead block vs.Hutchinson on a 5-yard run before the half.

The unit lost right tackle Lane Johnson early in the game for the second straight week. He left with a foot injury a week after an ankle sprain knocked him out of the game until a late return. Fred Johnson, who earlier lined up as a blocking tight end, took over at right tackle. He took a bad false start penalty late in the game.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata did a lot of the heavy work against Hutchinson, helping to hold him to just a half-sack. Mailata had a holding penalty in the fourth quarter.

Center Cam Jurgens (knee) returned from a two-game absence. Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill slipped the center and got to Barkley in the backfield in the first quarter. Jurgens left in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Brett Toth.

Right guard Tyler Steen got beat on an inside rush, which led to Hurts taking a sack for an 11-yard loss. He was flagged for false-starting before a Tush Push attempt in the third quarter. The officials may have gotten it wrong, but Steen has been on the other side before. The Eagles were forced to punt two plays later.

Left guard Landon Dickerson wasn’t the only one, but he got pushed back when Barkley was dropped for a loss on third-and-1 in the first quarter. He had some key run blocks up the middle later, though.

The Eagles’ front led the way in grounding one of the better run offenses in the NFL. Running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery were held to just 3.7 yards per rush. The D-line was maybe more impressive in their pass rush.

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Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips led the way — again. He notched his first sack as an Eagle and had multiple pressures and run tackles off the edge. Phillips’ pressure off the edge hurried quarterback Jared Goff into an incomplete throw on fourth down in the third quarter. The Lions took advantage of Phillips’ aggressiveness with a screen pass to Gibbs that he took 42 yards after zig-zagging his way through the defense.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter set the tone early. He made an impressive tackle on third-and-1 in the second quarter and was in on the Eagles’ subsequent stop on fourth down. An impressive bull rush by Carter resulted in a holding penalty early on. The Eagles declined because an unblocked Phillips dropped Goff. Carter batted two passes.

Moro Ojomo seemingly was Carter’s equal. He knifed into the backfield and helped thwart the Lions’ fake punt in the second quarter. It took multiple bodies, but Ojomo also got Gibbs down by the knees on the Eagles’ first fourth-down denial. Jordan Davis came up with the first big play of the game when he batted a Goff pass that deflected for an interception. He tipped two more passes that fell incomplete.

Outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt didn’t get to Goff off the edge, but he got close and had several hits on the quarterback. Brandon Graham looped around and helped clog the middle on Gibbs’ failed fourth down run up the middle. He also had a pressure in the third quarter.

Zack Baun and the Eagles’ off-ball linebackers were excellent against the run and good in pass coverage. Baun led the Eagles in stops. He had a tackle for loss against the run early on.

Nakobe Dean blitzed and sacked Goff after running over Montgomery. He appeared to be out of his zone when receiver Jameson Williams caught a pass over the middle and went 40 yards for a touchdown. Jihaad Campbell got washed out on Gibbs’ 33-yard screen that converted a third-and-10 in the third quarter.

Quinyon Mitchell had his coming out party, at least nationally. He shut down the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown when matched up vs. the Lions receiver. Mitchell didn’t allow a completion when targeted, per Next Gen Stats. He was brilliant.

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Adoree’ Jackson had a rough first half but finished strong. On the few occasions Goff had success down the field, he found Jackson in coverage. The corner got caught playing too soft on a Williams deep crossing route that resulted in a 19-yard gain, and he trailed the receiver on another crosser that was taken to the house. Jackson did come up with a pass breakup on third down in the fourth quarter.

Cooper DeJean caught Davis’ deflection for his first interception of the season. DeJean was closest in pursuit after Gibbs caught a wide-open 17-yard pass in the flat out of the break.

Reed Blankenship and Drew Mukuba kept Goff from having success deep over the top. They rallied to the ball for four tackles apiece. Blankenship had a big hit on Gibbs in the third quarter. Earlier, he bit on play action and St. Brown caught a 34-yard pass over the safety. Mukuba appeared to overrun the play on Gibbs’ 42-yard screen.

Special teams coordinator Michael Clay’s units were sound all night, especially his cover units. The Eagles made stops on short returns with Kelee Ringo and Latu leading the way. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. took a 15-yard face mask penalty on a Braden Mann punt in the second quarter, though.

Kicker Jake Elliott was perfect on his kicks despite a gusty night. He nailed a 49-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. Mann averaged a solid 40.9 net yards on seven punts. The Eagles’ return game didn’t get much work.

Nick Sirianni just knows how to win and there’s a lot to be said for that. Forget how it looks. Just look at the standings. The Eagles are 8-2 and close to clinching the NFC East.

Sirianni has turned conservative, punting on fourth-and-2 on his own 42, and kicking a field goal on fourth-and-5 at the Lions 16 in the first half. But it made sense in a defensive slugfest. He also left his defense on the field when the Lions lined up to punt in the second quarter and the Eagles were ready for the fake. It was a long yard to go, but the Eagles didn’t go with the Tush Push and Barkley was dropped for a loss on a run up the middle. Sirianni didn’t mess around and dialed up Hurts’ number for a Tush Push touchdown before the break.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio delivered another masterclass. His unit was outstanding despite a few blips. The defense came up huge on fourth down with the Lions failing to convert in five tries.

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo‘s group had another sloppy effort. The Lions made it difficult, but so did some of his play-calling. In the first half, it often seemed like the Lions knew when certain plays were coming, especially on screens. The Eagles had four negative-yard plays before the break.