Grading the Eagles: Birds earn 'A' for performance against Redskins | Paul Domowitch
How did the Eagles perform in each phase of the game?
The Eagles beat the Redskins, 28-13, to move to 6-6.
Paul Domowitch offers up his grades. Read what he has to say and let us know what you think.
Passing offense
Carson Wentz threw his first red-zone interception since his rookie year. But other than that, he had a solid game, throwing for 306 yards and two TDs. Golden Tate had his best game since the trade, catching seven passes for 85 yards, including a six-yard TD catch on the Eagles’ first possession that ended a six-game first-quarter scoring drought for the Eagles.
GRADE: A-minus
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Run offense
The Eagles came into the game with a 37.2 run-play percentage, which was the ninth lowest in the league. But the run game was a major part of their offense against the Redskins. They ran the ball a season-high nine times in the first quarter, 17 times in the first half and 33 times overall. Josh Adams and Corey Clement combined for 112 rushing yards and Darren Sproles had a 14-yard touchdown run in his first game since Week 1.
GRADE: A-minus
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Pass defense
With Colt McCoy KO’d early by a leg injury, the Redskins had to turn to Mark Sanchez, who they had signed off the street just two weeks earlier. That made life a lot easier for the Eagles’ slowly-healing secondary. Sanchez averaged just 4.8 yards per attempt, and Nate Gerry’s early-fourth quarter interception set up the Eagles’ final score.
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GRADE: A
Run defense
There’s no excuse for giving up that up-the-gut 90-yard touchdown run to Adrian Peterson in the second quarter. But they shut the door on Peterson the rest of the game, holding him to eight yards on his other eight carries.
GRADE: B-minus
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Special teams
Kake Elliott booted 46- and 44-yard field goals and was a perfect 6 for 6 on kickoffs for touchbacks. Cam Johnston punted just twice, but had a 46.0 net average. Darren Sproles was back returning punts, and had a 14-yard return.
GRADE: A
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Overall performance
The slowest starting team in the NFL finally started fast, scoring on their first possession for only the third time this season and the first time in six games. They used a balanced offense to put up 28 points. The defense allowed just one touchdown (a 90-yard run by Adrian Peterson). But it’s hard to make very much of that given the fact that the other team’s quarterback was Mark Sanchez. But hey, they’re 6-6 and still alive.
GRADE: A
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