Week 16 Eagles grades by position after crucial win vs. Giants

The Eagles got off to a slow start but then took care of business, beating the Giants 34-10 at Lincoln Financial Field.

Here’s a look at their position-by-position grades:

Quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 17/29, 199 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs

Hurts made some questionable decisions early in this game and was lucky to not turn the ball over. He was also victimized by some early drops. But overall, Hurts was much better in the second half. Even without a threat of his running (he had just 2 carries for 7 yards), he did more than enough for the Eagles to win.

Grade: B

Running back

Miles Sanders: 7 carries, 45 yards

Sanders (hand) and Jordan Howard (stinger) left this game early, which will be something to monitor this coming week. But between the two of them and Boston Scott, the Eagles’ running backs had 123 yards on the ground with a touchdown. That’s a solid effort.

Grade: B+

Receiver

DeVonta Smith: 5 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD

Smith had a very strong performance but the Eagles also got contributions from Quez Watkins (3/43) and Jalen Reagor (2/15) in this game. Smith’s toe-tapping catch in the end zone was an absolute beauty as were his and Watkins’ downfield catches.

Grade: B+

Tight end

Dallas Goedert: 2 catches, 28 yards

It must be something about playing the Giants that throws Goedert off. He had just 1 catch for 0 yards the last time against them and on Sunday had just 2 for 28 and had a bad drop early. This is a guy who has killed just about everyone else he’s faced over the last couple of months but the four-win Giants seems to slow him down. It’s weird.

Grade: C-

Offense line

The Eagles finished with 130 yards on the ground, which is considerably lower than their more recent standard, but a lot of that had to do with play-calling early in the game. The line was extremely solid. They kept Hurts clean — for the most part — in the pocket and, heck, Lane Johnson even caught a touchdown pass.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Milton Williams: 2 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits, 1 TFL

The Eagles’ defensive line had just two sacks, but they made life miserable for Jake Fromm, Mike Glennon and the Giants’ running backs. They played downhill all afternoon and took over the game. It seemed like everyone got involved. Fletcher Cox had his second strong game in a row. Josh Sweat was constantly in the backfield. And Williams made some huge plays as well.

Grade: A

Linebacker

Alex Singleton: 11 tackles, 1 PBU, 1 pick-6

T.J. Edwards had 16 tackles and nearly made a sprawling interception. Singleton had his second pick-6 in two years, returning this one 29 yards for a touchdown. And Genard Avery had the pressure on the Rodney McLeod interception that really turned the tide of the game.

Grade: A

Secondary

Rodney McLeod: 1 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PBU

Let’s start with that McLeod INT. Because that was the turning point in this game. McLeod intercepted that ball when the score was 3-3 and his return gave the Eagles the ball on the Giants’ 21-yard line. Not only that, but McLeod also knocked free the ball that Singleton returned for a touchdown. Fromm started the game for the Giants and had 25 passing yards. Slay did drop an interception but that was really the only blemish on a very good day.

Grade: A

Special teams

Jalen Reagor: 4 punt returns, 50 yards, long of 39

Jake Elliott’s consecutive streak of made field goals ended at 17 with a miss early and the Eagles narrowly avoided disaster when Kenny Gainwell fumbled on the opening kickoff. Jalen Reagor has struggled recently but his 39-yard punt return was a big play in this game. It gave the Eagles great field possession and although they settled for a field goal, it extended the lead to two scores.

Grade: B

Coaching

Eagles record: 8-7

I really didn’t like Nick Sirianni’s play selection early in this game. They were facing the NFL’s 26th-ranked run defense and they have been running over everybody for two months … and they come out passing the ball? It was curious. But it’s hard to fault them too hard for a win like that. Gannon, meanwhile, had a fine game plan on defense. And even though this game didn’t get off to a great start, the Eagles fought and did what they needed to. They are a tough team and toughness often mirrors leadership.

Grade: B

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