It’s another week of excitement surrounding Eagles football. The Eagles improved to 3-0 with a 37-34 win over the Redskins on Sunday.
But just as they did the previous two weeks, it didn’t come without drama and flaws to the system.
As the schedule turns and focuses now on a Week 4 game in San Francisco, there are some glaring areas hurting the Eagles. Here is the weekly report card.
Pass offense: After two weeks struggling to get going in this area, Nick Foles turned in his best game of the season. What you saw on Sunday is the potential of this offense. Jeremy Maclin still has it. Jordan Matthews can become a stud. The tight ends weren’t even utilized all that much and Foles played as well as he has all season. There were a handful of bad passes, but for the most part, the Eagles didn’t have a choice but to use the passing game. They used it well. A
Run offense: The running backs were invisible. That’s more a credit to the Redskins defense, who seemed prepared to take out LeSean McCoy at all costs. If anything, I have a problem with the lack of use of Darren Sproles in this area after being a game-changer in the first two weeks. The Eagles may have used the pass well – and for good reason given McCoy’s performance – but they could have tried a few different options out of the backfield. C
Pass defense: This was also an ugly area for the Eagles. Bradley Fletcher made some plays, but was burned countless times. Cary Williams was beat on DeSean Jackson’s touchdown. But one number really sums up the pass defense’s game: 427 passing yards for Kirk Cousins. They made big plays when needed – like Malcolm Jenkins fourth-quarter interception – but not enough of them. C+
Run defense: I thought Alfred Morris would be a troublemaker for the Redskins facing a battered linebacker group for the Eagles. He didn’t make much noise. Whether that’s because of his temporary time on the sidelines with injury or just an open field with the passing game doesn’t really matter. Morris didn’t control the game and he certainly seemed like the go-to guy for Washington. Props to the Eagles line, especially Fletcher Cox who seemed very up to the task of Morris, in this game. A-
Special teams: As in Week 1, special teams played a pivotal role in this game. Cody Parkey continues to shine, making three field goals including one from 51 yards. Chris Polk got the scoring started with a 102-yard kick return touchdown that was the result of excellent blocking. Donnie Jones’ poor punt late in the game almost cost the Eagles the win. Still, not a lot of flaws can be found from this group. A-
Overall: The running game will have to get going eventually, and if it can’t, it will show in the Eagles record soon. The passing defense has be better next week or else. This was one of the early-season games a lot of people were giving the Eagles as a win. They delivered, but just as it was in Week 1, they haven’t been stomping the opponent. Instead, they’ve been trying to outrun the opponent with tempo. Between the mistakes made on defense this week and the lack of balanced offense, that may not work in San Francisco. B+
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
