Jalen is hurting badly, D-Line is not coming home

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night:

Quarterback: B-

Jalen injured was solid until he threw the game-winning interception when he didn’t have to push the ball forward. The quarterback was impressive as a runner — seemingly for the first time in two years. He ran for 85 yards on 13 attempts. But as a passer, he seemed lost — at times — with his favorite target, AJ Brown, out with a hamstring strain. Hurts completed 23 of 30 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown.

But his turnover — after the Eagles survived three of his turnovers in Week 1 — was a killer. There were others more to blame for that crushing loss. Hurts, though, needs to improve.

Running back: B+

Saquon Barkley was dynamic again. In his first two games with the Eagles, he had more than 20 carries. The former Penn State star finished the game with 95 rushing yards on 22 carries. He also caught four passes for 21 yards. Barkley didn’t play on the first drive, but he was brilliant on the second, running four times for 39 yards. But he was replaced as a substitute. Kenneth Gainwelland the drive stalled. When Barkley returned and Gainwell left the field, the crowd erupted in cheers. But it was too late, and two pass plays resulted in the Eagles losing the ball on a punting attempt.

Barkley had a tougher time the rest of the game, but he did have some impressive runs, even if they were short-lived. He used his muscle to convert a two-point attempt after the Eagles’ lead touchdown in the fourth inning. He later had a drop on third down when a pass reception could have clinched the win.

” READ MORE: Nick Sirianni needs the Eagles defense to save him. Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter can’t do that.

Receiver / Tight End: B-

DeVonta Smith became the overwhelming No. 1 receiver when Brown went down. He caught a key 18-yard pass on the Eagles’ first scoring drive and scored the resulting touchdown. Smith deftly caught a 7-yard pass in the back of the end zone. He stumbled but caught a 19-yard pass near the sideline in the third inning. Smith finished the game with a team-high seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Recipient Jahan Dotson had his first catch of the season and also broke a tackle to get an early first down. He had a nice lead block on a catch and run by Barkley that converted a late third down. Great Britain Covey played the most snaps of his career when Brown was out. He caught six passes for 23 yards. He had a big catch on third down on a scramble drill in the fourth inning.

Tight end Dallas Goedert had a quiet first half with just one catch for 9 yards. He didn’t see the ball again until the fourth, when he caught a key 16-yard pass. His replacement, Grant Calcaterrawas nearly as busy with two catches for 19 yards. His three rushes in two games nearly match last season’s total of four. Calcaterra seemed to be good as a run blocker, but he had a missed block that led to a tackle for a loss on a Barkley rush in the second quarter.

Recipient Johnny Wilson was called for holding in the fourth quarter, which gave Barkley a long run into the red zone. Third tight end EJ Jenkins appeared to be responsible for a missed block that led to Barkley being tackled in the backfield in the second quarter.

Attack line: B

The Eagles’ blockers opened up some gaping holes for Barkley, many of them in the middle behind a combination of center Cam Jurgens and either guard — Mekhi Becton or Landon Dickerson. Becton had a nice block on Barkley’s first 9-yard run. After struggling with the tush push in Week 1, Jurgens and Co. helped set up a short touchdown from Hurts and a fourth down attempt in the fourth inning.

In pass protection, Hurts did not come under much pressure unless he held the ball for more than three seconds. Becton and right tackle Michael Johnson allowed some pressure on the Eagles’ third possession by switching defensive lines. The former had trouble stopping a stunt in the third period that led to a sack.

Left Tackle Jordan Mailata and Johnson sealed the edges well — for the most part. Dickerson was slow to get going when Barkley dropped back on him in the second quarter, but he played the rest of the game. The O-line picked up several penalties for illegal man-positioning downfield, but that seemed more like a playmaking issue.

” READ MORE: The Eagles falter while the Falcons and Kirk Cousins ​​​​laugh at Jalen Hurts and suffer a surprising 22-21 loss

Defensive line: D

The Eagles’ D-line did not have a good night, especially early on. They had trouble closing down the running lanes and were unable to put much pressure on the immobile Kirk Cousins. But they did apply pressure in the red zone. Milton Williams had a big sack on third down in the third inning – the Eagles’ only sack. Like most D-linemen, he didn’t show much of a run defender and was blocked backwards on a 15-yard run by tailback Tyler Allgeier in the second inning.

Defensive attack Jordan Davis Defeated a pass on the Falcons’ opening drive. He had a couple of assists on run stops. Jalen Carter didn’t start or play on the first drive — for whatever reason. The second-year defensive tackle was quiet until he pressured Cousins ​​for a throwaway late in the third inning. He needs to have more of an impact.

Defensive end Bryce Huff had another tough game against the run and pass. He was out of his lane on a first down run by Allgeier in the second quarter. Running back Bijan Robinson also picked up 19 yards from Huff’s side early in the second half. Huff finished the game with no tackles and no quarterback hits or sacks. Josh Sweat had an early running stop near the line, but later in the second quarter it looked like he was caught cheating on a 9-yard run by Robinson.

Brandon Graham once again had to play more snaps than you would expect from a 36-year-old. His sack was canceled by a penalty from the Eagles. And he took one himself when he grabbed Robinson’s face mask. Nolan Smith had a little more success in setting the left edge than Huff. Moro Ojomo was turned over in the second half by a 15-yard bolt from Robinson. Rookie Edge Jalyx Hunt was active for his first NFL game after Patrick Johnson was released before the game.

Linebackers: C+

Zack Baun followed up his impressive Eagles debut with another solid performance. He wasn’t fooled by a misdirection on a second-quarter running play. He also read a designed pass to receiver Darnell Mooney from the backfield inside the 5-yard line before halftime, but Cousins ​​missed. Nakobe Dean was one of the few Eagles defenders who got close to the ball early, but he seemed to struggle as the game went on. His illegal contact penalty negated a sack by Graham in the second quarter.

Devin White was a healthy scratch. If he can’t play on special teams, he won’t be an active backup.

” READ MORE: Super Bowl hero Nick Foles officially retires after eleven NFL seasons: “I love the Philadelphia Eagles”

Cornerback: B-

With Cousins ​​seemingly unable to throw outside the numbers, the Eagles’ boundary cornerbacks weren’t tested much – until late when it mattered. And they failed. Kill Darius was beaten by Drake London with 34 seconds left and scored the game-winning touchdown for the Falcons. Quinyon Mitchell missed a late tackle after allowing a long pass on the final drive. The rookie made his second consecutive start on the outside and is likely entrenched there. He had a pass breakup on third down in the first and nearly had an interception that a cynic would say he should have caught.

Avonte Maddox had problems in the slot last week, but the Eagles stuck with the cornerback – for now. It could only be a matter of time before rookie Cooper DeJean replaced him. But Maddox was sharper than he was in Week 1. He had a pass breakup late in the second and did a solid job tackling Robinson in the open field later in that drive.

Isaiah Rodgers was back from hand surgery, but the Eagles decided he wasn’t part of their best combination of starting cornerbacks. Ringo Kelee played some snaps as Big Dime Sixth Defensive Back.

Security: C+

CJ Gardner-Johnson had the stop of the game when he hit and stopped Robinson short of the line without gaining any yards on fourth down late in the game. He made up for Mooney’s 41-yard touchdown, which he had allowed when he was toast in coverage and couldn’t bring down the Falcons receiver. Perhaps his only highlight of the first half was when he provoked Falcons receiver Ray-Ray McCloud into hitting him, which drew a personal foul in the second half.

Reed Blankenship had his work cut out for him with so many Falcons runs into the secondary. He led the Eagles with 10 stops, but also missed a couple of tackles on the night. He was in coverage when Cousins ​​hooked up with McCloud to convert a fourth down attempt in the third inning. When the quarterback completed passes, many of them happened in the middle of the field.

Special teams: B+

beginner Will Shipley caught the opening kick and had a decent 28-yard return. He also had a tackle on the kickoff. The Eagles’ coverage units were on point overall. Jake Elliott made all his kicks – two short field goals and an extra point. Punter Braden Mann had a 41-yard net gain on two punts. Covey had a 9-yard punt return.

” READ MORE: Fletcher Cox and Eagles fans celebrate Nick Foles’ retirement: “Everyone in Philadelphia loves Nick Foles”

Coaching: C-

Nick Sirianni had some questionable game management in the final moments. He let a timeout pass and had Hurts throw to Barkley on third down when a run would have cost more time. His early failed gamble on fourth down made statistical sense, but why not run it on third down when he probably chose to? As for the return of illegal man downfield penalties — something that plagued the offense in Sirianni’s first season — how can that still be a problem?

That is ultimately up to the head coach, but Offensive Coordinator Kellie Moore also bears responsibility. He made some odd decisions early on. Barkley, Smith and Goedert were not able to get into the game on the opening drive. A failed draw on third-and-9 with no movement at the end of this series could have been something from last season’s offense. A successful draw on third-and-3 later in the fourth inning made more sense. But Moore had a shaky night with his plays.

Vic FangioThe bend-but-don’t-break methods worked against a subpar Falcons offense. His run defense was once again full of holes and he seemed to get outmaneuvered whenever he had his nickel players on the field. His defense on the Falcons’ game-winning drive was a disaster.