The Eagles rallied to a 17-9 win over the Dallas Cowboys last night, leading to a ‘win-and-in’ scenario for next week’s game against the Giants. But just how well did the team play? For one final time before Christmas, it’s time to fetch your pens and whiteboards!
Quarterback
Carson Wentz now has three consecutive games of 30+ completions, becoming the first QB in NFL history to attain that feat. But if we’re just talking his performance from last night, Wentz was electric. He looked comfortable in the pocket, showed great decision-making across the board and was able to carry an offense that once again lacked nearly every bit of firepower that was teased during the offseason.
Wentz was smart with the ball in hands, showed the Houdini-like escapism we all know and love, and made a statement. Even with a severe lack of help around him, Wentz was exceptional placing the ball where only the receiver could get it, leaning on his big tight ends and taking what the defense gave him. This was his best performance in weeks.
Grade: B+
Running back
Miles Sanders is becoming a franchise running back in front of our very eyes. With an increase in carries for the third week in a row, Sanders took the ball and ran with it…literally. With 79 rushing yards and a further 77 through the air, Sanders has stepped up in a massive way in the absence of Jordan Howard and was once again aided by his trusty steed in Boston Scott.
The growth of Sanders has been scary and the ceiling is so high. It’s rare to see a back take on that much responsibility in this offense, especially so early into his career, but Sanders is excelling and deserves all the praise.
Grade: A-
Offensive line
Considering the Eagles only allowed one sack to the Cowboys, I think it’s safe to say this was a massive improvement over last week. The run-blocking was stellar, as evidenced by the huge hole Sanders had on his touchdown run. Considering there was no Lane Johnson either, this was a strong outing!
Grade: B
Tight end
Dallas killed Dallas. The end. In a game where Zach Ertz suffered a significant rib injury and missed a substantial amount of time, the second-year tight end stepped up in a huge way, catching a massive redzone touchdown and putting up 91 receiving yards on 9 receptions.
The run-blocking was meaty and the variety of routes run used to get Goedert the ball in space was brilliant. Nothing to complain about here.
Grade: A-
Wide receiver
Greg Ward Jr set a career-high in receiving yards (71) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside kicked off proceedings with a nice 27-yard catch. Outside of that though, it was a quiet day at the office. But hey, every receiver who took a snap caught a pass…which can only be seen as a positive.
Grade: C
Defensive grades on the page below.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
