A few thoughts after a surprisingly easy 24-7 win over the Vikings:
QB grade: A. Really hard to nitpick Hurts' showing here; perhaps his first half fumble (that he recovered)? His passing was accurate and his running, especially in the first half, was electric. Best MNF performance by an Eagles QB since Vick against Washington in 2010. Side note: remember TYP? I estimate Hurts' to be nearly 8.50 so far this year, which is elite.
RB grade: B-. Sanders was solidly productive; he nicely mixed in power runs with shifty second level gains (finished with a well-earned 80 yards). Gainwell's drop cost Hurts his only pick of the game.
Pass Catcher grade: A. The guys ran great routes and only dropped one pass that I saw. Brown and Goedert remain monsters after the catch and it was good to see Smith and Watkins get in on the fun.
OL grade: B. If the grade was only based on blocking, this grade is an easy “A”. I counted seven different penalties (six accepted) on all five starting linemen; can't have that. Stoutland will clean that up; no cause for concern.
DL grade: C+. Still waiting on a pass rush; the rush was largely nonexistent until Minnesota hit desperation time. The rush D was substantially improved.
LB grade: B+. A few misses in downfield pass coverage would be the complaint, but the linebackers consistently destroyed Minnesota's screen game and were also helpful in shutting down the rush.
DB grade: A-. These guys get the minus only because I think they dropped about five picks (to go with the one or two they dropped against Detroit). Still, the picks they did come up with were timely and thrilling to watch. Shutting down the Viking's vaunted receivers is the real takeaway here. Great job.
Special Team: D. The total lack of a return game remains a concern, and the blocked field goal may have proved to be a disaster. Jake Elliott's clutch work keeps this from being a failing grade.
Overall grade: A. This was a game that looked dangerous all offseason and going through this past week. I did call for a win but largely without conviction. Thankfully the Eagles didn't see it that way, and this game was not nearly as close as the score indicated. Philly joins the Dolphins, Chiefs and Buccaneers as the only 2-0 teams to own two wins over teams that are 1-1; in other words, their opponents are undefeated in games not against them (Detroit and Minnesota are combined 2-0 against non-Eagle opponents). A couple notes of caution: the Eagles are 2-0; the last three times they hit that start they actually missed the playoffs (2012, 2014, 2016). I believe Darius Slay got hurt late; hopefully that doesn't turn into an issue. Kirk Cousins was really bad tonight; a lot of unforced errors, some poor decision making and a lack of consistent accuracy. His struggles are partially responsible for the defensive effort. Still, can't complain about where this time is right now. On to Washington!
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