The Eagles eked out a win in Landover and now they’re playoff bound! While the win was far from pretty, a lot is owed to their young players.
DeVonta Smith: B+
DeVonta Smith only caught three passes, but his play was bigger than the box score. The Eagles used him to stretch the field for a good portion of the game, drawing the defenses attention and opening the short game for Dallas Goedert and Boston Scott. Smith should’ve had a touchdown on a red zone target, but a missed defensive holding call on a Washington defender kept him from scoring.
The Eagles seemed more focused on targeting Smith in this game on big plays, something that impacted the game even if Smith’s stats were only modest.
Landon Dickerson: B+
After two weeks of getting gashed, Washington’s defense brought their A-game in this match up. Even with Washington’s front playing motivated football, Landon Dickerson’s motivation and play won the day.
Even if the Eagles didn’t post the gaudy rushing numbers they’ve been putting up, they still were able to move the ball on the ground in key moments. Dickerson was a fundamental part of the team’s rushing effort while also keeping Jalen Hurts upright for most of the game.
Milton Williams: A
Milton Williams has recently made big plays a weekly occurrence. This week, Williams had the awareness to bat down a pass attempt in a key moment. It was a savvy move for the young rookie.
Otherwise, Williams continues to impress as a run defender. All and all, an encouraging game despite limited snaps.
Zech McPhearson: N/A
Didn’t get any time on defense.
Kenneth Gainwell: N/A
I sound like a broken record, but Kenneth Gainwell’s absence from the lineup in this game is baffling. With Miles Sanders out and Jordan Howard not at 100%, you’d think Gainwell would get more touches than his one carry for four yards. He didn’t even get a target in the passing game. The Eagles lineup shakes out in a weird way considering how crowded they are in the backfield and how they want to give all their young receivers time to grow. However, is putting Gainwell out there instead of Jalen Reagor going to put the team in a much worse position? Reagor finished the game with negative total yardage and dropped a great pass from Jalen Hurts. They’re different players, but Gainwell can dynamically do what the team wants Reagor to do and probably offer a bit more.
Bizarre.
Marlon Tuipulotu: N/A
Healthy scratch.
Patrick Johnson: B
Patrick Johnson had a nice special teams tackle and got a few snaps on defense. Did not have a huge impact overall, but it is nice to see the late round rookie have a positive impact.
JaCoby Stevens: B
Stevens was active for the first time this season (after being temporarily elevated from the practice squad), which means that every Eagles 2021 draft pick has been active at some point this year. Pretty cool. Stevens logged one tackle on the day.
Tarron Jackson: B
Jackson saw less time than he has in previous weeks. However, he still makes the most out of his snaps when he is on the field.
Jack Stoll: B+
Another solid game from everyone’s favorite blocking tight end. Also worth noting Stoll did some good work in the passing game drawing coverage away from Dallas Goedert. A small thing, but the UDFA has been helping the team in a lot of unseen ways.
