Eagles rise by position after 25-point win over Giants – NBC Sports Philadelphia

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The Eagles finally won a game everyone can feel good about.

They went to MetLife Stadium on Sunday and earned a 28-3 victory over the hapless New York Giants. With over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were able to bring their backups into the game and avoid injuries on the terrible turf here.

It was a good win and they are now 2-0 since the bye week.

Let's get to the notes:

quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 10/14, 114 yards, 1 TD, 119.3 rating; 7 runs, 22 yards, 2 touchdowns

This game marked Jalen Hurts' career low point in pass attempts in a game he started, but it didn't matter. The Eagles were able to outrun the Giants and control the game, and Hurts was a part of some of that. Most importantly, he played clean football. He didn't make the cut for the second game in a row since the bye. The most important thing in a game against an inferior opponent is not to give them extra chances and Hurts made sure he didn't do that.

Grade: B+

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 17 carries, 176 yards, 1 touchdown; 2 catches, 11 yards

They couldn't have orchestrated Barkley's return to MetLife better. He was absolutely dynamic on Sunday. Although he fell just short of a career-high in rushing yards, this was his second-best game ever on the ground and his best ever at MetLife Stadium. He's put all his tools on display and there's no chance Giants owner John Mara will sleep tonight. Barkley's longest run in 2023 was a 36-yarder; On Sunday he had three runs longer. And don't forget Kenny Gainwell either; he had 56 yards on 13 attempts.

Grade: A+

Recipient

AJ Brown: 5 catches, 89 yards, 1 TD

The Eagles didn't have to throw much in this game, but when they did, Brown was able to answer the call and catch all five of his targets, including a 41-yard touchdown on a crucial 4th-and-3. On paper, this is a low percentage game, but with Brown on the receiving end, that really isn't the case. It was a quiet game for the other receivers, but there weren't many passes on Sunday.

Grade: B

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 1 catch, 5 yards

There is no doubt that the Eagles missed Dallas Goedert in this game. He was sidelined with a thigh injury. The Eagles only had two tight ends in this game and started with 12 players with Calcaterra and Jack Stoll on the field. In general there weren't many passes and only one ended close. Calcaterra is clearly still in development as a blocker.

Grade: C+

Offensive line

Early in this game, Fred Johnson had trouble defending passes against Brian Burns, who was filling in for Jordan Mailata. In total, Hurts was sacked four times for 36 yards. But the Eagles' offensive line was dominant in the running game, as the team ran for 269 yards in the win.

Grade: A-

Defensive line

Jalen Carter: 4 tackles, 2 sacks

Sure, the Giants don't have a good offense or a good quarterback, but the defense was able to force Daniel Jones through the entire game and limited the Giants to just 76 rushing yards. Carter had two sacks, while Nolan Smith, Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat and Jalyx Hunt each also had sacks.

Grade: A

Linebackers

Nakobe Dean: 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 QB hits, 2 TFLs

After an early missed tackle in space, you were probably worried that Dean would have another poor performance. But Dean really turned things around and ended up having a great afternoon. Dean filled up the stat sheet and played very aggressively. Zack Baun left early with a shoulder injury, but had six tackles before being forced out.

Grade: A

Secondary

Darius Slay: 4 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 PBUs

Jones definitely missed some open passes, but the Eagles held him to under 100 yards in this game. Malik Nabers, an exciting first-round pick, had 4 catches on 8 targets for just 41 yards. The Eagles were so good at the back that even though the front line didn't initially get there, they were eventually able to get there. Slay battled through his knee injury and put in a strong performance, but everyone in the backcourt played well in this game.

Grade: A

Special teams

Cooper DeJean: 3 punt returns, 45 yards (long of 28)

The Eagles received a penalty on the first kickoff and were then called for a defensive block on a return. That wasn't great. But otherwise it was a solid day for Michael Clay's team with no disasters like the blocked field goal a week ago. DeJean showed real potential in the punt return game with a long of 28 yards. And Sydney Brown looked good after returning from an ACL injury.

Grade: B

Coaching

Record: 4-2

It was a week of criticism for Nick Sirianni, but he weathered it with a strong win against a division rival. Do the Eagles want to start faster and finally score in the first quarter? Absolutely. That's the crux of this game. But eventually Kellen Moore got the offense rolling behind the strength of the running game and the defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second straight day. Most importantly, the Eagles responded and got a big win for Sirianni.

Grade: A-

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