Grayson’s Grades: Eagles vs. Rams

The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 4-1, but not without scaring their fan base a little late in this game.

The Eagles took a 34-7 lead with 17:15 remaining in the game. The Rams had the ball with a chance to win it late before the Eagles defense held on for a 34-27 win.

Week 5 grades are out:

A

Cedric Thornton - Thornton had himself a ballgame. He recovered not one, but two fumbles and recovered one of them in the endzone for a Touchdown. He returned the other one 40 yards. Thornton seemed to be in the middle of a lot of positive things for the Eagles in this game.

Brandon Graham - Graham did a nice job getting pressure on Rams Quarterback Austin Davis. He had 2 tackles and forced a fumble late in the third quarter. Graham was more of a factor than the stats indicated.

Chris Maragos - Maragos does not appear often in Grayson's grades. I believe this is his first appearance. But he does a lot for the success of the special teams. Returning a blocked punt 10 yards for a Touchdown earns him an 'A' in this game.

James Casey - Casey, like Maragos, does not appear in Grayson's grades very often. Blocking a punt to help set the tone early in this game helped him earn an 'A' for taking advantage of his limited opportunities.

Connor Barwin - Barwin was one of several players who appeared to create a lot of havoc in the Rams backfield. He batted some passes down including a big one when the Rams were in the red zone early in the game. He also racked up 2 sacks and two quarterback hurries.

Vinny Curry - Curry helped to keep Rams Quarterback Austin Davis on the move out of the pocket. He also created a very important sack and fumble during the game.

Special Teams - For the second week in a row, the Special Teams unit produced points. It scored twice last week and a blocked punt early in the game was returned for a touchdown and the first points of this game.

B

Fletcher Cox - Cox did his job of taking on blockers and trying to allow his teammates to make some stops. He recovered a fumble during the game as well.

Trent Cole - Cole made 2 tackles and helped create a fumble when he sacked Rams Quarterback Austin Davis.

Casey Matthews - Matthews did a decent job filling in for the injured Mychal Kendricks at Linebacker. He made some nice tackles on Rams RB Zac Stacy. He also applied some pressure on Rams QB Austin Davis. Matthews finished second on the team with 6 tackles.

C

Nate Allen - Allen struggled at times in this game. He lost Brian Quick in the endzone on the Rams first touchdown of the game.

Riley Cooper - Cooper was up and down in this game. He made some mental mistakes resulting in a couple of penalties. Cooper did show up in a big way with a great touchdown catch on a fade route. It looked like some of the nice touchdowns he scored a year ago. He finished with four receptions for 33 yards and one touchdown.

Lane Johnson - Johnson was average in his first game back following the four game suspension. He did not open the running holes everyone hoped for, but also did not allow a rusher to beat him badly in the passing game.

David Molk - Molk made his second start in place of injured starting center Jason Kelce. Molk appeared to miss a few blocks in the running and passing game. Nothing major, but he has to make more of those blocks to help protect Foles and spring McCoy.

Bradley Fletcher - Fletcher looked good early in this game. He did a nice job to break up a pass early. Later in the game he appeared to fall apart. Fletcher gave up one of the Rams touchdowns in the fourth quarter. He was in position, but did not turn around in time to distract the receiver or bat the ball down. He was also called for a big pass interference penalty on a later touchdown drive by the Rams.

LeSean McCoy - McCoy had his best game of the season. He carried the ball 24 times for 81 yards. That included a carry for 19 yards. He averaged 3.4 yards per carry and looked to be more patient with waiting for some of the holes to open. He did get caught cutting back and forth and giving up yards on one play that ended with him coughing up the ball and turning it over to the Rams.

D

Nick Foles - Foles is still leaving a lot of yards and as a result, a lot of points on the field. He continues to miss some receivers that are wide open. Foles did find a wide open Jeremy Maclin in the endzone. He also reignited some of that chemistry with Riley Cooper on a fade route in the endzone for a Touchdown. He is still not setting his feet well on the deep ball. He also made the right choice to take off and run it in the second half, but fumbled when he dove head first. A feet first slide and it would not have been a fumble. He cannot make those mistakes. In the end, Foles completed 24 of 37 passes for 207 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Cary Williams - Williams appears to be one of those corners that tries to hang with a receiver and fails to turn around when the ball arrives. Opponents are keying more on vertical sideline routes against Williams, which he struggles to defend. He allowed one of the Rams touchdowns in the fourth quarter that made this game closer than it needed to be.

F