Grayson’s Grades: Eagles at Redskins
LANDOVER, Md. - For the second time in less than a week, Carson Wentz led the Philadelphia Eagles to a come from behind victory in the fourth quarter or overtime. He was a perfect 10 for 10 passing for 89 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to beat the Washington Redskins 37-27.
With the victory, a win over the Dallas Cowboys next week and the Eagles will clinch the NFC East division title.
Throughout the game, whenever the Eagles scored the Redskins answered with a score of their own. Ultimately, the game ended with Nigel Bradham picking up an incomplete backward pass by Dwayne Haskins and returning it for a touchdown as time expires.
Here is the latest edition of Grayson's Grades:
A
Carson Wentz - Wentz tried to do the best he could without his top three wide receivers and his starting right tackle. The Eagles did move the ball on some long possessions. Wentz was still a little high with some of his throws. Overall, not a bad game by Wentz. He made plays when he needed to and continued to put his team in front. Wentz' best play of the game may have been in the third quarter when he got pressured and broke free to his right to extend the play. He fired a strike to Miles Sanders in the corner of the endzone giving the Eagles a 21-17 lead. After falling behind in the fourth quarter, Wentz brought his team down the field and hit Zach Ertz for a three-yard touchdown that put the Eagles back on top 24-21. After the Redskins took a 27-24 lead with a Field Goal, Wentz again led the team down the field and hit Greg Ward in the corner of the endzone for the game-winning score. Wentz appears to have come a long way over the past two weeks. Leading the team from behind multiple times late in the game is clearly a step forward for him. However, he has to be more careful with the ball. Wentz fumbled it twice in this game, losing one of them. The one he lost happened with about five minutes to go in the game. The defense bailed him out and held the Redskins to a Field Goal. Wentz completed 30 of 43 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
Miles Sanders - Sanders did a good job with some running lanes. He was able to break free for some solid gains. He scored on a pitch from one yard out to give the Eagles a brief 10-7 lead. Sanders did a great job after Wentz was pressured out of the pocket and caught a touchdown in the back corner of the endzone. He got both of his buttcheeks down inbounds for the score to count. It gave the Eagles a 17-14 lead. Sanders had one of the biggest plays of the game when he took a draw on third and ten and rushed 56 yards into the Redskins Red Zone. In this game, Sanders set Eagles season records for rushing yards by a rookie passing LeSean McCoy as well as scrimmage yards by a rookie passing DeSean Jackson. Sanders carried the ball 19 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. He also caught six passes for 50 yards and a touchdown.
Greg Ward - Ward continues to write an unbelievable story. After years of patience, Ward is getting his shot and cashing it in. He had a solid game in the victory over the Giants last week. Ward topped that by catching the game-winning touchdown in the corner of the endzone in the final minute of the game. Ward is making big-time catches and clearly gaining more and more trust from Wentz. Ward tied for the team lead in receptions with seven of them. He also tied for the team lead with 61 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Zach Ertz - Ertz has been a Redskins killer so far in his career and he did it again in this game. He started off hot catching three passes for 48 yards on the opening drive that ended with a field goal. Ertz was quiet during the middle part of the game. However, he heated up later in the second half. He caught a touchdown giving the Eagles a 24-21 lead with about ten minutes remaining in the game. Ertz finished with five receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown.
Dallas Goedert - Goedert made one of the biggest plays in the game. He dove and made a one-handed catch for 20 yards on the game-winning touchdown drive. It put the Eagles on the Redskins 25 yard line. Goedert had a solid outing catching five passes for 55 yards.
B
Doug Pederson - I fail to understand some of Pederson's philosophy. The Eagles failed to sack Haskins in the first half. Fletcher Cox got great pressure and drew a holding penalty on an incomplete pass. Instead of putting the Redskins into a 2nd & 11 he declined the penalty leaving them in 3rd and 4 which they converted. This was late in the first half and the Redskins were deep in their own end; however, 3rd and 4 is way too easy to convert. With Haskins finally starting to look rattled, they should have put him in a deeper situation. I did like how Pederson started the game with tempo and used the no-huddle to his advantage like the Eagles did against the Giants in the second half on Monday night. I would have liked to see more tempo from the offense. All of that being said, Pederson engineered another come from behind win. He also has his team on the verge of winning the NFC East.
C
Fletcher Cox - Cox was able to get a little bit of pressure on Haskins. He drew a holding penalty late in the first half. However, the Eagles failed to get a lot of pressure on Haskins and it led to a solid passing day for the rookie Quarterback. Cox finished tied for third on the team with four tackles.
Brandon Graham - Graham did a good job against the run. He was able to drop a pair of rushing attempts for a loss. Graham also finished second on the team with five tackles. However, he and his other defensive line teammates failed to generate much pressure on rookie Quarterback Dwayne Haskins. They will need to get pressure on Dak Prescott next week.
D
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside - Arcega-Whiteside needs to make catches when given the chance. He had a golden opportunity in the first half when Wentz put a pass out in front of him in the end zone. Granted, it was contested but did hit him in the hands and fell incomplete. Arcega-Whiteside was targeted twice and failed to catch a pass. This team will need him to produce down the stretch with all of the other injuries on offense.
F
Avonte Maddox - Maddox missed what should have been a relatively easy tackle on Terry McLaurin who went the distance for a 75 yard touchdown in the first quarter. That answered the opening drive Field Goal by the Eagles. Maddox later did a good job breaking up a deep pass attempt and avoiding a pass interference call. Maddox's mistake in the first quarter was awful. He has to make sure that does not happen. Maddox finished the game with three tackles and two passes successfully defended.
Jim Schwartz - Schwartz has to find a way to generate pressure against a team that had given up sacks like the Redskins had all season. Haskins was sacked 26 times coming into this game and the Eagles never registered a sack. Tackling was again an issue for his defensive backs as this time it was Avonte Maddox missing a tackle on a 75 yard touchdown pass. Schwartz has to find a way to get pressure on Dak Prescott next week. It's an issue that must be ironed out.