Grayson's Grades: Eagles vs. Steelers

PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles extended their winning streak to a franchise record ten games with a 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For the first time this season, the Eagles were not able to rely on Saquon Barkley to lead them to victory. The Steelers held him in check which made the passing game more of the priority. The Eagles responded in a big way with both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith racking up more than 100 yards each.

The Eagles defense did a great job too. After the offense fumbled it away twice in about a minute of gametime, the defense allowed just a field goal.

The stats show a very lopsided game. The Eagles dominated time of possession holding the ball nearly 40 minutes compared to the Steelers 20 minutes. The Eagles also had the ball for all but just 5:50 of the second half. Perhaps the most important drive of the game was the last. The Eagles had a 14 point lead and got the ball back from the Steelers with 10:30 left on the clock. They ran 21 plays that took the entire 10:30 off the clock. It was impressive.

This was a bit of a statement game for this team that showed they don't need to rely on the running game to win. The defense showed it can be dominant as well. This is definitely a Super Bowl contender. With that in mind, here is the latest edition of Grayson's Grades:

Jalen Hurts - Hurts answered the bell after a week full of questions regarding his ability to handle the passing attack. He came out early throwing and did a great job of putting the ball where it needed to be. The only blemish for his happened in the first half when he broke the pocket and was scrambling when T.J. Watt punched the ball right out of his hands leading to a turnover. Other than that, Hurts was really good. He completed 25 of 32 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He also carried it 15 times for 45 yards and another touchdown. It was not intentional either. The Steelers essentially forced the Eagles to have to beat them through the air and that is exactly what Hurts and the rest of his teammates did.

AJ Brown - Brown started a flurry of activity after last week's game by saying the passing game needed to be better. He was not wrong and clearly the Eagles heard it. They came out throwing and it helped them move the ball down the field very well. Brown got his first catch of the game on the Eagles second play from scrimmage. He also scored the Eagles first touchdown of the game. Brown caught nine passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. It was a great response to what was an interesting week in that locker room.

DeVonta Smith - Smith also benefitted from the extra focus on passing. I noticed he and Jalen Hurts communicating very well, even when plays broke down and Hurts evacuated the pocket. On one play Hurts directed Saquon Barkley toward the sideline which allowed Smith to come open in a soft spot in the zone for a solid gain. It was very well done by Hurts and Smith. Ultimately Smith caught a career-high 11 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Kenneth Gainwell - Gainwell saw more touches than usual thanks to Saquon Barkley getting a little banged up. Gainwell took advantage of it. He was an all-purpose back racking up yardage on the ground, through the air and on kickoff returns. Gainwell's best play was on a third down when he caught a short pass, did a great spin move to avoid a tackle and get the yardage needed for a first down. He carried the ball seven times for 20 yards. Gainwell also had three catches for 40 yards and added two kickoff returns for 63 yards.

Kellen Moore - Moore deserves a lot of credit. Clearly the Eagles worked hard on the passing game this past week. Everyone appeared to be on the same page and that led to multiple sustained drives that continued to put the Eagles in scoring range and allowed them to keep adding points on the scoreboard. He did not abandon the run when the Steelers seemed to be doing a good job against it. However, he kept feeding the run game in doses while continuing to keep the defense off balance through the air. One of the things I liked the most was how Moore started the game. AJ Brown got his first reception on the second play from scrimmage. DeVonta Smith caught his first pass on the very next play. So three plays into the game he had his top two receivers already with a target and reception. That helps get his quarterback and those receivers into a rhythm that can ultimately pay dividends and it did in this game.

Nick Sirianni - Sirianni deserves a lot of credit for having to manage a fire drill behind the scenes. AJ Brown's comments following last week's win over the Panthers stirred the pot, then Brandon Graham added fuel to the fire and before we knew it there seemed to be trouble in paradise. Sirianni did what he had to behind the scenes to refocus his team on what mattered while also addressing the concerns that Brown raised regarding the passing game. The result, was a team playing complimentary football all around and playing for each other leading to yet another win. In my opinion, Sirianni deserves to be strongly considered for Coach of the Year.

Vic Fangio - Fangio ran a masterclass constantly confusing Russell Wilson and frustrating the entire Steelers offense. This defense held the Steelers to 163 total yards. They had just 56 yards on the ground. Fangio's defense also held the Steelers to three-for-ten on third down and came up with a huge fumble recovery to end a Steelers drive that was likely heading for at least three points with the Eagles clinging to a seven point lead. Fangio has these guys playing together and playing at a very high level.

Nolan Smith - Smith is showing a lot of growth this season. He got a big sack on Russell Wilson and what impressed me was how he did it. Smith came off the edge, got pushed upfield slightly, reset himself and went under the arms of the opposing lineman to get the sack. It was a great combination of his strength and speed that allowed him to make that play. I like the way he is stepping up in the absence of Brandon Graham. Smith finished the game with four tackles, one sack, two tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits.

Josh Sweat - Sweat is having a great year. He racked up yet another sack in this game. Sweat got to Wilson and brought him down in the first quarter. It led to one of the Steelers many punts in the game. Sweat is continuing to thrive on his extra snaps due to the absence of Brandon Graham. He is making some big plays at big times and that will need to continue for this defense to continue to find success. Sweat had two tackles, one tackle for a loss and one quarterback hit.

Darius Slay - Slay did a great job of being around the ball at the right time. Najee Harris fumbled a pitch that Slay pounced on. At the time the Steelers were driving down by seven and this was huge to turn them away with zero points. Not only that, the Eagles offense took that turnover and cashed it in for a touchdown. Slay also played with fire and energy as he usually does. It led to him drawing a big penalty by the Steelers after he was blocked all the way to the barrier behind the endzone. It fired up Slay and his teammates and the Steelers were flagged for an Unnecessary Roughness penalty while they were in the Red Zone that led to them settling for a Field Goal. Slay had one tackle and one very big fumble recovery.

Saquon Barkley - Barkley has been slicing through defenses all season like a hot knife through butter. He met a tougher match in the Pittsburgh Steelers and it kept him from reaching 100 yards rushing. In fact, Barkley appeared to get a little dinged up which seemed to keep him on the sideline more than usual. That meant less carries and in turn less yardage. However, Barkley still averaged about four yards per carry. He nearly broke a couple of runs for huge gains but was tripped up and stopped in the second level of the defense. Overall, this was still a gutsy performance from Barkley who did enough on the ground to allow the aerial attack to ultimately lead them to victory. Barkley carried it 19 times for 65 yards. He also caught two passes for nine yards.

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