The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-2 after beating the Cleveland Browns, who might be the worst team in the NFL. Time to hand out some winners, losers, and IDKs.
WINNERS
A.J. BROWN
Safe to say the Eagles missed this dude!
A.J. caught six of his nine targets for 116 yards (19.3 average) and one touchdown.
His two biggest grabs were his score and his game-sealing reception late in the fourth quarter. Both over-the-shoulder catches required a combination of great ball-tracking ability and strong hands to beat tight coverage. He’s simply unstoppable.
Jalen Hurts has a 119.0 passer rating when targeting Brown this season. Only 12 wide receivers have a higher passer rating when targeted.
Feed him.
BRANDON GRAHAM
Congrats are in store for BG, the first player to ever play 200 games with the Eagles!
Pretty cool.
Even cooler, Graham made a high-impact play when he sniffed out a fake QB sneak to turn 3rd-and-1 at the plus 29-yard line into 4th-and-6 with a tackle for loss. The Browns brought on Dustin Hopkins for a 52-yard field goal attempt that he missed, leaving the game tied at 10 to 10 and allowing the Eagles’ offense to take over at the minus 42-yard line.
BG had five total tackles (four solo); only four Eagles had more. And this despite Graham playing the 11th-most snaps of any defender. He’s very much still crushing it.
“Who belongs on the Eagles’ Mount Rushmore?” comes up as a fun topic for discussion sometimes. I’d argue Graham belongs on there. He’s not one of the four best players they’ve ever had but he’s their most quintessential player.
JALEN HURTS
After starting 0/5, Hurts went 16/20 (80%) for 264 yards (13.2 average), 2 TD, 0 INT, and a 152.1 passer rating the rest of the way. Pretty efficient. He also had 33 yards on 14 rushing attempts.
The most encouraging takeaway: Hurts did not turn the ball over! Nor did he ever really put the ball in harm’s way. A single giveaway very much could’ve been the difference between winning and losing. Maybe this game will mark the start of a long stretch where Hurts does a good job of protecting the football.
DEVONTA SMITH
Safe to say the Eagles missed this guy, too.
Smith caught three of his four targets for 64 yards and one touchdown. The bulk of his production came on the mesh play that left him wide open, so, it’s not like he had to do a ton of heavy lifting. But, hey, good things happen when the ball goes DeVonta’s way.
GRANT CALCATERRA
Calcaterra was the Eagles’ top tight end for most of this game with Dallas Goedert leaving due to a hamstring injury after just three snaps played.
He finished as the team’s second-leading receiver, catching all four of his targets for 67 yards. Calcaterra showed some juice while running after the catch here:
Calcaterra already had more yards in five games this season (123) than he does from his first 30 games over the past two years (120).
Seven of his eight catches this season have resulted in first downs.
The Eagles should probably look to get him involved a little more often than they have. They might be required to do so if Goedert misses more time.
COOPER DEJEAN
DeJean notched his first NFL start, logging 52 defensive snaps after only playing eight combined in his previous four games. It was an encouraging performance for him as he replaced Avonte Maddox as the team’s top nickel cornerback.
DeJean did not allow any catches in coverage. He looked stout in run defense, finishing the game with six total tackles (three solo). Pro Football Focus credited DeJean with three “stops,” which are defined as tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense. Only Zack Baun and Josh Sweat had more in that category. DeJean looked effective as a blitzer, getting credit for half a sack. He could’ve had another full one had he not basically bumped into Deshaun Watson instead of trying to tackle him.
Early on, DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell are showing signs that they might be good long-term players for this defense. Exciting stuff.
As a punt returner, DeJean had four attempts for 51 yards and a 12.8 average. His longest return went for 19 and helped to set up an Eagles field goal drive. Quality production.
THE EAGLES’ DEFENSIVE LINE
It would’ve been pretty concerning if the Eagles’ pass rush couldn’t get anything going against the combination of a 1) a very bad quarterback who holds the ball forever and 2) an injured and struggling offensive line.
To their credit, the defensive line took advantage of a matchup in their favor. They collectively accounted for 4.5 sacks, 4 TFLs, and nine quarterback hits. Everyone from this unit made positive contributions.
- We already covered BG above.
- Jalen Carter led the Eagles in QB hits with three and one of those was for his first sack of the season.
- Jordan Davis logged his second TFL this season and fifth of his career. PFF actually had Davis as the Eagles’ highest-graded defender, one spot above Carter.
- Bryce Huff showed signs of life (!), logging half a sack and two hurries. Maybe he’s not a lost cause?! He seemed to be rushing from a four-point stance more often, which he’s had success with in the past.
- Josh Sweat had one sack, one TFL, and two QB hits.
- Milton Williams picked up half a sack.
- Nolan Smith was credit for zero-yard sack. Just the second sack of his career. He also made a good tackle on a scrambling Watson to keep him out of the end zone late on the Browns’ last offensive possession.
- Moro Ojomo didn’t show up in the box score but he created pressure that resulted in one sack and one third down throwaway. The second-year defensive lineman has been a nice rotational player for the Birds this year.
- Thomas Booker IV had half a sack despite playing just eight defensive snaps.
BRADEN MANN
Mann’s three punts went for 146 yards, a 48.7 average. Two of them were downed inside the 20-yard line, including one that went out of bounds at the 7-yard line. Nice job of pinning the Browns back deep.
LOSERS
NICK SIRIANNI
Much to unpack. Where to begin?
With yet another slow start, the Eagles continue to not look ready to play from the jump. They’re still the only team to not score a first quarter point this season. And they haven’t done it in seven straight games dating back to last year. One would have imagined those struggles were a big area of focus during the bye week. And yet the Eagles went three-and-out to start the game before then gaining just 16 yards on their second drive. All told, the Eagles have run 16 plays on their opening drives this season. They have resulted in 12 yards gained. That’s … not good.
Game mismanagement popped up once again. Sirianni could’ve taken a timeout with around 2:40 left in the second quarter after Jalen Carter sacked Deshaun Watson to have more time left for a two-minute drill. The Eagles still would’ve had two timeouts and the two-minute warning to work with. Instead, Sirianni let the Browns run clock and kick the field goal to have the offense get the ball back with 1:58 left. Saquon Barkley did a really bad job of not getting past the marker after a 2nd-and-1 catch that somehow went for no gain. He didn’t even have to go out out bounds considering the Eagles still had three timeouts left. But perhaps he would’ve been less hasty if the coach had given him more time. Sirianni didn’t even use a timeout until the Eagles lined up for 3rd-and-1 (with the clock already stopped) and then he apparently didn’t like what he was seeing with how the offense was lined up against the Browns defense. So, he took a timeout … only to have the offense get set back with a sack. How were they unprepared coming out of a time out? And why were they even passing when the Brotherly Shove likely gets a first down? Sirianni is hardly the only person to blame for the blocked field goal sequence but he played a role in it.
The vibes are not good. That game really should’ve been a confidence-boosting win. Instead, embarrassing.” Sirianni’s postgame press conference was then really bizarre. Everyone has an opinion on why he brought his kids out; I’ll just note that it’s not uncommon for one of them to be there with him but it is unusual for all three of them to be in attendance. The tenor of Sirianni’s presser was … bizarre. As a nervous laugher, I found myself quietly chuckling not because I thought anything happening was funny but because the situation felt so surreal and uncomfortable. After the presser was over, some attendees used the words “unhinged,” “deranged,” and “on the brink” to describe Sirianni’s behavior. BGN’s Dave Mangels wrote an article asking what many were thinking: “Is Nick Sirianni okay?” Long-time Eagles beat (no longer regularly covering the team in person) Les Bowen posited the same question in a postgame article.
Between what went on in the game and what happened afterwards, it’s really hard not to question if this guy is currently fit to lead a team. The pressure seems to be getting to him.
SAQUON BARKLEY
Saquon’s obviously been awesome this year. But he did have his worst game with 20 total touches resulting in just 54 yards. He would’ve have a better day if Landon Dickerson didn’t accidentally tackle him when it looked like he had a lot of open field to work with.
And, again, while he’s mostly been great … the bad moments have been pretty bad! There was the drop that led to a loss in Week 2. And there was the aforementioned combination of 1) not picking up a first down late in the second quarter and 2) failing to pick up a rusher to allow Hurts to get sacked that led to the likely 10-point swing of a blocked field goal.
Not really worried about Barkley continuing to make these mistakes but can’t just totally sweep them under the rug.
MICHAEL CLAY
The Eagles’ special teams unit was problematic in 2022, elite in 2023, and now it looks like it could be a weakness again. Third straight game with a big issue:
- Week 3 — Blocked punt by the New Orleans Saints
- Week 4 — Muffed punt return that led to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers recovery (and then a near-muff later on)
- Week 5 — Blocked field goal
The disaster plays have gotta stop.
I DON’T KNOWS
VIC FANGIO
The Eagles’ defense held the Browns’ offense to just nine points on three field goals. Zero touchdowns. That’s a good day at the office.
However, the level of competition must be considered here.
This is the quarterback the Eagles were facing:
This terrible player was playing behind an offensive line that was banged up to begin with and then only got worse with Nick Harris getting hurt early on, leaving the Browns down to their third-string center.
The Browns’ offense is historically futile:
And, yet, despite being so bad … going up against the Eagles, the Browns’ offense actually had one of their better games this season.
Watson posted his second-highest completion percentage, his best yards per attempt mark, and his highest passer rating so far this year. It was one of two starts where he didn’t turn the ball over.
The Browns gained 244 yards, their second-highest output. They logged 4.6 yards per play, which topped the league-low 3.8 average they entered the game with.
So, no, I’m not ready to say the defense has definitely turned the corner.
KELLEN MOORE
I’m definitely higher on Jim Schwartz than most, so, I’m not totally shocked to see that the Browns defense played relatively well.
But, c’mon. His unit was missing their top three safeties, a starting linebacker, and their top cornerback entered the game less than 100% with a hamstring issue. The Eagles had their full offensive arsenal (minus Dallas Goedert) for most of the game. How do they only put up 20 points?
Much like last year, I don’t think the offensive issues are simply a play-calling issue. Emphasis on the calling part because it’s not like the sequencing is the only problem. Rather, there seems to be a real problem with the design of a system that seems so dependent on star players making difficult plays without a whole lot of assistance from scheme. The Eagles’ apparently unstoppable mesh concept stands out as the exception in that regard.
Multiple film analysts much smarter than me (including BGN’s own Jonny Page) have repeatedly noted that this does not look like a typical Moore offense. The data suggests as much, too:
The question is: why? How much of it is Sirianni? And how much is Hurts?
JAHAN DOTSON
Dotson had a Hurts pass that actually counted as a toss to him go for 13 rushing yards. He also made a good sideline grab late in the game to pick up a key first down. Maybe Hurts is starting to trust him more?
Still, Dotson has just 48 yards from scrimmage through five games.
C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON
CJGJ had a big pass breakup on 3rd-and-goal from the 8-yard line to set up a 4th-and-goal that ultimately got knocked back to the 13-yard line with a false start. The Browns then kicked a field goal to trim the Eagles’ lead to four before never touching the ball again. Big play.
CJGJ also gave up some plays and prevented a Quinyon Mitchell interception. Maybe it’s unfair to knock him too much on the latter but Mitchell sure seemed to think that CJGJ messed up based on the rookie’s reaction after the play.
JORDAN MAILATA
Mailata is on track to miss multiple games due to a hamstring injury.
The Eagles have until 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 19 to put him on injured reserve and have this week’s game count towards the four he’ll be required to miss. If that maneuver is avoided, we’ll know the Eagles think there’s a chance he can return in either Week 9 or Week 10.
In the meantime, the Eagles will miss Mailata. He had been a bit of an iron-man for them, previously not missing a snap since October 2022.
It remains to be seen how they’ll approach replacing him. Fred Johnson likely figures to get the first crack; he filled in for Mailata on Sunday. The Eagles have won their two games when Fred Johnson has had to come in off the bench (previously played in place of Lane Johnson against the Saints). But Fred Johnson really struggled as a starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I wonder if he might just be more of an ideal fill-in player (so as to not have to change multiple offensive line spots during the game) than he is entering the game as a starter. For what it’s worth, Sirianni did not rule out Mekhi Becton moving to left tackle and Tyler Steen playing at right guard. I think the Eagles might give Fred Johnson one start at left tackle, see how that goes, and then adjust if needed.
