Week 4: Eagles Ranked By Position After OT Win Over Commanders

It was a lot closer than it should have been, but the Eagles escaped with a 34-31 overtime win against the Commanders on Sunday and are 4-0 on the season.

After the Dolphins’ loss, the only undefeated teams in the NFL are the Eagles and the 49ers, who also won on Sunday.

Let’s get to the notes:

quarterback

Jalen Hurts: 25/37, 319 yards, 2 TDs, 112.3 rating; 9 rushing attempts, 34 yards

Hurts had his best game of the season. While it wasn’t perfect, he trusted his playmakers to make plays, and they did. He distributed the ball, made good decisions and didn’t turn the ball over. Hurts’ second touchdown pass to Brown was a perfectly placed ball. There were also moments in this game where he looked really good escaping the pressure in the pocket and making a run.

Grade: A-

Run back

D’Andre Swift: 14 carries, 56 yards, 1 touchdown; 4 catches, 23 yards

It wasn’t a great performance from Swift, but he had some really clever runs and finally got on the field in high leverage situations towards the end. In overtime, Swift caught a short pass and showed how well he got around the corner to score 11 points and gain a first down. Kenny Gainwell added 4 carries for 14 yards and had 2 catches for 7 yards, but Swift is clearly the top back and he deserves that spot.

Grade B

Recipient

AJ Brown: 9 catches on 13 targets, 175 yards, 2 touchdowns

A monster game from Brown, who became the first Eagles player to have more than 130 receiving yards in consecutive games since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. Sure, he must know better than to get a taunting penalty late in the fourth quarter, but the production was incredible. And then DeVonta Smith also had a big game with seven catches for 78 yards, including a beautiful catch on a 50-50 ball late in the first half that set up a field goal.

Grade: A+

Close end

Dallas Goedert: 2 catches on 4 targets, 25 yards

The Eagles started with 12 players but didn’t use much of it in this game after using it heavily in Weeks 2 and 3. Goedert was very quiet at the start of this season and he and Hurts didn’t seem to be on the same page a few times. But in this case, he moved the sticks on both catches. The offense needs to get him going more.

Grade B-

Offensive line

Some early struggles from Jordan Mailata against Chase Young, who beat him to get a sack. And the Eagles weren’t as dominant in the run game as they have been in recent weeks. But ultimately they gave Hurts enough time to throw the football. Cam Jurgens injured his foot and was replaced at right-back by Sua Opeta. Jurgens left the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot, so this is something to keep an eye on going forward.

Grade B

Defensive line

Josh Sweat: 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, 1 TFL

The Eagles didn’t tackle Sam Howell like many expected in this game. But Haason Reddick put together a dominant performance in the fourth quarter, which included his first sack of the 2023 season. Josh Sweat also recorded a sack and Brandon Graham hit Howell’s arm on a play that almost resulted in an interception. The Commanders had some success on the ground with 107 yards, but only scored 3.8 per attempt.

Grade B-

Linebackers

Nicholas Morrow: 11 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 QB hits, 1 FF

Before Sunday’s game, Morrow had four career sacks in 81 NFL games. And then he comes out and bullies his way to a three-sack performance against the Commanders. Although there were moments when Commanders Morrow and Cunningham took cover, for the most part they held their own. Cunningham led the Eagles with 13 tackles and Morrow had 11.

Grade B

Secondary

Reed Blankenship: 8 tackles, 2 PBUs

Blankenship’s play against Terry McLaurin on the 3rd and 5th in overtime may have been the difference in this game. Blankenship managed to get McLaurin to punt out of bounds on 3rd-and-5 and the Commanders were forced to punt. As you would probably expect, Commanders Terrell Edmunds and Josh Jobe attacked as often as they could. The Eagles were without Justin Evans (neck) and Sydney Brown (hamstring) in this game and missed them. Howell finished with 290 passing yards and touchdowns while McLaurin had 86 yards on 8 catches.

Grade: C-

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 4/4 on field goals, 54-yard game-winner in OT

Elliott is just an absolute stud. He made all of his field goals, including the game-winner in overtime. Although punter Braden Mann had a rough start to this game, his 47-yard punt to tie the Commanders to their own 7 in the fourth quarter was a thing of beauty. And Britain Covey continues to impress as a punt returner. He had three returns for 38 yards, including a 20-yarder.

Grade: A+

Coaching

Balance: 4:0

There are things you can’t choose. The playmaking decisions late in the game, particularly Kenny Gainwell’s 3rd-and-11 run from the Washington 16-yard line early in the fourth quarter. And you can also question the series that led to the touchdown in regulation rather than running out the clock to kick a field goal. But the Eagles have found a way to win, and they have done so every week so far. Coaching isn’t just about the X’s and O’s. Sometimes it’s about putting together a resilient team that can overcome obstacles; it seems like Nick Sirianni did.

Grade B-