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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Glenn Erby

Report card: Eagles top Cardinals, 20-17

The Eagles remained undefeated after local product Matt Ammendola’s 43-yard field sailed wide right for the Cardinals in the waning seconds.

After being outscored in the second quarter, Philadelphia was able to hang on for a 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals to stay one game ahead of the Cowboys and Giants in the NFC East.

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The rent and grades are due every Sunday and we have the Week 5 report card entering Dallas Week.

QB -- B

Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

Hurts was 26 of 36, passing for 239 yards. As a rusher, Hurts logged 15 rushing attempts for 61 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

It was an uneven performance, but his late-game adjustments and a timely first down to Dallas Goedert saved the Eagles.

RB -- C

(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

Hurts tied for the team lead in carriers, helping with some of the unbalance to the offense on Sunday.

Miles Sanders ran hard on the final drive, and his 15 carries for 58 yards led the position.

WR -- C

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

DeVonta Smith led the Eagles with ten catches for 87 yards, but A.J. Brown’s three catches for 32 yards came on Philadelphia’s first drive.

Quez Watkins had his first reception since the win over Minnesota in Week 2, and the Eagles’ inability to prevent droughts among the outside pass catchers can be concerning.

Dallas Goedert’s dominance at tight end is the only reason this isn’t an urgent concern.

TE -- A

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Dallas Goedert had eight catches for 95 yards on nine targets, and he’s on pace for 1,000 yards and career highs in every significant statistic.

OL -- A

Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles are getting things done up front regardless of who is in the lineup, and that’s a supreme credit to Jeff Stoutland.

Philadelphia’s dominance was on full display during that nearly 8:00 drive to end the game.

DL --- C

(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The Eagles were sometimes shredded up the middle and failed to get consistent pressure on Kyler Murray in the passing game.

The Eagles entered Week 5 with the most sacks in the NFL (16), and if you count Haason Reddick as a linebacker, the defensive line went sackless.

LB -- C

Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

Reddick was solid in posting one sack, one tackle for loss, and one quarterback hit on the afternoon, raising his season total in sacks to 4.5.

The rest of the afternoon saw Kyzir White lose snaps in Gannon’s 5-1-5 scheme, and T.J. Edwards looked lost in the passing game while also missing tackles in the run.

DB -- B

. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The secondary is a definite strength for Jonathan Gannon and a huge reason for his sometimes passive play-calling approach.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson has had his best performance since joining the Eagles, logging ten tackles, one for loss, one interception, and a pass breakup.

Coaching -- C

Aug 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen in a game against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Sirianni did a solid job of keeping the troops focused and efficient when it mattered, while Shane Steichen left a ton to be desired as a play caller.

Too often, Philadelphia’s offensive approach centers on one or two pass catchers, causing frustrating droughts for the third or fourth options.

On defense, Jonathan Gannon reverted to his passive defensive scheme centered around Kyler Murray’s ability to dictate the game with his legs.

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