Trading touchdowns for field goals with the Kansas City Chiefs will never lead to success. The Eagles found that out the hard way during their 42-30 loss to the Chiefs at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
While the offense kept the Eagles in the fight for three quarters, the defense was trampled on throughout the game. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s unit gave up 200 rushing yards, six scoring drives and five passing touchdowns against the Chiefs.
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On offense, while the group moved the ball well, head coach Nick Sirianni had very few effective answers in the red zone, and the Eagles were forced to settle for field goals on three drives. Penalties also killed the momentum of those drives, as three touchdowns were called back due to penalties.
The folks over at Pro Football Focus graded the Eagles’ performance during Sunday’s loss and came away with some surprising marks on both sides of the ball. Here are six takeaways from PFF’s Week 4 grades:
Makeshift OL holds up well without Lane Johnson
It was a surprisingly solid performance for the Eagles’ offensive line, even without right tackle Lane Johnson, who was forced to miss the game at the last minute due to an undisclosed personal matter. With just one Week 1 starter, center Jason Kelce, in the lineup, the group held up well with the veteran performing at a high level. Kelce led the entire offense and team with a 93.3 grade. He received an elite run-blocking grade of 97.7, despite the Eagles only running the ball with running backs just 10 times.
It was a good afternoon for Landon Dickerson as well, as he moved to left guard after two weeks on the right side. Dickerson looked much more comfortable at left guard, and he graded out with a strong 77.6 mark. Dickerson is likely to carry the left guard torch -- barring injury -- for the rest of the season. Jack Driscoll, who just came off injured reserve Saturday, was strong as Johnson’s replacement at right tackle. Driscoll prepared to play right guard all week, but was moved after Johnson’s absence and received a 71.8 grade.
Right guard Nate Herbig, who didn’t work with the first-team offense in practice this past week, received a 58.5 grade, while Andre Dillard received a 61.7 mark. Dillard blocked well but he received multiple penalties in the first half.
Yes, Fletcher Cox’s performance was concerning
Another week, another underwhelming performance by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, the Eagles’ highest-paid player. While he does do a lot of dirty work with double teams to open up opportunities for others, his work with single-blocking assignments hasn’t been up to par. Cox received a 47.2 grade for his performance against the Chiefs. He was held without a stat, despite playing 46 snaps. He didn’t even register a pressure, per PFF.
Cox has a $100 million contract that is brought up often, but he’s not even playing at the level of someone making half of that. The Eagles need their veteran players to step up, and Cox needs to be putting in the same type of performance as Kelce on the opposite end.
For what it’s worth, fellow defensive tackle Javon Hargrave graded out poorly as well, despite collecting a sack. Hargrave graded out at 39.5 because he was abysmal against the run (38.1).
PFF doesn’t agree with Sirianni’s praise of Jalen Hurts
Following the game, Sirianni said Hurts played the best game of the season. While Hurts did look as efficient as he’s ever looked during the campaign, PFF didn’t give him a glowing review. While Hurts still graded out well (66.2), the performance was his third-best in the PFF system this year. Despite passing the eye test as a massive improvement over his performance against Dallas in Week 3, PFF put the overall grade just 0.1 better than last week’s outing.
Hurts completed 32 of 48 passes (66.6%) for 387 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 47 yards on eight carries.
Darius Slay, Rodney McLeod were effective vs. the Chiefs
While the Eagles gave up five passing touchdowns and six scoring drives, the entire defense wasn’t awful against the Chiefs. Cornerback Darius Slay only gave up two catches for 19 yards, while returning safety Rodney McLeod tackled well and didn’t get targeted all game. Slay led the defense with a 73.0 grade, while McLeod received a 71.1 in his first game back from ACL surgery.
Slay took to social media after the game to defend himself after the loss. While it was a poor look to take a me-first approach, Slay wasn’t the issue on Sunday.
Kenny Gainwell continues to outshine Miles Sanders
The Eagles haven’t used their running game consistently over the past two weeks. Miles Sanders has received less than 10 carries in back-to-back games, and Kenny Gainwell has seemingly overtaken the former second-round pick in certain packages. Gainwell received a 90.0 grade for his performance against the Chiefs, as he picked up 89 total yards and a touchdown. Sanders struggled as a runner, picking up just 13 yards on seven carries. Sanders received a 56.2 grade for his efforts.
With the way things are trending, Gainwell could eventually supplant Sanders in the starting lineup. Gainwell has been incredibly efficient as a rotational running back, while the Eagles have failed to find their footing with Sanders, whose usage has been suspect throughout the first month of the season.
Surprise (but not really)! The linebackers were bad (again)
The Eagles’ biggest weakness on defense is the linebacker position. The group has been rotating in different packages throughout the first month of the season, and Sunday’s performance against the Chiefs was probably their worst to date.
Alex Singleton (45.9), Eric Wilson (39.3), T.J. Edwards (28.3) and Genard Avery (54.0) all received underwhelming marks, especially against the run. Davion Taylor, who only played nine snaps, was the only bright spot, receiving a 72.5 grade for the outing.
At this rate, it might make sense for Gannon to rethink the way he uses the linebackers and overhaul the rotation in general. The Eagles are a rebuilding squad with upside, so they should be putting guys like Taylor in there over someone like Wilson, who has struggled throughout the first quarter of the season. Wilson had a pick that was forced by defensive end Josh Sweat on QB Patrick Mahomes, but he has otherwise been a liability against the run and the pass. Singleton has also consistently struggled against the run this season.
To make matters worse, safety Anthony Harris, the team’s big free-agent signing, hasn’t played well, either. He received a 36.1 grade, mainly due to his struggles in the passing game. PFF credited Harris with the 44-yard touchdown catch by wideout Tyreek Hill.
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Mike Kaye may be reached at mkaye@njadvancemedia.com.
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