It has been a whirlwind 24 months for the Philadelphia Eagles. Since February 2023, Philly has made it to and lost a Super Bowl, gotten blown out in the playoffs last year 32-9, and then ripped off 15 wins after starting this season 2-2 to make it back to the Super Bowl again.
The adversity that the Eagles have had to face has definitely made the team better, but Philadelphia’s front office has done a masterful job of constructing a winning roster just two years after a disappointing loss in Super Bowl LVII. One could argue that the Eagles are a better team top to bottom than the Chiefs.
Let’s analyze Philly’s position groups and give each unit a grade from A to F.
Quarterback – C
With a 46-20 regular-season record and five playoff wins since entering the NFL, Jalen Hurts has proven he can win at all levels. Despite this fact, I’m not a person who believes that wins are a quarterback stat. Wins are achieved by teams.
If we look at Hurts’ passing numbers and use that to evaluate his play rather than just wins, we see a quarterback that has been average to below average as of late.
With only 168.3 passing yards per game during the postseason, Hurts is averaging the second-fewest yards among all playoff quarterbacks. He’s also middle of the pack in terms of quarterback rating (105.0, tied for sixth).
Hurts’ grade was saved by his running abilities. He has the second-most rushing TDs in the playoffs (four) and he averages 40.7 ground yards per game.
Running Back – A
If you have read any of my Super Bowl LIX analyses, then you know that I think Saquon Barkley is the best player coming into this game. He ran for over 2,000 yards during the regular season and followed that up with 442 rushing yards in the playoffs (147.3 yards per game). I expect Saquon to have at least 100 rushing yards this Sunday.
Barkley’s backups have played well, too. Kenneth Gainwell is averaging almost 4.6 yards per carry during the postseason. Meanwhile, Will Shipley broke off a 57-yard run in the NFC Championship Game.
Running back is easily one of the Eagles’ best positions.
Wide Receiver – C
I would like to see more consistency from Philly’s wide receiver room. After being held to three catches for 24 yards in his first two games, A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown in the NFC Championship. Simultaneously, slot receiver Jahan Dotson has been held catchless since his 11-yard touchdown reception in the Wild Card Round.
DeVonta Smith has been a reliable target with four catches in each of Philly’s playoff games. Unfortunately, he hasn’t surpassed the 55-yard mark this postseason.
This is a talented wide receiver corps, but only three wideouts have actually caught a pass for the Eagles during this playoff run. That lack of production means that this position group is just average.
Tight End – B
If it weren’t for Travis Kelce, NFL fans would be saying that Dallas Goedert has been the best tight end in the postseason. Goedert leads all tight ends in receiving yards (188) while ranking second in receptions (15). On top of that, he has been effective in the run game as a blocker and a ball carrier (13 rushing yards on two carries). With a receiving touchdown in the first round of the playoffs, he’s already halfway to his touchdown output for the regular season.
The only reason Philly’s tight ends don’t get an A is because I don’t know how much I can trust backup tight end Grant Calcaterra, who only has one reception in the playoffs. If something were to happen to Dallas Goedert, Philly’s tight end room would be screwed.
Offensive Line – A
The Eagles’ offensive line is the team’s best unit. Three of the five starters were named to the Pro Bowl, but that’s only because left tackle Jordan Mailata was snubbed by the voters. In reality, the Eagles should have had four Pro Bowl offensive linemen this year.
The offensive line helped Philly average 179.3 rushing yards per game during the regular season. That number has somehow improved to 227.7 yards in the postseason.
The squad has surrendered 11 sacks during the playoffs (tied for the most in the league), but that is partly due to Jalen Hurts injuring his knee in the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams. I doubt Philly’s sack total would be that high if Hurts was completely healthy.
I am very excited to see the Eagles’ offensive line match up with the Chiefs’ defensive front. That will be the battle that determines who wins Super Bowl LIX.
Defensive Line – B
Most of Philly’s sacks in the playoffs have come from the linebacker position, but that hasn’t stopped the Eagles’ defensive linemen from wrecking games.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter might be Philly’s best defender. He has two sacks and 20 quarterback pressures (the most by any defensive tackle this postseason). He also leads all playoff DTs in quarterback hits and hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.
Fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis has been solid during the Eagles’ playoff run. The 6’6″, 336 lbs. lineman has a sack and four total tackles in three games.
Even third-stringer Moro Ojomo has recorded a sack and five total tackles during this run.
With veteran defensive end Brandon Graham on track to play this Sunday, Philly’s defensive line looks poised to have a big game.
Linebacker – A
I’ve mentioned it before, but Zack Baun has looked like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate during the playoffs. He has 26 total tackles (second in the postseason), 17 solo tackles (tied for first), two passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. Baun has been all over the field and is a huge reason why the Eagles have made it this far.
Oren Burks and Nolan Smith Jr. have also been lights out. The two have combined for 36 total tackles, five sacks, seven tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles. Even Jalyx Hunt has stepped his game up since Nakobe Dean went down with an injury by recording five total tackles in the NFC Championship Game.
We also can’t forget Josh Sweat, who has five quarterback hurries in the postseason (sixth most amongst all linebackers).
Philly might have the deepest linebacker room in the NFL.
Cornerback – B
Darius Slay Jr., Cooper DeJean, and Quinyon Mitchell have created a no-fly zone for Philly on the defensive side of the ball. Slay has five pass deflections in the playoffs (tied for first) while Mitchell has deflected four passes (tied for third), and DeJean has three pass deflections (tied for fifth). Moreover, they have combined for three interceptions.
The problem comes with actually stopping teams from passing the ball effectively. Philly is allowing the fifth-most passing yards (245.7 yards per game) in the playoffs and the fourth-most receiving yards per game (271.3).
The Eagles’ cornerback room is superb (second-lowest completion percentage allowed in the playoffs), but they lose a letter grade because offenses have been able to gain a lot of yards through the air.
Safety – B
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship round out Philly’s secondary. Blankenship has been an unsung hero for the Eagles’ defense with 24 total tackles (second on the team) and a forced fumble. More importantly, he has only allowed seven receptions in the playoffs, the third-fewest amongst all safeties.
After doing nothing in the Wild Card Round, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has accumulated 11 total tackles in his last two games. He also has five stops, the second-most amongst all safeties in the postseason, according to PFF.
Tristin McCollum and Syndey Brown have had an impact with three tackles apiece.
Similarly to the cornerback room, Philly’s safety room gets a B due to the defense’s passing yards problem.
