Eagles Week 5 PFF Grades: Offensive line depth shines; Brandon Graham once again posts elite marks
In a game that seemed destined for overtime, the undefeated Eagles managed to add another tally to the win column after Cardinals backup kicker Matt Amendola pushed a 43-yard attempt wide right in the final seconds of regulation.
Although the Eagles offense sputtered down the stretch on Sunday, Jalen Hurts was still his normal efficient self, going 26-for-36 (72 completion percentage) for 239 yards, while adding another 61 yards on the ground along with two touchdowns.
Dallas Goedert and DeVonta Smith led the way on the receiving end, combining for 18 receptions and 182 yards. Defensively, CJ Gardner-Johnson had his best game to date as an Eagle, leading the team in tackles (10) while securing his first INT in midnight green.
As we do every week, let’s take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Eagles’ performance from Sunday in AZ.
Jason Kelce, Dallas Goedert, and Lane Johnson lead the way offensively
Despite heading to the locker room for x-rays in the second quarter, Jason Kelce still managed to post the highest PFF grade on the Eagles offense this week, finishing the day with an overall grade of 78.9 and a pass blocking grade of 83.7.
On 38 pass blocking reps, Kelce didn’t surrender a single sack, pressure, hurry, or QB hit. He posted stellar marks in the ground game as well, finishing the contest with a run blocking grade of 75.5; the second-best run blocking grade of any lineman in Week 5.
At 34 years old, battling an injury while continuing to dominate his opponent, Kelce is the definition of a warrior. It amazes me that at this stage in his career, where most lineman tend to show their age, Kelce continues to bolster his Hall of Fame candidacy.
Behind Kelce in PFF’s grading was TE Dallas Goedert, who led the team in receiving with eight receptions for 95 yards (11.9 YPC). He finished the day with a 76.4 offensive grade, an 83.7 receiving grade, and 67.9 run blocking grade. As always, Goedert did it all for the Eagles offense.
As it stands, Goedert is the eighth-highest graded TE in the league per PFF, posting a 70.9 offensive grade through five weeks. His 75.5 receiving grade is the fifth-best mark among 49 qualifying tight ends.
Rounding out the top-three for the Eagles offense is RT Lane Johnson, who earned a 73.5 offensive grade for his efforts on Sunday. Johnson once again didn’t allow a single sack against Arizona while only surrendering one pressure on Hurts.
Johnson is one of five offensive lineman in the NFL to play at least 350 snaps this year and not allow a single sack. Three of those five lineman start for the Eagles, by the way.
Johnson is having a career-year as a pass blocker, which is pretty insane considering he’s only given up two sacks since 2019. His 87.8 pass blocking grade is No. 1 among 72 qualifying tackles and if the season ended today, it would be the best pass blocking grade he’s ever posted in his career.
We love to label Kelce as a future Hall of Famer every time we talk about him, and rightfully so. But it’s about time we start giving that same love to Johnson. Not only is he one of the best tackles in the NFL, he’s one of the best overall players in the league.
Eagles offensive line depth continues to shine
The Eagles’ skill position players get a lot of recognition, but the true MVP of this offensive attack right now is the offensive line. More specifically, the amount of solid depth Howie Roseman has acquired for Jeff Stoutland’s unit.
Despite missing Jordan Mailata for the entire game and Landon Dickerson for a large chunk of it, the Eagles o-line didn’t miss a beat.
Jack Driscoll got the start at left tackle, his first start at the position since entering the NFL, and he held his own. He posted a 66.7 overall grade on Sunday, along with a team-best 80.4 run blocking grade. He struggled as a pass blocker, surrendering six pressures and one QB hit while posting a 39.3 pass blocking grade, but that’s to be expected for a guy who’s barely played on the left side of the line during his career.
Driscoll is a starting quality player as a right guard or even as a right tackle. The fact that he can give 70+ snaps as the blind side tackle and be effective is astounding. Having a backup lineman that can theoretically fill in at any of the five positions on a moment’s notice is invaluable. There’s no doubt that Driscoll is the most valuable backup lineman on the roster right now.
Sua Opeta also did a fine job filling in for Dickerson. On 47 offensive snaps, Opeta posted a 58.0 offensive grade. There’s certainly room for improvement there, but the backup guard proved more than capable in his pass blocking sets, posting a 69.5 pass blocking grade while allowing just two pressures on Hurts.
Losing starters along the offensive line is never ideal. For most teams, losing one starter, let alone two on the same side of the line, is disastrous. The Eagles were down to their third left tackle (who’s really a right guard) and their second left guard and still managed to dominate the trenches.
I don’t know how Jeff Stoutland does it.
PFF grades for the entire Eagles offense:
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Brandon Graham, Jordan Davis, and James Bradberry lead the way defensively
For the second time in three weeks, BG posted elite marks during Sunday’s contest, finishing the day with a 90.2 defensive grade. It was by far the best mark recorded by any Eagles defender against AZ.
On 22 pass rushing reps, Graham recorded one pressure and hurry while posting a 22.7 percent win rate. Although BG isn’t technically a starter for Jonathan Gannon’s defensive line, he’s still a valuable rotational pass rusher and is continuing to make his case for Comeback Player of the Year.
Behind BG was rookie DT Jordan Davis, who continues to have a massive impact despite playing just 35 percent of the defensive snaps this season. He collected three tackles and two defensive stops on 11 run defense snaps Sunday. In PFF’s own words, “[Davis is] now easily the highest-graded rookie defensive tackle in the league.”
Entering Week 6, Davis’ 80.5 defensive grade ranks 14th out of 121 qualifying interior lineman. His 77.2 run defense grade places Davis 10th among 129 qualifying DTs.
CB James Bradberry came in third in PFF’s grading of the Eagles defense in Week 5, posting 76.7 overall mark.
The late offseason acquisition of Bradberry continues to pay dividends. On Sunday, No. 24 was targeted six times and allowed just two receptions for 15 yards while posting a coverage grade of 76.9. Bradberry has posted an 80.2 coverage grade on the season, ranking him eighth out of 108 qualifying corners.
CB2 is having a career year, allowing just 45.2 percent of the passes thrown his way to get completed while surrendering a 27.2 passer rating when targeted. If Bradberry continues to play at this level, he’ll command a hefty price tag next offseason.
It’ll be tough fitting another big contract into the fold, but if there’s any GM in the league that can get it done, it’s Howie Roseman.
Josiah Scott has a bounce back performance; CGJ has his best game as an Eagle
After struggling in his first start of the season in Week 4, backup nickel Josiah Scott bounced back in a big way on Sunday. He finished the day with a 76.1 defensive grade, good for fourth-best on Gannon’s unit.
Scott posted the best coverage grade of any Eagle in Week 5, finishing the day with a 78.9 mark in coverage while allowing just 3.8 yards per completion.
Avonte Maddox is still the unquestioned starter at the nickel when he returns from injury, but it’s great knowing Scott can fill-in and hold his own when need be.
On the backend of the Eagles secondary, Gardner-Johnson had his first standout performance as an Eagle on Sunday. He recorded a team-high 10 tackles while posting a 67.2 defensive grade; his best single-game grade of the year.
He allowed a 83.3 completion percentage when targeted, but CGJ did manage to snag his first interception on the year.
Gardner-Johnson has struggled for the majority of the season thus far, so it’s great to see the safety finally leave his mark on a game. The Eagles already have one of the better secondaries in football, but if CGJ can step up his level of play moving forward, their defensive backfield will enter elite territory.
PFF grades for the entire Eagles defense:
Mandatory Credit: The Associated Press
