LANDOVER, Md. – The Eagles lost Jalen Hurts to a concussion in the first half and then lost the game to the Commanders on Sunday afternoon.

The Eagles came close to winning their 11th straight but fell short, losing 36-33 to the Commanders at Northwest Stadium.

Let’s move on to the grades by position:

quarterback

Kenny Pickett: 14/24, 143 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks

Jalen Hurts left the game in the first quarter with a concussion he sustained at the end of a run. It looked like Hurts would get back into the game, but was eventually ruled out and replaced by Kenny Pickett. Hurts completed one of four passes for 11 yards and rushed for 41 before being eliminated.

Pickett did some good things in this game, especially when targeting AJ Brown, but he also made some mistakes. His interception was a nice play by Frankie Luvu to get into a zone. Pickett was lucky he wasn’t charged with a fumble on a play that was ruled incomplete. Despite all of this, the Eagles likely win the game if Pickett’s pass is caught by DeVonta Smith in the fourth quarter. Pickett had X-rays of his ribs after the game and needs further tests, but is not worried about his condition this week. With Hurts in the concussion protocol, they might need him.

Grade: C

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 29 carries, 150 yards, 2 touchdowns

Barkley had another monster stat game and if he does it twice more he will be the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing record holder. Barkley wasn’t as effective in the second half, but that largely had to do with the absence of Jalen Hurts and the way the Commanders were able to switch up their defensive attack. Barkley now has four carries for 65 yards this season. His drop on a wheel route in the fourth quarter hurt. It was a tough catch, but one they would like to make for him.

Degree: B+

Recipient

AJ Brown: 8 catches on 15 targets, 97 yards, 1 touchdown

Not only did Brown have 97 receiving yards, but the Eagles also racked up another 68 penalty yards on defensive pass interference calls by Marshon Lattimore in coverage of Brown. DeVonta Smith threw six catches for 51 yards, but his drop in the fourth quarter was a killer, reminiscent of Barkley’s drop against the Falcons earlier this season.

Grade: B+

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 0 goals

The tight ends were not targeted at all in this game. Calcaterra had some tough moments as an in-line blocker, but CJ Uzomah was able to score a few runs. Dallas Goedert cannot return from IR until Week 18.

Grade: C-

Offensive line

Although Pickett was sacked three times in the game, some of it was on him, most notably once on third down where he allowed himself to be tripped up by a free rusher. Not only did the Eagles run the ball early, but the Washington front was able to thwart the run in the second half. We’re used to the Eagles being able to impose their will in games, but they couldn’t do that in this game, not without Hurts in the game.

Grade: B-

Defensive line

Nolan Smith: 3 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hits, 2 FR

The Eagles gave up 113 yards on the ground, but most of that went to Jayden Daniels, who had 81 rushing yards. The Eagles front did a good job against the running backs. Brian Robinson had 10 carries for 24 yards and also lost two fumbles. Daniels was sacked only once and the Eagles were unable to generate consistent pressure. And it seemed like Daniels was able to take off when they got pressure.

Grade: C+

Linebackers

Zack Baun: 11 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 FF

Overall, the Eagles linebackers played well. Baun continues to make impact plays and his two TFLs and forced fumble in this game certainly contribute to that. Nakobe Dean also had an active game and led the team with 12 total tackles. He had to leave briefly and was replaced by Oren Burks, but returned. When Dean was out of the game, Baun got the helmet with the green dot.

Grade: B+

Secondary

Reed Blankenship: 5 tackles, 1 INT, 1 PBU

The Eagles defense was so good for so long, but this wasn’t their best performance. Daniels threw for 258 yards with 5 touchdowns. The Eagles beat him twice, but that wasn’t enough either. Daniels threw four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to cap long drives. There is no doubt that the Eagles missed CJ Gardner-Johnson after he was left out of this game. Tristin McCollum fought in his place. The Eagles allowed some big downfield passes and also had issues with communication. You have to clean up a lot on the backend.

Grade: D+

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 4/5 on FGs

While Elliott missed a short 56-yarder at the end of the first half, he eventually made a 50-yarder and the rest of his shots. Braden Mann put a punt wide and did well to save a low snap for one of the field goals. But Mann struggled to kick the ball off, giving the Commanders good field position far too often. In one of them he even missed the landing zone. Sydney Brown was also criticized for leaving early on one of those kickoffs.

Grade: C-

Coaching

Record: 12-3

The Eagles coaching staff deserved a lot of credit for how they handled the Steelers’ game last week, but it wasn’t great. The Eagles appeared undisciplined at times and shot themselves in the foot. This must be due to the coaching. There was also the 12-man-on-field penalty, which still resulted in a long touchdown pass. And Nick Sirianni got a little conservative with a lead and no Hurts in the second half. It’s probably difficult to make these decisions without your starting quarterback, but the Eagles traded FGs for TDs and ended up losing.

Grade: D

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