Eagles’ position ranking after Cowboys’ demolition originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles took care of business on Sunday, defeating the Cowboys 41-7 to clinch the NFC East title.

They entered the game with their backup quarterback and finished the game with their third-stringer, but that didn’t matter. The Eagles dominated on Sunday, defeating their biggest rival.

They secured the division and secured at least second place in the NFC.

Let’s get to the notes:

quarterback

Kenny Pickett: 10/15, 143 yards, 1 touchdown

The Eagles were without Jalen Hurts (concussion) for this game, meaning they had to play Kenny Pickett despite a serious rib injury. Pickett fought through the injury with some extra padding in his protective vest until he took a few hits in the second half and had to leave the game. But then third-stringer Tanner McKee stepped in and finished the game strong, completing three of four passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns. It’s hard to ask more of your backup and third-string quarterbacks in a game where winning the division is on the line. The last two times the Eagles had to start a backup, they lost late in the 2022 season. So that was a great performance from Pickett and McKee.

Grade: A

Run back

Saquon Barkley: 31 carries, 167 yards

At halftime, Barkley only had 13 carries for 40 yards and looked like he would finish this game well under 2,000 yards on the season. But he ended up having a strong third quarter, finishing the game with 31 carries for 167 yards. He now sits at 2,005 for the season, just 100 shy of Eric Dickerson’s record. Barkley is just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season.

Grade: A

Recipient

DeVonta Smith: 6 catches on 7 targets for 120 yards, 2 touchdowns

As has become common practice, DeVonta Smith and AJ Brown were the only receivers targeted in this game. In this game that wasn’t a problem. Smith had his best performance of the season, catching touchdown passes from both Pickett and McKee. AJ Brown finished the game with 3 catches on 5 targets for 36 yards and a touchdown. The biggest mistake a receiver made in this game was when Brown hurled the ball into the stands. But Brown made up for it; He exchanged an autographed game jersey to get McKee’s first touchdown ball back.

Grade: A

Tight end

Grant Calcaterra: 1 catch on 2 targets for 34 yards

Dallas Goedert can return next week against the Giants, although that game may not be significant. Calcaterra only had one catch in the game, but it was a spectacular catch on 3rd-and-8 in the second quarter. A few plays later, Pickett hit Smith on third down for a 22-yard touchdown to take a 14-7 lead. Great play by Calcaterra at a point in the game when the score was still close.

Degree: A-

Offensive line

During the third quarter, some of the offensive linemen knew Barkley was nearing the 2,000-yard mark and told him to push for it. While Barkley is being praised for a great season, the offense has paved the way for him all season long and they consider all of his successes to be group successes. They also gave clean pockets to Pickett and McKee and held Micah Parsons and the Cowboys without a sack.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Nolan Smith: 2 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF

Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle managed more than 100 yards and Cooper Rush was only sacked once in the game, late in the game. But Nolan Smith forced a fumble and the Eagles ultimately limited Dowdle’s damage and made some plays against Rush. Jalen Carter had a big batted pass that Smith almost intercepted. Bryce Huff returned after missing five games, leaving with a shoulder injury but was able to return. The Eagles didn’t get much pressure all game, but they got enough.

Grade: A-

Linebackers

Oren Burks: 8 tackles, 1 FF

Without Nakobe Dean, the Eagles started veteran Oren Burks in his place and substituted Jeremiah Trotter Jr. later in the game. Burks ultimately led the team with 8 tackles and also forced one of the Eagles’ two fumbles. Zack Baun had 7 tackles and a pass breakup. Trotter had 3 tackles, a QB hit and half a sack.

Grade: A-

Secondary

CJ Gardner-Johnson: 1 tackle, 2 INTs, 2 PBUs

There were some leaky moments early in the secondary and Darius Slay and Quinyon Mitchell dropped some passes. But Gardner-Johnson had his second career 2-INT game and returned the first 69 yards for his first career touchdown. He now leads the team with 6 interceptions. Rush ended up completing just 15 of 28 passes for 147 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Grade: A

Special teams

Jake Elliott: 2/2 on FGs, 5/5 on PATs, 5 touchbacks on kickoffs

In addition to hitting all of his field goals, Elliott also took kickoff responsibility and did a good job of keeping the ball away from dangerous returner KaVontae Turpin.

Grade: A

Coaching

Record: 13-3

I didn’t like Nick Sirianni’s decision to punt from his own 46-yard line in the first quarter, but let’s not get too picky after a 41-7 win. The Eagles offense ran at a high level with the second and third string quarterbacks. And the defense really settled down after a 70-yard drive in the first quarter. The decision to hire Elliott as a kickoff guy also paid off.

Grade: A

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