The defense gave up 519 yards. So while 2 turnovers (especially interceptions!) and two more turnovers on downs was awesome, that’s why the Eagles finished with 39 points. Yes, the 3 turnovers led to 17 points, but the Eagles moved the ball at will on this defense mostly because the defensive line was non existent. There was no pass rush and the run support was poor. Despite 45 pass attempts the Saints didn’t have a single sack. Sam Bradford had all day to throw and DeMarco Murray finally found a defense he could gain yards against. Now the Eagles only had 10 points in the 3rd quarter but the lack of an offense eventually led to the defense running on fumes. Then, it quickly got worse and worse. Below are the grades:
Cam Jordan: C+ (2.40) He had some pressure which is more than anyone else, but he just can’t shed a block consistently enough. He played the run well at times. He finished with 3 tackles and was flagged once for roughing the passer. He also had a sack that was negated by a Browner penalty.
John Jenkins: C+ (2.47) At times he ate space but this wasn’t as good as last week. Obviously the run support wasn’t there. He did set up some opportunities for the linebackers, though, and he had 2 tackles.
Kevin Williams: C (2.13) He was flagged once for offsides and while he’d sometimes beat his man he looked slow in pursuit, particularly rushing the passer. He had 1 tackle.
Kaleb Eulls: C- (1.67) He played little and made no noticeable impact.
Travaris Barnes: C (1.92) He had one tackle which was a nice stop on a running play around the line of scrimmage. His pass rushing attempts were easily neutralized.
Tyeler Davison: C+ (2.27) His lone tackle was a nice run stuff on DeMarco Murray. He needs to play more. When he’s in he seems to do good things.
Kasim Edebali: C- (2.07) Left the game with an injury but would return. He had one tackle and made no impact. Remember when some said he would be a good pass rusher this year? Not seeing it.
Hau’oli Kikaha: D (2.73) Normally I’m pumped about his run support but he took bad angles, bit on fakes and looked slow. On pass rushing attempts he was swallowed whole by Jason Peters. Completely overmatched. A real “welcome to the NFL” moment for Kikaha. As good as he’s been he was completely invisible in this one. Just one tackle.
Stephone Anthony: C (2.33) At times he took poor angles in run support and he was beaten in coverage. This wasn’t his best showing but he had moments. He finished with 9 tackles, including one for a loss. Way too many of his tackles were downfield well beyond the line of scrimmage. This felt like a Curtis Lofton type game. Nice to see him getting involved and ramping up his tackle total, though.
Dannell Ellerbe: B (2.50) Besides the 15 yard penalty, which was stupid, I liked what I saw from Ellerbe. He was pretty good in coverage, including a break up down the sideline and he was engaged in run support. He had good pursuit, too. He finished the game with 7 tackles.
David Hawthorne: D+ (1.87) He’s a big part of the major struggles covering tight ends. I wish the Saints had a better solution. He finished with 4 tackles.
Delvin Breaux: B (2.60) Besides one pass interference play and some missed tackles, his coverage was solid. His interception in the end zone was a phenomenal jump inside on a route and a fantastic catch. He finished with 5 tackles, including one for a loss. He’s a physical player in run support but he doesn’t always have the best tackling technique. Still, it’s clear the Saints found a gem with this guy. One of the only players that has been promising.
Brandon Browner: C+ (1.67) Two more penalties, one that negated a sack. Hey, I expected this, but it doesn’t make it any less tiresome as an act. Interestingly his coverage was good and he made a very nice interception in the end zone on a poorly thrown ball, but it was his tackling that was real shoddy in run support. That’s usually his better asset. He allowed too many tackles to slip by him. He finished with 7 tackles and the pick.
Keenan Lewis: C+ (2.33) He negated an offensive pass interference call with a silly facemask at the end of the play. He was also beaten once by Riley Cooper for a 1st down on a 3rd and long. Otherwise, he was pretty good in coverage. He brought up a 4th down target with nice coverage and finished with 1 tackle. He’s not 100% yet but he’s out there helping.
Damian Swann: B- (2.60) Played well until his exit due to injury. He had 1 pass break up and was involved in another incompletion with good coverage.
Kyle Wilson: C (1.78) Played some free safety to spell Byrd before his injury. He finished with 2 tackles and didn’t bring much to the table other than versatility.
Brian Dixon: B- (2.84) He was very good as a gunner on special teams and had to come in on defense due to injuries. He made a tackle and had good coverage on Matthews on a 3rd down pass well short of the sticks to force a field goal. He also downed a punt inside the 20 and had a special teams tackle. The only negative was an illegal block on a return.
Jairus Byrd: C- (2.17) He started the game strong, coming close to intercepting a pass on a nice break up, but finished quietly. He had 3 tackles. He ran into Vaccaro on the long touchdown which prevented him from making a play. The defense needed more from him.
Kenny Vaccaro: A- (2.80) An excellent day from Vaccaro who was flying to the ball and playing physical football. This is the Vaccaro we knew as a rookie. He finished with a team leading 11 tackles, including 1 for a loss. He was solid in coverage. He helped in run support and was active around the line of scrimmage.
Jamarca Sanford: B- (2.44) Came in and helped at safety, playing decent. Finished with 3 tackles.
Zach Hocker: B (2.53) His opening kickoff was short and it led to a big return, but credit him for making a tackle. It’s frustrating that every time the kicker fails to get a touchback on the kickoff, there seems to be a big return. His other two kickoffs were touchbacks. He made both extra points and a 21 yard field goal.
Brandon Fields: D (1.00) The punt off the side of his foot for 13 yards was a farce. He followed that up with a 36 yard shank. Too bad, he was doing ok until then. He punted 6 times for a 39.5 yard average, pinning 3 inside the 20. He did have one touchback. His net was 36.2 but he did prevent Darren Sproles from having any returns. Man, Morstead was missed.
Marcus Murphy: D+ (2.13) He had 1 punt return for 1 yard and 3 kickoff returns for 66 yards, including one well inside the 15 where he was crushed and fumbled after he was down (so not really a fumble, but it was close). Bad day.
Don Jones: C- (1.92) On the 40 yard return he took at bad angle at the returner and had a clean path to him. The effort there was poor as he overpursued. For a special teams specialist he’s been disappointing between the missed plays and the penalties.
Ramon Humber: C+ (2.73) He had a downed punt at the 7 and 1 tackle on defense.
My Defensive Player of the Game: Kenny Vaccaro
My Special Teams Player of the Game: Zach Hocker
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