Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts shows grit in victory; A.J. Brown shows incredible skills

LANDOVER, Md. — Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance after their 38-31 win over the Commanders:

Jalen Hurts clearly wasn’t playing near 100% and was gimpy after an early first-down run. But he battled through and had one of the better passing performances of his career. Hurts completed 29 of 38 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns. He didn’t toss an interception for the first time in four games, but he couldn’t escape the turnover bug. Hurts fumbled at the goal line when the usually-reliable Brotherly Shove was dialed up on first down. He may not have even received the snap from center Jason Kelce, though, so the fumble could have an asterisk. But Hurts otherwise had a nearly spotless game and did well to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.

Kenneth Gainwell had a brutal fumble inside the 5-yard line in the second quarter. He was back out on the field on the next offensive series and caught some passes from there on out, including a 17-yard catch on third down in which he broke a tackle. But the Eagles may want to decrease his touches in favor of Boston Scott or the underused Rashaad Penny. D’Andre Swift had more success on the ground than Gainwell, but he had to grind out 57 yards on 16 carries and had the cherry-on-top touchdown run to seal the outcome.

» READ MORE: The Eagles staggered and stumbled, but A.J. Brown caught them before they fell on their face

A.J. Brown is entering rarefied air. He was easily the Eagles’ best player on Sunday, and that has often been the case this season. His one-handed 16-yard touchdown catch late in the first half was a memory-maker. But his second score — a 25-yard jump-ball grab in the third quarter — was just as pivotal. Brown became the first player ever to have more than 125 yards receiving in six straight games. DeVonta Smith got off to a slow start. He missed a block on a third-down screen and was quiet catching the ball for stretches. But Smith got going in the second half. He had a key 17-yard grab on fourth down — even if replays showed him likely trapping the ball — and waltzed into the end zone for a 38-yard touchdown when Washington busted a coverage in the fourth. Julio Jones caught Hurts’ fourth touchdown pass and took a shot in the process. Dallas Goedert had a couple of third-down conversions. Tight end Grant Calcaterra left in the first quarter with a concussion.

Whether it was Kelce’s fault or Hurts’ on the fumbled Brotherly Shove exchange, it was at the time a killer turnover. The center and his O-line mates otherwise struggled to open holes on the ground for Swift and Gainwell. They did better in pass protection as Hurts often had more than four seconds to throw. Right guard Sua Opeta’s problems continued when he didn’t receive help from Kelce or right tackle Lane Johnson. He left briefly and was replaced by rookie Tyler Steen, but returned. Jordan Mailata allowed several pressures off the edge and came up limping at one point in the first half. Landon Dickerson had, on the surface, another strong day.

Washington’s plan with its passing offense was pretty simple: Get the ball out of quarterback Sam Howell’s hands as quickly as possible to offset the Eagles’ pass rush vs. its shaky protection. And it mostly worked. Howell wasn’t sacked until Haason Reddick took him down with the deciding play with just over two minutes left. Reddick also forced an intentional grounding when he wasn’t fooled by a naked bootleg. Josh Sweat, on the other side, wasn’t heard from much. Fletcher Cox might have been the most impactful of the D-linemen. He snuffed out a third-down screen, batted a pass, and helped clog the run game with Jordan Davis (hamstring) less than 100% and Jalen Carter (back) and Milton Williams (shoulder) in and out of the lineup with injuries.

Nakobe Dean got the start again in the middle, but he split time again with Nicholas Morrow. He saw the field more, though, and finished with a team-high 12 tackles. He helped settle down a run defense that allowed Brian Robinson a 29-yard rush — the longest the Eagles have allowed all season — but was victimized at times in the passing game. Zach Cunningham appeared to be out of his gap on Robinson’s long run. He had a pass breakup later in the game, batted a Howell pass, and stuffed Robinson in the backfield late in the game.

James Bradberry had some moments he would likely want back. He bit on Washington receiver Terry McLaurin’s stutter-step before getting beaten for a 26-yard touchdown. Sean Desai’s quarters zone in that situation might have put too much stress on the cornerback, though. Later on, Bradberry dropped a possible pick-six, but it came on fourth down. Darius Slay allowed his share of underneath receptions and missed a few tackles on the outside. He blew up a screen at one point and was solid down the stretch despite leaving briefly with an unknown injury. Sydney Brown started at slot cornerback a week after earning his first start at safety. The rookie was up and down. He had two early tackles for losses. But he got caught in single coverage when Washington dialed up a perfect play vs. the Eagles zone and receiver Jahan Dotson caught a 21-yard touchdown pass. He also got toasted by tight end Logan Thomas for a touchdown. Eli Ricks spelled Brown in the slot on third downs. He got called for pass interference on an early third down, but rebounded with a tackle for loss on a screen.

Reed Blankenship’s performance matched that of the Eagles. He returned from last week’s absence due to a rib injury and had some costly errors in man coverage, getting beaten by Dotson and Thomas. But he made the defensive play of the game when he intercepted Howell in the fourth. Kevin Byard hung in there despite it being his first game in Desai’s scheme. He was the closest defender on a couple of zone-beating passes into the secondary. But he finished with seven tackles and didn’t get beaten deep.

» READ MORE: Middle Tennessee-made: How the improbable Eagles safety duo of Kevin Byard and Reed Blankenship was built

Jake Elliott split the uprights from 51 yards out in the first. Britain Covey took his lone punt return back for 25 yards. Punter Braden Mann had a 56-yard boomer on his first try but kicked his second into the end zone for a touchback.

The Eagles moved to 7-1 and remain the only team in the NFL with just one loss. Nick Sirianni’s team keeps finding ways to win despite near-costly mistakes. But that’s the mark of a talented team that could be peaking by season’s end. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson’s play-calling may not always satisfy the natives, but the Eagles scored 38 points — despite two fumbles inside the 10 — and gained nearly 500 yards. On defense, Desai’s unit was nowhere near as dominant as it was last week against the Dolphins as some of his coverage calls played a role in the early issues. But the defensive coordinator got his charges to man up down the stretch. The Cowboys await next week.