Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts gets the job done; Saquon Barkley breaks a record; defense rides great linebacker play

Instant grades on the Eagles’ performance in their 22-16 win over the Panthers:

Jalen Hurts was shaky early — again — and actually a few times after that, but he did the job. The quarterback delivered another win and avoided turnovers. He managed the game as has been his habit since the bye. He completed 14 of 21 passes for just 108 yards but he threw two touchdown passes and ran for 59 yards. Hurts also scored on another Tush Push, giving him 13 rushing touchdowns on the season.

He took an inexplicable sack rather than throw the ball away in the fourth quarter. But he bounced back with a 15-yard dart to receiver A.J. Brown on third-and-13.

Hurts had a 35-yard scramble in the third quarter that converted a third-and-10. It was his longest run of the season. Several plays later, he found tight end Grant Calcaterra for a 4-yard touchdown on third down.

Hurts and the offense had another slow start in the first quarter. He missed an open Brown downfield on the first play, even if a holding penalty brought back Hurts’ eventual check-down throw. On the next possession, the quarterback ran on consecutive plays that netted little gain — a busted scramble and a draw play on which he appeared to miss a lane to run through.

Hurts’ best throw of the first half came when he extended a third down and found receiver DeVonta Smith for a 27-yard grab along the sideline. He also had a 15-yard scramble when he shook a defender in the backfield and jaunted into green space, and a few plays later hit Smith for a 4-yard touchdown.

Saquon Barkley set the franchise single-season rushing record, eclipsing the mark set by LeSean McCoy (1,607) in 2013. He ran for 124 yards on 20 carries, giving him four straight games over the century mark and marking the ninth time he accomplished the feat this season. “MVP” chants rained down from the Lincoln Financial Field faithful when he set the record.

Barkley ran with conviction and picked up a number of yards after contact against the worst rushing defense in the NFL. He had four carries for 37 yards to open the Eagles’ first touchdown drive. Barkley was stopped at the 1-yard line again, but Kellen Moore dialed up his number rather than rely on the Tush Push. But he couldn’t get in the end zone on second down, and Hurts then got the call on a sneak.

Barkley did well to convert a short third down in the third quarter after Hurts bobbled the snap.

Kenny Gainwell finished with 26 yards on three totes. He scooted for 20 yards on the first possession — on an outside zone run — when Barkley took a play off. Khari Blasingame, who was signed last week after quasi-fullback Ben VanSumeren suffered a season-ending knee injury, was promoted off the practice squad. But he didn’t see the field.

With the Eagles leaning on their ground game again, and with Hurts struggling to see the field on some of his dropbacks, the receivers didn’t see the ball much. Brown didn’t have a pass come his way until a little over a minute was left in the first half. He did have a couple of big grabs before the break and pulled in an important 15-yarder on a comeback route in the fourth quarter.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts wasn’t great for the Eagles against the Panthers. What will happen in a bigger game against a better opponent?

Smith was back in the lineup after missing two games due to a hamstring injury. He caught his first touchdown pass since early November when he reeled in a 4-yarder out of the slot on an out breaker. He finished with four catches for 37 yards.

With Dallas Goedert on injured reserve with a knee injury, Calcaterra bumped back up to No. 1 tight end. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass — the first of his career — to give the Eagles a 22-16 lead early in the fourth quarter. Calcaterra finished with three catches for 16 yards.

C.J. Uzomah was mostly the second blocking tight end. EJ Jenkins saw a few snaps when the Eagles went heavy in “13″ personnel. Receiver Jahan Dotson saw a few early passes, but caught only one for 5 yards. Receiver Johnny Wilson had one target when Hurts threw well over the 6-foot-6 receiver’s head.

The O-line opened some gaping holes with Barkley and Gainwell, especially on the left side. Moore kept drawing up rushes behind tackle Jordan Mailata and guard Landon Dickerson. The tandem led the way when Barkley gobbled up 18 yards on a stretch run to the left to open the third quarter.

Center Cam Jurgens was a key cog in a lot of the combo blocks that sprung Barkley on runs in between the tackles.

Hurts was sacked four times, but they were often a result of good coverage and Hurts holding the ball a touch too long. The O-line’s pass protection allowed the quarterback to get cooking after a slow start and he had all sorts of time to go through his reads and connect with Calcaterra in the end zone.

Right tackle Lane Johnson and right guard Mekhi Becton had some early penalties, but they settled down.

The Panthers were down to Chuba Hubbard at running back after Jonathon Brooks and Raheem Blackshear left early with injuries. They already lost former Eagle Miles Sanders to a season-ending injury. Hubbard was tough to bring down, but the Eagles’ front helped hold him to just 3.5 yards a carry. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter was his usual menacing self. He got an early pressure and hit Panthers quarterback Bryce Young before he threw the ball away. Carter later added a run tackle for loss before the half. He snuffed out a screen pass for a loss in the third quarter. He also batted a third-down pass later in that drive, but it deflected to receiver Adam Thielen for a catch and conversion.

Defensive tackle Jordan Davis anchored the D-line against the run. He did well to minimize a Young scramble to the sideline before the half.

The D-line had trouble getting Young to the ground as he danced out of several would-be sacks. Defensive tackle Milton Williams pressured Young out of the pocket with a strong inside rush just before the half. Defensive end Josh Sweat had several hurries. He did well to set the edge and keep Hubbard to no gain on a fourth-quarter run.

Outside linebacker Nolan Smith got clipped on the edge and Hubbard ran outside for 15 yards on the Panthers’ second series. He drew a holding penalty on the next play, though.

Defensive end Jalyx Hunt made a nice open-field tackle on Young on the Panthers’ last-gasp drive. Hunt failed to set the edge when Young scrambled for a first down in the second quarter. Defensive end Charles Harris picked up his first snaps since being signed off waivers two weeks ago. Defensive tackle Moro Ojomo kept his motor humming and ran downfield to assist on a tackle after a short Panthers completion. Defensive tackle Thomas Booker had a run stop that prevented Hubbard from scoring in the third quarter.

The off-ball linebackers contributed to the stout run defense. Nakobe Dean led the Eagles with 12 tackles. He made a bunch of stops vs. the run and on dump passes to Hubbard. He couldn’t run down Young when he scrambled for a third-down conversion in the fourth quarter.

Zack Baun was not far behind Dean in tackles with 11. He got the defense off the field when he blitzed and sacked Young on third down in the first quarter. Baun used his pass-rushing past to beat a Panthers guard for his sack. He had a tackle for loss on a run play in the next quarter.

Young had some success when he extended plays, but the Eagles secondary often took his first few reads away. Darius Slay was back after missing a game. Young went at him early and often, and the quarterback hooked up with Thielen to convert a third-and-13 with Slay in coverage. He got toasted again for 19 yards by receiver David Moore on a third down in the second quarter.

Slay didn’t appear to be playing at 100%. He did rebound with a fourth-down pass breakup in the fourth quarter. The game-clinching play saw him dive and swat a pass to the ground. Quinyon Mitchell wore a sweatshirt emblazoned with the phrase, “Quinyonamo Bay,” before the game and it was certainly justified. The rookie cornerback wasn’t tested often and when he did see the ball come his way he had tight coverage.

Slot corner Cooper DeJean had a few early problems. He got deked by Thielen on a double move that resulted in a 24-yard catch. DeJean bounced back on the next play and shed Thielen’s block before making a run tackle for loss. A series later, Thielen beat him in man coverage on a crossing route that converted a third-and-8.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson left in the first quarter with a possible concussion, returned and had an interception, then left again with an injury in the fourth quarter but returned once more. Gardner-Johnson set the tone with a devastating hit on Xavier Legette that made the rookie receiver drop the ball on a slant route. A drive later, Gardner-Johnson left the game and was evaluated for a head injury when he collided with Tristin McCollum. But he would come back.

He got beaten by tight end Tommy Tremble when the Panthers rolled the dice on fourth down and scored on a quick out route before the half. It looked like he and Slay should have switched responsibilities before the snap since they were in man coverage. Gardner-Johnson snagged his third interception of the season from the post on a Young overthrow just before the half. It set up the Eagles’ second touchdown.

With Reed Blankenship sidelined with a concussion, McCollum earned his first NFL start. He acquitted himself well with a few pass breakups and tight coverage downfield. Avonte Maddox replaced Gardner-Johnson on both occasions and seemed to hold up.

Braden Mann had another crucial punt inside the 5-yard line when he dropped a 38-yarder that was downed at the 2-yard line by Maddox with just under three minutes left. Mann, the reigning NFC special teams player of the week, had a rough first half. He averaged only 39.3 net yards on three punts.

Jake Elliott’s kicking woes continued when he was wide right on a 52-yard field-goal try in the third quarter. Elliott is 0-for-5 on kicks over 50 yards this season. With Britain Covey out with a neck injury, DeJean returned to fielding punts. He had just one opportunity for 2 yards. Gunner Kelee Ringo, who has committed his share of special teams penalties, had a big hit and tackle on punt coverage.

Nick Sirianni had some questionable in-game decision making, but he got the Eagles through what could have been a trap game ahead of the Steelers. He has his 11-2 team riding a nine-game winning streak. Sirianni passed up what would have been a 55-yard field goal by Elliott in the fourth quarter. Confidence in his punt team paid off as Mann dropped one at the 2-yard line.

Sirianni’s confidence in his defense also delivered dividends even though there were some sweaty palms when Young converted a few fourth downs. It’s easy to say in retrospect that Sirianni should have gone for it instead of having Elliott kick a 52-yarder he would miss in the third quarter, but aggressiveness pays, as he well knows.

Moore’s unit had another slow start. His play-calling was up and down. The play call on third-and-4 at the Panthers’ 34-yard line was questionable. The Eagles were in four-down territory, and yet Moore had Hurts drop back to throw when two runs would have likely been enough to convert. Instead, Hurts was sacked and Elliott missed the subsequent field goal.

The Eagles have yet to score a touchdown on their opening possession through the first 13 games.

Vic Fangio’s defense held the Panthers under 20 points. Only one opponent has scored more than 20 points on the Eagles since the bye.