Eagles-Jets Up-Down Drill: Defense puts together stellar outing, but offense gets mixed reviews

The Eagles are above the .500 mark once again this season after beating the lowly Jets, 31-6, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

Here’s who’s trending up and down after the Week 5 victory.

UP – After four games without a sack, Graham got off the schneid with three at the expense of the hapless Jets offensive line. Two of the defensive end’s sacks came on inside rushes. Jim Schwartz has tried to keep Graham on the edge, but he doesn’t have that luxury with interior injuries.

UP – Schwartz’s defense had a great day. It held the Jets to six points, forced three turnovers -- two of which were brought back for touchdowns -- and sacked New York quarterbacks 10 times. But the performance has to come with an asterisk. The Jets’ offense is terrible by NFL standards.

UP – He doesn’t play a lot on defense, but Gerry has made the most of his snaps this season and his pick-six in the first quarter was an opportune moment for the linebacker.

DOWN – Gerry’s first career NFL touchdown might have been negated by another Barnett personal foul. The defensive end needlessly chopped a Jets player on the interception return, but the officials ruled that it occurred after the score.

UP – Scandrick was on the street just a week ago. But a rash of injuries at cornerback brought him back and he was Avonte Maddox’s replacement in the slot. He took advantage of Schwartz’s blitz happy game plan, sacked Luke Falk twice, and returned Falk’s fumble for a touchdown.

UP – The Eagles’ 10 sacks rank second in franchise history behind the 11-sack effort against Troy Aikman and the Cowboys over 30 years ago. Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall, and Hassan Ridgeway all benefited from the hit parade. Fletcher Cox, remarkably, still doesn’t have a sack this season.

SIDEWAYS – The offense sputtered for various reasons, but Wentz also wasn’t at his best. His B-minus game is a still an A-minus for most quarterbacks, but he missed throws and took too many sacks and hits. He didn’t turn the ball over, however, and most important, delivered a win.

SIDEWAYS – The Eagles coach conceded that he wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort, particularly on offense. A win is a win, but Pederson knows that truer tests come over the next five weeks.

UP – He has been the Eagles’ best running back this season and has consistently rushed for positive yards even when a play is dead on arrival. Miles Sanders, meanwhile, continued to struggle to run north to south.

DOWN – Clement, in his defense, thought that the fourth-quarter punt he muffed had bounced off teammate Ryan Lewis. It did not and for his second straight return he turned the ball over. Clement was only on the field because Darren Sproles left with a quadriceps injury. Nevertheless, Nelson Agholor replaced him on the next punt return.

DOWN – It’s hard to believe that Gase was once considered -- ahead of Doug Pederson -- the cream of the 2016 new coaching crop. But he’s already on job No. 2 and it’s fair to wonder how much longer he’ll be on the job in New York.