Pro Football Focus is a site that grades NFL player performances. Let's take a look at what they had to say about the performances in Philadelphia's 17-3 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys.
PFF offers explanation on their grading system on their website. Read more about that here.
OFFENSE
Best
Jason Peters +3.8
Evan Mathis +3.8
Jason Kelce +2.7
Riley Cooper +1.4
Worst
Nick Foles -7.3
Matt Barkley -5.3
Brent Celek -2.5
Jeff Maehl -1.8
DeSean Jackson -1.8
Analysis: The offensive line generally played well yet again. The only weakness was Todd Herremans in pass protection. He allowed 2 hurries, 2 his, and 1 sack. Riley Cooper was an efficient target, catching 6 balls on 7 targets for 88 yards.
Nick Foles' -7.3 PFF grade is the 2nd worst QB grade for a game in 2013. Only Matt Schaub, in week 5, was worse (-8.9). Foles threw for a mere 80 yards on 11/29 passing. He just looked awful. He also held onto the ball for way too long. In fact, out of the 20 quarterbacks who played on Sunday, Nick Foles held the ball longer than anyone. He averaged 3.51 seconds to throw.
Matt Barkley was really bad as well. The rookie threw a whopping 3 INT, and he was lucky to have one called back due to an offside penalty on Dallas or else it would have been 4. Celek was graded down for his run blocking and he didn't offer much as a receiver. Maehl was targeted 4 times but ended up with 0 catches and 2 drops. DeSean suffered from poor QB play but he was targeted 8 times and only recorded 3 receptions for 21 yards, along with 1 drop.
DEFENSE
Best
Fletcher Cox +2.9
Earl Wolff +1.9
Cedric Thornton +1.6
Nate Allen +1.0
Worst
Cary Williams -2.4
DeMeco Ryans -1.7
Connor Barwin -1.7
Analysis: Fletcher Cox continues to be a beast. The second year defensive lineman finished with 6 hurries and 1 hit. Rookie safety Earl Wolff stood out in pass coverage and contributed with 5 tackles. Wolff also recorded his first career interception against the Cowboys on a hail mary pass before halftime. Cedric Thornton continued his great season by being an excellent run defender.
Cary Williams stunk in coverage. Targeted 11 times, he allowed 7 receptions for 87 yards. Covering Dez Bryant isn't the easiest task though. DeMeco Ryans received a curious negative grade in run defense. He only missed 1 tackle and contributed with 4 tackles and 2 stops. Barwin graded poorly in pass coverage.
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