Philadelphia Eagles Week 5 PFF Grades: Strong defensive front seven

Pro Football Focus is everyone's favorite site that grades NFL player performances. Let's take a look at what they had to say about the performances from the Philadelphia Eagles 34-28 win over the St. Louis Rams. [Recap]

PFF offers explanation on their grading system on their website. Read more about that here.

OFFENSE

Best

Jason Peters +2.2
Brent Celek +2.2

Analysis

Not too many bright spots on the offense for the second straight week. Left tackle Jason Peters and tight end Brent Celek both graded out positively as run blockers and were also solid as pass protectors.

Worst

Nick Foles -4.0
Matt Tobin -2.7
Riley Cooper -1.5

Analysis

Another rough game for Nick Foles. Philadelphia's quarterback actually generated some offensive points this week but he also turned the ball over twice. Foles' fumble was just an egregious error. If the Eagles don't turn the ball over there they probably at least kick a field goal and potentially stave off a Rams comeback. On 26 drop-backs where Foles wasn't pressured at all, he was 20 for 26 (76.9%), 171 yards (6.6 average), 2 TD, 1 INT, and a 103.2 passer rating. On 12 plays where Foles was pressured, however, he was an abysmal 4 for 11 (46%), 36 yards (3.3 average), 0 TD, 0 INT, 46.0 passer rating. Foles is obviously dealing with some protection issues due to a banged up offensive line, but he also makes matters worse by holding onto the ball for a long time. Only three NFL quarterbacks (Geno Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Jake Locker) take longer to get rid of the ball on average. Any NFL quarterback is going to have to deal with pressure and so far this season Foles has not done a good job of responding. Foles currently ranks tied for 32nd out of 35 QBs on PFF (minimum 25% snaps). Only Geno Smith and Jake Locker have been graded worse on the entire season.

Matt Tobin was marked down for 2 allowed QB hits and 1 QB hurry. Tobin looked really good in the preseason but hasn't been quite as effective in the regular season. Perhaps the level of competition is making a big difference, but I wonder if Tobin is full recovered from the nasty-looking high-ankle sprain he suffered in late August.

Riley Cooper graded out negatively due to two dumb penalties. Cooper committed a false start and an illegal motion in the game. Otherwise, he made a valuable contribution on his touchdown catch.

DEFENSE

Best

Vinny Curry +2.5
Brandon Bair +2.3
Brandon Graham +2.2
Fletcher Cox +1.7
Brandon Boykin +1.6
Casey Matthews +1.3
Bradley Fletcher +1.1

Analysis

A number of solid performances in the Eagles' front seven. Vinny Curry led the way with 1 sack/fumble and 2 QB hurries. Brandon Bair pitched in with a QB hurry and a batted pass. Brandon Graham recorded 5 QB hurries in just 14 pass rush snaps. Fletcher Cox finished with 3 QB hurries. Brandon Boykin recorded one pass defensed and only allowed 2 receptions on 3 targets for a total of 17 yards. Get the man some more playing time. Bradley Fletcher's graded is curious. He did have two pass deflections but he allowed 79 yards and a touchdown.

How about Casey Matthews? The much-maligned Eagles linebacker had a solid game against the Rams. Matthews was marked down for 1 QB hit, 1 QB hurry, 6 tackles, and 4 run stops without a singled missed attempt. Here's a mostly meaningless but fun stat: the Eagles are actually 11-4 in their last 15 games where Casey Matthews has played at least one defensive snap.

Worst

Malcolm Jenkins -1.8
Emmanuel Acho -1.3
Nate Allen -1.3
DeMeco Ryans -1.1

Analysis

Malcolm Jenkins was marked responsible for 4 catches and 56 yards in coverage. Emmanuel Acho gave up a few catches in coverage and missed a tackle. The same goes for DeMeco Ryans. Starting safety Nate Allen struggled in coverage including allowing a Rams touchdown.