Eagles PFF Grades: Philadelphia's secondary gets burned

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 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

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

OFFENSE

Best

Evan Mathis +4.2
Andrew Gardner +4.2
Jason Peters +3.5
Jason Kelce +2.1
Lane Johnson +2.0
Jeremy Maclin +1.3

Analysis:

The entire offensive line graded out really well in this game. Their run blocking was particularly strong. I can't say I disagree with PFF here. They gave LeSean McCoy ample room to run, but the Eagles running back didn't always make the most of it. He wasn't terrible, but he was just OK, which wasn't good enough. Note that a total of 56 running backs have played at least 25% offensive snaps this season. Out of those, McCoy ranks 55th.

The offensive line also held up fine in pass protection. This seems to be an even bigger indictment of Mark Sanchez, who struggled.

Jeremy Maclin earned a high grade for his quality receiving performance. He finished with four receptions on six targets for 98 yards. His longest play was a 72 yard catch and run that ended up being one yard short of a touchdown.

Worst

Jordan Matthews -2.5
Mark Sanchez -1.1

Analysis:

Rookie wide receiver Jordan Matthews was only targeted once, and he dropped that catch. It would have given the Eagles a first down.

Mark Sanchez was bad. He took four sacks on eight plays where he was pressured. He finished with 17 completions on 28 attempts for 252 yards, two interceptions, and a 60.4 rating. Sanchez completed four passes on 12 attempts with two interceptions on passes traveling more than 10 yards down the field. The deep ball clearly isn't there with him. He's also missing too many easy throws to wide open targets.

DEFENSE

Best

Fletcher Cox +2.9
Vinny Curry +1.3

Analysis:

Fletcher Cox is still having a great season. The third-year defensive end finished with four hurries, three tackles, and three stops. Cox has really been on fire these past few weeks.

Vinny Curry was good as well. He only played 26 snaps but he made the most of them. He finished with one sack and one critical forced fumble on Tony Romo. Curry (legally) blindsided Romo from behind on the hit. Just crushed him.

Worst

Brandon Boykin -2.7
Bradley Fletcher -2.1
Trent Cole -1.5

Analysis:

Brandon Boykin finished as the team's lowest graded player. PFF marked him responsible for four receptions on four targets for 66 yards. Boykin also missed a tackle.

To no surprise, Bradley Fletcher also finished with a bad grade. Fletcher was targeted five times and allowed a reception on each of those plays. He allowed 88 yards and three touchdowns. All but one of those catches were allowed to Dez Bryant.

Trent Cole finished with a negative grade for the third straight week. He was mostly marked down for his run defense, but also received below average grades in coverage and pass rushing. Cole hasn't recorded a sack since Week 12.