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Philadelphia Eagles midseason report card: B minus

By The Sports Xchange
Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz calls a play agains the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on October 30, 2016. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI
1 of 3 | Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz calls a play agains the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on October 30, 2016. Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo

MIDSEASON REPORT CARD

--PASSING OFFENSE: C -- Doug Pederson runs a West Coast hybrid offense. It's essentially a dink-and-dunk offense, probably more so this year because of the presence of a rookie quarterback. The Eagles lack any real difference-making outside receivers, and quarterback Carson Wentz has yet to establish any real chemistry with TE Zach Ertz, who probably is his best pass-catching weapon, but has just nine catches in the last four games.

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--RUSHING OFFENSE: C -- The Eagles are 17th in the league in rushing and 20th in yards per carry. Ryan Mathews is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. Darren Sproles has been the team's most productive back, but the 5-foot-6, 190-pounder isn't really a guy you want carrying the ball 15-20 times a game.

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--PASS DEFENSE: B -- The Eagles have 22 sacks and are second in the league in sacks per pass play. Seventeen of those 22 sacks have come with a four-man rush. They have two solid safeties (Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod) and competent, but not exceptional, corners, who have held opponents to a 57.3 completion percentage and 6.8 yards per attempt.

--RUSH DEFENSE: B -- With the exception of their Week 6 loss to the Redskins when they gave up 230 rushing yards, the Eagles have done a pretty good job against the run. On Sunday, they held NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott to 96 yards on 22 carries.

--SPECIAL TEAMS: A-minus -- There have been just two kickoff returns for touchdowns this year and the Eagles have both of them. Kicker Caleb Sturgis has made 15 field-goal attempts in a row since missing his first kick in Week 1. The Eagles have allowed just one of 31 kickoffs to advance beyond the 25. And that one was an end-of-the-half squib kick.

--COACHING: B -- Doug Pederson's background as a former NFL player has helped him establish a rapport with his players. He has made some rookie coaching mistakes, but is doing a good job bringing along his rookie quarterback, Carson Wentz. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is one of the league's top defensive coaches. He is proving it again this year.

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--OVERALL: B minus

Most Valuable Player: Defensive end Brandon Graham. Graham has flourished in Jim Schwartz's wide-nine defense, which is fourth in the league in points allowed and eighth in yards allowed. He is tied for the team lead in sacks with four, has a team-high 19 hurries and has done an outstanding job against the run.

Most Disappointing Player: Running back Ryan Mathews. The Eagles traded away DeMarco Murray in the offseason, which made Mathews the team's top running back. But he has had a disappointing first seven games, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry. He was benched Sunday in favor of 33-year-old Darren Sproles after gaining just 10 yards in four carries.

Most Surprising Rookie: Quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz, the second overall pick in the draft, was supposed to spend this season on the bench watching and learning. But all of that changed when the Eagles traded away Sam Bradford a week before the start of the season. Wentz has had his ups and downs, but has shown unusual poise for a rookie. He has nine touchdown passes and three interceptions in 228 pass attempts.

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