On Sunday afternoon, the Eagles finally went all out on offense, but it didn’t last long.
Dallas Goedert injured his hamstring on the first drive of the Eagles’ 20-16 win over the Browns and did not return. In his absence, third-year tight end Grant Calcaterra played a career game.
Goedert played just three snaps on Sunday before leaving. Calcaterra completed 57 of 62 snaps on offense, a career high and surpassed his previous record of 39 against the Giants in 2022. Jack Stoll played 39/62.
The game was also a career game for Calcaterra, who had four catches for 67 yards. He had gains of 34 and 20 yards in the game, and quarterback Jalen Hurts seemed to trust him.
“Well, the biggest takeaway from that was that out of five games, we only really had a clean slate and got back to the first unit, the first group,” Hurts said. . “And that’s definitely a challenge in itself that we have to overcome as a team, but I’m very proud of them for stepping up and being ready.
“And, to be honest, some of them are like Grant, who made two (catches) in a row. Yeah, to be honest, the second one never got to him. He shouldn’t have gone. It wasn’t his ball. But he showed up. We were able to get the ball to him and he ran with it.”
Before Sunday’s game, Calcaterra had 176 total receiving yards in 34 games. He gained more yards against the Browns than he had in 15 games last year. Calcaterra’s performance on Sunday represented 27% of his career output.
Other offensive notes
• Jordan Mailata played the first 49 snaps of the game before leaving with a hamstring injury. Fred Johnson played the final 13 snaps and held his own against All-Pro Myles Garrett. Mailata was seen on crutches after the match, with his left leg tucked into his sleeve.
• Jalen Hurts and four of those five offensive linemen played all 62 snaps. DeVonta Smith also played all 62 yards, with three cashes for 64 yards and a touchdown.
●AJ Brown missed three games with a hamstring injury, but played in 57 of 62 games upon his return. He had a typical AJ Brown game with six catches for 116 yards and one touchdown. After that, Jahan Dotson took 22 snaps, Johnny Wilson took four, and Parris Campbell sat out.
• At running back, Saquon Barkley played 49 of 62 snaps in what was his roughest game of the season. He had just 47 carries on 18 rushing attempts. Jim Schwartz’s defense did a good job against Barkley. Kenny Gainwell played 13 snaps, while Will Shipley did not see the field on offense.
• Reed Blankenship played three snaps on offense. He’s the deepest guy in the victory formation. Every time Eagles fans see Blankenship take an offensive snap, it’s a good thing.
defensive notes
• The biggest personnel change after the bye week was replacing Avonte Maddox at nickel cornerback with Cooper DeJean. Dejan started the game and played well, completing 52 of 57 defensive snaps (91%). Maddox was an extra defender in a dime package and was on the field for just two plays.
– Zach Baun, Quinyon Mitchell, Blankenship and CJ Gardner-Johnson remained on the field and played all 57 snaps.
• DT: Jalen Carter (43), Milton Williams (26), Jordan Davis (21), Moro Ojomo (21), Thomas Booker (8). Ojomo is under pressure and has earned a real spot in this rotation.
• Last minute: Josh Sweat (39), Bryce Huff (31), Brandon Graham (23), Nolan Smith (21). Huff’s 54% was a season high and he finally had a good performance. Huff had several tackles, a half-sack, and a QB hit in the game. The Browns have given up a ton of pressures and sacks this season, but the Eagles’ front line was strong on Sunday.
• When the Eagles moved to a dime package, Baun remained on the field and Nakobedeen left. That’s why Dean played 55 of 57 snaps.
• Darius Slay played 29 snaps before leaving with a knee injury. In his place, Isaiah Rodgers played 22 snaps and Kelly Ringo played six snaps. Having some depth at cornerback is a boon for the Eagles.
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