The Jalen Hurts-Saquon Barkley offense is clicking

CINCINNATI – Instant assessment of the Eagles' performance in a 37-17 win over the Bengals:

Quarterback: A

Jalen hurts had his best game of the season and probably since the Week 12 overtime win against the Bills last season. He had a few hiccups early on, including a dangerous check-down pass Kenneth Gainwell that could have been picked up in the second quarter. But Hurts recovered and was excellent in the air and on the ground the rest of the way.

He completed 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. He also scored three rushing touchdowns – two tush pushes and a 7-yard run outside the zone in the third quarter. He had several great throws – the best made by a 17-yarder AJ Brown that converted a third-and-16 in the second quarter and a perfectly placed 45-yard bomb DeVonta Smith in the end zone.

Running Back: A-

Saquon Barkley had some tough attacks early on against the Bengals defense intent on stopping the run. But he got going in the fourth quarter when the Eagles' four-minute offense hit Cincinnati and ended the game. Barkley topped 100 yards on the ground for the fourth time this season, finishing the game with 108 yards on 22 carries.

Gainwell wasn't used as much as he was a week ago and only had two touches of the ball. Ben VanSumeren continued to occasionally play full-back. He had a good lead block on an 11-yard run by Barkley in the fourth quarter. beginner Will Shipley In the final moments of the game, a touchdown run was negated by a layup by Nick Gates.

Receiver/Tight End: B+

The Eagles' receivers made the most of their opportunities. After a few quiet games, Smith made it out of the game with a 45-yard touchdown catch on a jump ball in the third quarter. Before that, he caught his first positive yard pass in some time with a 15-yard third-down grab in the third quarter. In the fourth round he had several over-the-middle grabs.

Brown finished the game with five catches for 84 yards. On the first drive, he caught a 29-yard pass over the middle and Grant Calcaterra made his second straight start at tight end Dallas Goedert still out with a hamstring injury. He had a pair of long catches for 28 and 19 yards and finished the game with three catches for 58 yards. Jack Stoll caught a 6-yard pass off a bootleg and was injured but came back.

Ainias SmithHe took a few snaps in his first NFL game. However, he was not targeted.

Offensive Line: A-

The O-line had two starters behind it and won the battle at the top. Fred Johnson Yeoman's work was done against Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson. The left tackle filling in for the injured Jordan Mailatadidn't need much help either. Hendrickson crossed the finish line without any pressure. Tyler Steen held instead Mekhi Becton (Concussion) on the right side. He took a couple of penalties in the first half – a questionable service play and a deserved personal foul – but he also had some good blocks as the Eagles went into run mode.

Lane Johnson was left for one play in the first half. Johnson, left guard Landon Dickersonand middle Cam Jurgens Everyone deserves credit for not firing Hurts.

Defensive line: B+

The Eagles front played a big role in holding the Bengals running backs to just 43 yards rushing on 17 carries. Jordan Davis And Jalen Carter led the way in the middle of the D-line. Davis played more than he did last week, when he was on the field for just 12 snaps, and had a run scored on the Bengals' first series. Carter couldn't reach Joe Burrow for a sack, but he pressured the Bengals quarterback into a throwaway that hit his teammate Nolan Smith in the helmet.

Defensive end Bryce Huff started in the four and got a run stop on his first carry. Burrow's quick throws made it difficult for the D-line to get to him, but Smith continued his string of sack plays when he fended off a takedown on defensive tackle Burrow in the second quarter Milton Williams.

Defensive end Brandon Graham stuffed running back Zack Moss for no gain on a crucial third-and-1 stop in the third.

Linebacker: B

Zack Baun And Nakobe Dean led the Eagles with 12 and nine tackles, respectively. They played well for the most part.

Baun made a run tackle near the line on the Bengals' first drive. A few plays later, he failed to beat Chase Brown before scoring a third-down conversion. He set up a blitz attempt in the third quarter and had a free run on Burrow, who threw incomplete. With a long lead in the third quarter, he arrived too late to cover Moss from the backfield.

Dean sniffed out an early screen for a tackle for loss.

Cornerback: B+

The Eagles' cornerbacks deserve credit for holding Ja'Marr Chase to just 54 yards on nine catches. Cooper DeJean continued to flash in the slot. The rookie recorded a huge fourth-down stop as he tackled Chase in the backfield and took a loss in the third quarter. He should have caught the Eagles' third interception of the season, but he dropped a Burrow pass that hit him in the hands. One play later, on third-and-22, DeJean failed to tackle tight end Mike Gesicki during a Burrow scramble he converted. He wasn't close to Chase on a 12-yard catch from the slot. However, on the next play, DeJean made a good open field tackle.

Darius Slay had to leave in the third quarter with a groin injury. Previously, he broke up a third-round corner fade to receiver Jermaine Burton in the end zone in the second quarter. However, Burton got him on a go route one drive later, resulting in a 41-yard gain.

Quinyon Mitchell did a good job going up against the star receiver against Chase in the first half. And he had another near-interception. This time Mitchell caught the ball but was out of bounds. He was penalized for holding on to a pass that Chase caught for 13 yards on the third play. Isaiah Rodgers He replaced Slay and deflected a pass to Chase, but he was cleared to safety CJ Gardner Johnson for an interception. Avonte Maddox was once again the sixth defensive back on the Dime staff.

Security: B

Gardner-Johnson was there for Johnny's fourth quarterback interception – the Eagles' first forced turnover in four games. He had his ups and downs in coverage and was out of his gap responsibility on Chase Brown's 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Reed Blankenship had some problems with the coverage, particularly with Gesicki. The tight end had a third-down grab against him in man coverage on the first drive. Blankenship intercepted a third-down pass to Gesicki in the second quarter. The tight end caught him on a 12-yard pass play in the fourth quarter.

Special Teams: A

Jake Elliott shot 49- and 47-yard field goals and scored all of his extra points. Gainwell opened the second half with a 31-yard return. The Bengals never punted, so DeJean never had a chance to return. Otherwise, the Eagles' kick coverage units were solid.

Coaching: A

Nick Sirianni's squad had its best overall game of the season on the road against a decent team with an elite quarterback. In game management, the coach had a good challenge on a dropped pass by the Bengals, which was initially ruled completed.

Also, did the Eagles jump the shark with the tush push? There's a time and a place for it, but not every third-and-1 — especially one near center field — calls for it. It may be too conservative.

Kellen Moore chose more under-center plays that helped open up game action. He did well to mix in Hurt's runs against a Bengals defense that had previously struggled with the quarterback plus one play.

Vic Fangio's defense got off to a slow start and had some breaks, but overall they kept Burrow in check and forced two turnovers in a game for the first time this season. Fangio was actually outsmarted when the Bengals had Chase tackle Nolan Smith in the end zone.