Instant grades on the Eagles' performance in the 20-16 win over the Browns:

Quarterback: B

Whether it was his execution or the script, Jalen hurts fought his way out of the gate again. The Eagles clearly wanted to test and get the Browns' outside corners AJ Brown And DeVonta Smithupon her return from injury. But Hurts was either inaccurate or his receivers weren't open on the deep shots.

The quarterback calmed down as offensive coordinator Kellen Moore dialed up some shorter one-read passes and found Brown on more inside routes. Hurts also had some nice unscripted passes, including one for 17 yards to Brown just before halftime. His deadly 40-yard pass to Brown tied the game.

Running Back: C

Saquon Barkley had some impressive early runs breaking tackles, but the Browns held him in check for most of the game. He ran 18 times for 47 yards. As well as he has played this season, Barkley has made some costly mistakes. He made some mental mistakes before halftime. He ran out of bounds before picking up the first down, then missed a blitz pickup on the next play. Of course one could have argued for the coach Nick Sirianni simply passing the ball to Barkley on third-and-1.

Kenneth Gainwell had a nice 19-yard shot from the left wing in the third round. Rookie Will Shipley again didn't play much on offense.

” READ MORE: The Eagles outrebound the struggling Browns 20-16 as AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith return with touchdown catches

Receiver/Tight End: B+

Brown breathed some life into Hurts and the passing game in the second quarter. He caught four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown during the frame. On his 22-yard score, he executed a slot fade, beat cornerback Martin Emerson and somehow held onto the jump ball with one arm. He finished the game with six catches for 116 yards.

Smith's 45-yard catch-and-run on a mesh concept play gave the Eagles a 20-13 lead midway through the fourth. To that point, he only had two catches for 19 yards.

Jahan Dotson In the third period, he finally managed to touch the ball with a pass that was thrown behind the line and counted as a run. He gained 13 yards but left the meat hanging on the bone as he made his way toward the sideline. Dotson had a nice 10-yard grab down the sideline down the stretch. Parris Campbell was added to the active roster but was not targeted and was not a rookie either Johnny Wilsonwho had some nice blocks.

Tight end Dallas Goedert retired after the first series due to a hamstring strain. The Eagles still used a lot of two-tight end sets in his absence — at least early on. Grant Calcaterra made a career-best four catches for 67 yards. His 34-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter may have benefited from an orchestrated naked bootleg, but the tight end put the turbo into his engine. In the third round he got a false start.

Jack Stoll ran the crossing route that wiped out the Browns corner covering a man for Smith on his 45-yard touchdown.

Offensive line: B

Jordan Mailata was more than able to hold his own against the impressive Myles Garrett. He didn't receive much help and kept Hurts clean for the most part. Mailata actually had a false start in the third round. He left the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury and had to be taken off the field. His successor, Fred Johnsonhad no noticeable problems.

Lane Johnson's return was a welcome one. On the few occasions he saw the defense switch sides, Garrett took care of the right tackle, but more often than not he stayed on his side to protect the pass.

Cam Jurgens had a bad snap to open the Eagles' second possession. Luckily for the center, the ball bounced right back to Hurts. Jurgens had some solid seal blocks in the run game and kept the pocket from overwhelming Hurts. guards Mekhi Becton And Landon Dickerson had trouble blocking runs at times, but the Browns got into the box.

Defensive line: B+

Jalen Carter dominated the Browns' interior offensive line, which was already short-handed before center Nick Harris was ousted in the first half. He often plugged his gaps against the run and managed to penetrate as a pass rusher. He picked off quarterback Deshaun Watson for an early hit and recorded his first sack of the season in the second quarter.

By the way, the Eagles' entire defensive line benefited from one of the worst quarterbacks and offenses in the NFL. Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Nolan Smithand even Bryce Huff recorded sacks. Huff also had a third-down pressure that forced Watson to step into the arms of Carter. He appeared to be charging from more of a four-point stance – a more natural position for him to get out.

Brandon Graham played in his 200th career game – the first time an Eagles player achieved this feat. The veteran defensive end had a tackle for loss on a third-down run early in the third quarter. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins missed a 52-yard field goal on the next play. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis was quiet as a rusher but had several stops against the run. Reserve defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was more active as a rusher and had multiple pressures. He held on in the fourth.

Linebacker: B-

Nakobe Dean led the Eagles with 12 tackles but also missed several, including a sloppy open field attempt in the fourth. Zack Baun was more efficient. He diagnosed an early screening pass with no gain. He was a one-man wrecking ball in a rush up the middle, but he went a man too far and was dismissed for roughing the passer.

Cornerback: B+

Cooper DeJean made the first start of his career in the slot. The rookie had a solid debut. In coverage, he ran step-for-step with receiver Jerry Jeudy's fade route into the end zone, which ended incomplete in the second quarter. DeJean was sent on multiple blitzes from the edge, sharing the sack with Huff and applying the initial pressure on a later sack.

Outside cornerback Darius Slay He left early in the third quarter with a knee injury. He was hardly tested before his departure. Isaiah Rodgers took his place and also walked in the fourth. His successor, Kelee RingoHe drew a face mask penalty.

Quinyon Mitchell largely held his side of the field. He almost had the first interception of his career in the second quarter, but safety CJ Gardner Johnson came over from the post and the two collided. Mitchell became animated after neither caught the ball.

Safety: B-

For Gardner-Johnson it was again: sink or swim. He had a big pass breakup in the red zone late in the fourth. Earlier in that drive, he had an open-field tackle on fourth down. But Gardner-Johnson also hesitated with other space attack attempts. And in coverage, he was beaten inside by tight end David Njoku on a converted Browns pass on fourth down.

Reed Blankenship was not exaggerated in the low middle. However, Watson lacked the skills needed to test the Eagles' deep zones. Still, Blankenship was recovering from the Buccaneers game when he had to leave early because of the heat. Avonte Maddox lost his starting nickel spot to DeJean, but was the sixth defensive back on the Dime staff.

Special Teams: C+

Michael ClayIn the last three games, Washington's special teams have been responsible for game-changing negative plays: a blocked punt against the Saints, a muffed punt against the Bucs, and finally a blocked field goal attempt that the Browns returned for a touchdown. Garrett is granted a superhuman feat: he jumped across the floor Tyler Steen before you lend a hand Jake Elliott's 57-yard attempt, as did former Eagle Rodney McLeod for the 50-yard return. But things took a bad turn before halftime.

Elliott scored the first points for the Eagles with a 49-yard field goal. DeJean averaged 12.8 yards on four punt returns. Oren Burkes was called for holding on a return in the second quarter, but DeJean may have contributed to the penalty when he pushed outside unnecessarily. Rodgers took over kick return duties from Gainwell. He had two returns for an average of 26.5 yards. Braden man In the third period, he fired a 47-yard punt out of bounds at the Cleveland 7.

Coaching: C+

Sirianni's team didn't look much better after the bye, but they took the win. There were some notable personnel changes, but the plans lacked imagination on both sides. Sirianni also overlooked a few sloppy moments before halftime that brought a weak Browns team back into the game. He won an early challenge to give the Eagles a sack.

Moore's offense once again got off to a slow start, as the Eagles have yet to score a first quarter point in five games. He has some nice calls later in the game. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio He didn't let the Browns put a subpar offense in the end zone, so he deserves credit for that. There were some leaky moments, but only allowing nine points has to be considered a success regardless of the opponent.