Grading the Eagles: Birds earn ‘A-plus’ in win over Washington to end regular season

The Eagles dominated the Redskins from start to finish Sunday, controlling the ball for more than 43 minutes and holding Washington to eight first downs. The grades are in on the victory that propelled the Eagles to the playoffs.

Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor waves to the crowd after scoring in the 4th quarter against Washington. The Philadelphia Eagles win 24-0 over the Washington Redskins at FedExField in Landover, MD on December 30, 2018.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI

by Paul Domowitch

Published Dec. 30, 2018, 8:59 p.m. ET

The Eagles beat the Redskins, 24-0, to finish 9-7 and earn a No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

Paul Domowitch graded each phase of the game. Read what he thinks, then offer up your own grades.

Rushing offense

The Eagles’ running-back-by-committee of Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, and Josh Adams combined for 127 yards on 30 carries as the offense controlled the football for more than 43 minutes. The Eagles finished with 10 rushing first downs, tying their season high. Adams, who had averaged just 1.9 yards per carry the last two games, averaged 4.5 against the Redskins.

Grade: A

» EAGLES-BEARS: Next week’s kick time and the rest of the playoff schedule

» UP-DOWN DRILL: Bears and Birds trending up at just the right time

Passing offense

Nick Foles completed 28 of 33 passes and had 25 consecutive completions at one point, which tied the NFL record. He had a bad early interception that spoiled a scoring opportunity, but that really was his only mistake. Alshon Jeffery continued to flourish with Foles at quarterback, and Nelson Agholor had the first multiple-TD catch game of his career.

Grade: A

» BOB FORD: He didn’t order it, but Nick Foles has the ribs for postseason feast

Run defense

A week after holding Houston’s running backs to 13 yards on 11 carries, the Eagles shut down the Redskins ground game, holding them to 21 yards on 12 carries. Adrian Peterson had zero yards on four carries. The defense also did a nice job of not giving mobile quarterback Josh Johnson any running room. He finished with 4 yards on three carries.

Grade: A-plus

» TIME OF POSSESSION: Eagles played keep-away, dominated Redskins and the clock

Pass defense

The best passer the Eagles probably faced Sunday was punter Tress Way, who had a 7-yard completion on a fake punt. Josh Johnson, who was signed by the Redskins just 3 ½ weeks ago, completed just 12 of 27 passes and averaged 3.4 yards per attempt. The Eagles didn’t give up a touchdown pass for only the third time this season, and Rasul Douglas had an interception on the game’s first play from scrimmage that set the tone for the defense.

Grade: A-plus

» MARCUS HAYES: Defense pitches rare shutout, surges into playoffs

Special teams

Jake Elliott hit a 33-yard field goal late in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Punter Cam Johnston had his second-lowest net average of the season, and the Redskins got one of its eight first downs on a pass by Tress Way on a fake punt. Darren Sproles was able to return just one of Way’s five punts, for 2 yards.

Grade: B

» OBSERVATIONS: 10 quick takes from Eagles-Washington

Overall

The Eagles dominated every aspect of this must-win game. Their offense controlled the ball for more than 43 minutes with a balanced (34 runs, 34 passes) attack. Ball-hawking corner Rasul Douglas intercepted Josh Johnson’s first pass of the game, and the Eagles’ front four put constant pressure on the journeyman quarterback, holding him to 3.4 yards per attempt.

Grade: A-plus

Get insights on the Eagles delivered straight to your inbox with Early Birds, beat writer Zach Berman’s newsletter for Eagles fans. Click here to sign up.