Grading the Eagles: Matthews/Celek shine; run game struggles; Cox consistently good

Grading the Eagles after their 45-21 win over the Panthers on Monday night:

OFFENSE – B+

Quarterback – B

Mark Sanchez completed only 54 percent of his passes (20 of 37), but there weren't many downfield throws that were blatantly off. He underthrew Jeremy Maclin and was nearly intercepted in the second quarter, but if he had any significant issue it was with his bubble screens. Sanchez should be able to clean that up with time. His receivers also dropped four passes by this count.

By and large, though, Sanchez had a very good first start for the Eagles. He ran the up-tempo offense efficiently, moved well in the pocket and came up with big throws when pressed. A number of his best tosses occurred when he stepped up or out of the pocket – a 15-yarder to Maclin over the middle in the first, a play-action bootleg where he hit Jordan Matthews for a 13-yard touchdown in the second, and another in the second when he rolled to his right and connected with Maclin for 14 yards. In the second half, he sidestepped the rush and hit Zach Ertz for 17 yards and then later eluded a Luke Kuechly blitz up the middle and tossed a beauty over the shoulder of Brent Celek, who ran for a 37-yard gain after the catch.

Sanchez completed a few passes with pump fakes – a pump and throw to Matthews for 23 yards on third down in the second and later in the quarter to Matthews over the middle. Sanchez and Matthews carried over their training camp chemistry into Monday night's game. The rookie receiver also converted a second quarter third down on a crossing route and picked up 33 yards after Sanchez hit him on a slant. They hooked up again in the fourth when Sanchez recognized a hole in the zone, lofted a pass to Matthews, who did the rest for an 18-yard score.

Sanchez also threw well from the pocket. His best toss might have been a bullet to Celek for 29-yards down to the 1-yard line after a Panthers fumble. The Eagles scored a play later. There were certainly some shaky moments. Sanchez was sacked when he said he should have handed off on a zone read play. He took a 20-yard grounding penalty. But all in all, it was a strong effort.

Matt Barkley replaced Sanchez midway through the fourth quarter and played six snaps – three of which were game-ending kneel downs. His one pass was way behind Ertz on a crosser.

Running back – C

LeSean McCoy was held to 19 yards on 12 carries (1.6 avg.). After averaging 4.7 yards a rush in the previous four games, McCoy and the Eagles run game took a step back. The Panthers were certainly intent on stopping McCoy, however, and often had a safety down in the box. McCoy had nowhere to go when he was dropped for a 4-yard loss in the first. The same could be said of a no gainer in the third. He may have been a touch hesitant on a 2-yard sweep in the second.

He did have some positive runs – a 4-yard tote up the middle in the first, a 6-yard rush in the second in which he shook a tackler, a 1-yard touchdown run in the third and a third-and-one conversion in the fourth.

McCoy's struggles a pass catcher continued, as well. He dropped a third down pass in the second and had only one grab for -2 yards.

Chris Polk's best moment may have been when he picked up a blitz in the first half and Sanchez found Celek for 20 yards. He rushed five times for 11 yards in the fourth.

Darren Sproles had one carry – an 8-yard touchdown in the first in which he waltzed untouched into the end zone. As a receiver, he dropped a third down pass over the middle, but gained 13 yards on a screen in which he escaped two tacklers.

Wide receiver – A-

Jordan Matthews had his coming out party. He caught 7 of 9 targeted passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. He pulled in a 23-yard catch in the first before taking a hit. He converted a third down with yards after the catch on a 20-yard crosser in the second. He beat the slot corner for a 13-yard touchdown. He turned on the jets for 33 yards on a slant and was tripped up at the last second. He nearly took a 14-yard crosser to the house but was tripped up again. And he broke two tackles before the crossing the goal line on an 18-yard score. Great game.

Jeremy Maclin drew attention away from the middle. He was targeted seven times and caught three for 38 yards. Sanchez tried to hit him on a fourth down try in the second, but the pass was deflected at the last second. Maclin still doesn't have a drop on the season. Riley Cooper had a solid blocking game. He sealed the edge on Sproles' 8-yard TD. He had a block on a Maclin 9-yard screen. Cooper caught one of four targets for six yards.

Josh Huff played 17 of 62 offensive snaps. He made a man miss on a six-yard screen. Brad Smith played 11 snaps, but wasn't targeted. Jeff Maehl was inactive.

Tight end – A

Brent Celek was a standout as a receiver, but also did his usual stellar work as a run blocker. He drove the safety back into the end zone on Sproles' touchdown rush. In the passing game, he caught a season-high five passes for 116 yards. There was a 21-yard catch in traffic in the first, a 20-yard grab when Sanchez threw behind him, a contested 29-yard reception that initially looked like a touchdown but was marked at the 1-yard line, and an over-the-shoulder catch-and-run for 37 yards.

Zach Ertz played 31 snaps to Celek's 36 and was targeted three times. He caught one pass over the middle for 17 yards. He had a downfield block on Matthews' 33-yard catch. James Casey played 15 snaps and was a run blocker on more than half. He had a block on McCoy's TD run.

Offensive line – B

Jason Kelce had some issues in the run game, but it should be noted that Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly is one of the best run defenders in the league. He missed a second-level block on Kuechly in the third and McCoy was dropped for a loss. Kuechly shed him on a pull block in the fourth and Polk was pinned behind the line. Kelce did have a key pull block on McCoy's 6-yard run in the first. As a pass blocker, he held up. He had a low shotgun snap that Sanchez had to fall on for a loss in the second.

Evan Mathis didn't quite pick up where he left off prior to his knee injury, but he looked solid. It appeared as if he had issues with a slanting lineman when McCoy lost four yards in the first. He had a lead block on McCoy's 5-yard tote in the second. Kuechly was by him before he got to the second level and McCoy was dropped at the line in the fourth. He got on Kuechly when Polk gained three yards in the fourth. Mathis gave up a hurry in pass protection but was otherwise clean.

Lane Johnson didn't stand out in pass protection, which was a good thing. Sanchez had to step up a few times when an edge rusher may have gotten a smidge by him. As a run blocker, the Eagles' run problems didn't seem to stem from any issues he may have had clearing space.

If there anything that Jason Peters did noticeably wrong, I missed it. He was a wall on the left on passing downs and kept linemen from penetrating into the backfield against the run. He plowed a lane for McCoy into the end zone. McCoy flipped him the ball and Peters spiked it.

Matt Tobin's switch from left guard to right guard came without any major problems. Barring something unforeseen, he'll be there the rest of the season in place of the injured Todd Herremans. He allowed pressure in the third, but Sanchez stepped up and hit Celek for nine yards.

David Molk and Andrew Gardner played six snaps at center and left tackle, respectively, on the final two drives.

DEFENSE- A-

Defensive line – A

Fletcher Cox may have the best game of his NFL career. He was everywhere. He had six quarterback hurries by this count. Cox had pressure up the middle and forced Cam Newton to scramble for a short gain in the second. He got a hand on Newton later in the quarter and Connor Barwin cleaned up for the sack. He had another hurry on Barwin's sack a play later. Cox finally recorded his first sack of the season, despite consistently getting pressure, when he beat the left guard with an inside move. As a run stopper, he made initial contact when Brandon Graham picked up a tackle for loss in the first. He dropped Jonathan Stewart in the backfield in the third.

Bennie Logan made an early impact against the run. He drove a lineman back into DeAngelo Williams, who fell at the line. He ran a stunt and bulldozed over Williams on third down in the second. He lined up at end in the second and gobbled up Williams after a 1-yard gain.

Cedric Thornton made the initial push when Casey Matthews forced Williams to fumble on the Panthers' first drive. He recovered the fumble. Thornton contained Newton out of the pocket in the first and angled him out of bounds for a short gain.

Vinny Curry was a pass rushing menace. He pressured Newton in the first and the quarterback had to throw the ball away. He undressed the right tackle with an edge rush in the fourth, hit Newton high and his sack forced a fumble. Curry recovered Graham's third quarter forced fumble.

Beau Allen played a season-high 20 snaps. He had two run stops, including a tackle for loss in the fourth. Brandon Bair also had a late tackle for loss and hustled after a short pass and made the tackle.

Outside linebacker – A

Connor Barwin continued to shine as a pass rusher, but what impressed most was how he went about getting into the backfield. He often just waits and pounces, which was partly by design since he was occasionally tasked with spying on Newton. Barwin feigned a rush in the first and when Trent Cole had initial pressure, he dragged down Newton. In the second, he beat the tackle off the edge and hurried Newton into a check down. He stunted in the second, bowled over the tackle and sacked Newton. A play later, he kept the motor running and pick up a coverage sack. In the third, Barwin teamed up with Graham for another sack.

Barwin also assisted on six run stops and had downfield coverage on receiver Jerricho Cotchery on a fourth down heave by Newton in the second.

Trent Cole picked up a second quarter sack when, unblocked, he gobbled up Newton. He ran down Williams from the backside in the third and little was gained. He discarded a block in the third and stopped Williams for no gain in the third. Cole had two other hurries, once hitting Newton as he threw incomplete.

Brandon Graham is increasing his offseason stock with each game. He had 1-1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and another tackle for loss. He tackled Williams off the edge in the first for a loss. He just missed sacking Newton twice in the second quarter, but got the quarterback and forced a fumble in the third and then again for a solo sack in the fourth. Graham also had coverage on Kelvin Benjamin when Newton missed his receiver in the first.

Inside linebacker – B+

Eagles coaches credited Mychal Kendricks with nine solo tackles and four assists. He missed an early run tackle on Stewart, but was solid the rest of the way. He got Newton down after he juked the running back with an outside rush. He covered a great deal of grass when he ran Stewart out of bounds after a short catch in the second.

Casey Matthews split time with Emmanuel Acho in DeMeco Ryan's absence. He played 30 of 82 snaps while Acho played 31. Matthews was credited with four tackles and three assists. He recorded a forced fumble when he punched the ball out of Williams' grip in the first. He let tight end Greg Olsen get behind him for a 38-yard catch in the first. He held his ground when Stewart went over the top for a 1-yard touchdown in the first. Matthews was a touch late on a Fozzy Whittaker 17-yard rush in the fourth. Emmanuel Acho read a third down shovel pass in the first and teamed up with Barwin to make the stop. He missed a run tackle when Williams scooted eight yards in the third.

Marcus Smith played 10 snaps but didn't stand out.

Cornerback – B+

Cary Williams was solid for three quarters, but was victimized on two garbage time touchdowns. In the first, though, he jumped a route and intercepted a poor Newton toss. Benjamin beat him on a slant for a 21-yard touchdown and then for 40 yards on a stop-and-go move in the fourth.

Bradley Fletcher was targeted nine times but only allowed two catches for 18 yards. Eagles coaches credited him with four pass breakups. He notched his first career touchdown when he took an errant Newton pass 35 yards the other way. Bradley broke up a pass to Benjamin over the middle and three other deep sideline passes. Jason Avant converted a first quarter third down in front of Fletcher.

Brandon Boykin played just 22 of 82 snaps. Cotchery beat him with an out-in move on third down in the first. Boykin was later beat for 14 yards. He nearly had an interception in the second when he broke up a pass. He made an open field tackle on a short third down pass.

Nolan Carroll was on the field for 28 snaps as the Eagles went dime a fair amount. He rushed up the middle and had pressure in the third. He made a stop after a short catch in the fourth.

Safety – B-

Malcolm Jenkins made an open field tackle on Stewart after a 1-yard catch in the first. Olsen got behind him for a 30-yard reception in the third. He took a hit from Nate Allen when he went high and missed Olsen. Jenkins got over in time to make a play on a deep ball in the fourth, but he didn't look back and the ball hit him in the helmet.

Nate Allen was targeted six times and allowed four catches for 59 yards. Olsen got him for 20 yards in the second and then for 17 yards in the fourth. He took an unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth when he led with his helmet and hit Cary Williams for the second time in the game. Allen had an interception on a jump ball just before the half.

Special teams – A

It's become standard to award Dave Fipp's units a perfect grade. With Darren Sproles' 65-yard punt return touchdown, Eagles special teams have five scores. Sproles did most of the work on his touchdown, but Brandon Boykin had a key downfield block. Cody Parkey kicked a 39-yard field goal and five his eight kickoffs went for touchbacks. Three of Donnie Jones' seven punts landed inside the 20.

jmclane@phillynews.com

@Jeff_McLane