The Eagles' nightmare season continued with a 27-10 loss to the Commanders in Week 8. They have now lost six straight games for the first time since 2012. This also marks the first time the team has started 2-6 since 1999, which was Andy Reid's first year as head coach.
The struggles that have plagued the Eagles for over a month returned on Sunday Night Football. Philly jumped out to a 10-0 lead before stalled offensive possessions and shaky defense allowed Washington to take over. The Eagles were outgained 339-268 and shut out in the second half.
Before looking ahead to a Week 9 clash against the Giants, let's hand out some grades for each unit following another demoralizing defeat.
Quarterback Tanner McKee's outing on Sunday was simply not good enough. The fourth-year pro's third-quarter fumble erased Philly's momentum, and his fourth-quarter interception all but ended the game. He failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his five career starts.
McKee has been heralded as an accurate pocket passer, yet 10 of his 23 completions came behind the line of scrimmage in Week 8. Whether or not play calls are holding him back, he is hesitating to throw into tight windows. Jeff Kerr emphasized just how poorly the offense has performed with McKee.
Eagles running backs logged 64 rushing yards on 24 carries on Sunday night. The duo of Saquon Barkley and Elijah Mitchell averaged a lackluster 2.7 yards per carry and did not have a single rush for more than nine yards. Philly is averaging the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL (88.1).
Now, it's worth pointing out that Barkley is not fully healthy and Mitchell is Philly's RB6. Asking either one to carry an offense missing its stars would be foolish. Barkley isn't helping this squad by playing 32% of the offensive snaps, though. Sitting out in Week 9 would give him nearly three weeks to rest.
DeVonta Smith's hamstring injury and Dontayvion Wicks's ankle injury hindered the Eagles in Week 8. Makai Lemon, Darius Cooper, and Hollywood Brown played the majority of the wide receiver snaps with those two sidelined. Cooper and Brown barely made a ripple, totaling 36 yards on four catches.
Lemon flashed his upside for the second straight week, recording 57 yards on six catches (nine targets). The rookie is using crisp routes to get open on passing plays and draw defenders away on running plays. Lemon's increased impact should be a top storyline in the second half of the season.
Philadelphia tight ends put in a solid effort in Week 8. Dallas Goedert finished with 30 yards on four receptions. He has been on the field for at least 69% of the snaps and posted a catch of 15 yards or more in five of his six games played. Those stats should maintain his value in the trade market .
Rookie TE Eli Stowers impressed during his 13 snaps, hauling in three passes for 53 yards. The second-round pick was explosive after the catch and should see more action as the season progresses. This grade is brought down a bit by more blocking struggles from Johnny Mundt and Grant Calcaterra.
Jordan Mailata praising "Jeff Stoutland University" in his Sunday Night Football intro made fans reminisce about what used to be Philly's biggest strength. The offensive line has become the team's biggest weakness in 2026. Running lanes are not opening up, and McKee is not being protected.
Washington generated pressure on 46.5% of dropbacks versus Philly and posted 10 pressures on 12 blitzes (h/t NFL+). It resulted in a whopping five sacks for the Commanders. Free rushers got in McKee's face within seconds as Landon Dickerson and Markel Bell whiffed on crucial blocks.
There were a few highlight plays from the defensive line on Sunday, with two sacks and four tackles for loss. However, the Eagles gave up 135 rushing yards on 26 carries. They have surrendered over 100 rushing yards in each of their first eight games. That hasn't happened in Philadelphia since 1968.
A failure to stop the run not only tires out Philly's defense, but it also puts pressure on the secondary to be perfect. Every mistake becomes costly. Committing more than $300 million to Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Jonathan Greenard has hurt the team more than it has helped so far this season.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. stepped up in place of the injured Jihaad Campbell (hamstring/quad) on Sunday, leading the Eagles with 10 tackles. It'll be interesting to see if Trotter takes over the ILB2 role moving forward. The former Clemson standout has shown glimpses of improved instincts and technique.
Meanwhile, veteran Zack Baun stayed consistent with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. It's important to hold Baun and Trotter. accountable in run defense. The easiest way to combat open running lanes is by making tackles at the second level. That isn't happening as often as it needs to.
If there's any room to move away from defensive doom and gloom, it's in Philly's secondary. Safety Andrew Makuba forced a first-quarter fumble deep in Washington territory that spurred the Eagles' only touchdown drive of the contest. The Texas product finished with nine tackles and a pass breakup.
The Eagles held quarterback Jayden Daniels to a 55.2% completion rate by jumping passing lanes and forcing low throws. Depth issues came into question, though, as cornerback Kenny Moore II was picked on for an eight-yard touchdown pass, a 30-yard completion, and a 20-yard completion.
Braden Mann is the only reason this grade is not an F. The veteran punter landed three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line. Otherwise, the special teams unit was a disaster. Kicker Jake Elliott missed a 41-yard field goal that would've turned a six-point deficit into three during the third quarter.
It has to be mentioned that Philly's kick/punt coverage continues to put the defense in tough spots, too. Washington's Luke McCaffrey's sole kickoff return of the night went to the 50-yard line, and his sole punt return went to the 50-yard line as well.
The Eagles lost the field position battle yet again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as Eagles Week 8 Report Card: Grading Every Position After Sunday's Loss vs. Commanders .
