As someone who appreciates watching an outstanding defense (which is rare in the modern NFL), I can’t express how much I enjoy watching this Philadelphia Eagles defense play. They are young, fast, tough, and aggressive. What else can you ask for?
Defense
This was another game with more base personnel (I define base as 5-2-4, FYI) for the Eagles. I mentioned this last week, and it’s clearly a thing. Cooper DeJean played 29 snaps this week as the Eagles played base 14 times out of 43. What I love about this defense is that they do not want to give up a single yard in the run game. Every yard against them feels like a personal insult. They are so aggressive coming downhill. It’s quite a stark contrast to what we’ve seen with Vic Fangio’s disciples around the league, who seem content to give up 4-5 yards a carry on early downs. The defense’s aggressiveness on early downs against the run makes me so happy. The Steelers wanted to play a physical football game and went with a lot of 12 personnel on 1st down and tried to run it. The Eagles matched their physicality by playing base defense and clogging up all the run lanes. There were so many good snaps against the run early on, so I’ve clipped a few of my favorites.
Jalen Carter was a menace against the run all game. Can we talk about how ridiculous this play is? He shifts inside pre-snap, slants inside post-snap, and STILL has the athleticism to make this play against the run. I’ll talk more about Nolan Smith later, but I thought he had a great game and played well in all facets of the game. Run defense is a team effort, and there wasn’t a single player in the front 7 who didn’t play the run well. Every single player did their job. I was very critical of the Eagles’ run defense the first 4 weeks of the season (because it wasn’t great!), but they have turned it around since the bye week. Fangio wants to play 4-man fronts, but he isn’t afraid to use a 5-man front on early downs when he needs it, and it’s proving to be very effective of late.
Josh Sweat is not known as a great run defender, but check out this rep! I am so happy for Nakobe Dean. I thought he was exceptional at coming downhill and playing the run. Look at how aggressive he is here. Again, I go back to my earlier point. This defense plays like every yard against them is a personal insult.
It wasn’t just the run defense that was excellent in this game. The pass defense was fantastic, too. The Eagles did not do anything complicated at all in this game. I didn’t see one funky blitz. I didn’t see anything exotic; it was just classic Fangio. There was a ton of zone coverage played, and route distribution and communication were outstanding. The Eagles front 4 collapse the pocket, and nobody is open. It was great to see the Eagles’ EDGE rushers collapse the pocket like this. I’m not even sure what to call Nolan Smith’s pass rush here, but he just looks like he is shot out of a cannon! FYI: HQQ refers to half-quarter-quarter, which is a 1⁄2 safety to the passing strength (which is why Quinyon Mitchell is able to press at the LOS) and two 1⁄4 safeties to the weak side.
The Eagles’ defense also plays with great discipline. This was 3rd and long, and the Eagles were happy to give up the short route at the top of the screen as they knew they could afford to give up anything underneath. It’s amazing how many teams do dumb stuff on 3rd and long, but the Eagles’ defensive backs are disciplined here. As I said, I barely saw any man coverage in this game. It was just a straight-up match zone. When it’s done correctly, it’s so hard to throw on. The Steelers tried many different things but couldn’t get anything going. The issue with match zone coverage is that it requires everyone to be in sync on every single play. The fact that the Eagles can be this efficient with two rookie cornerbacks in their secondary is pretty unbelievable. The defensive backs coach and Vic Fangio deserve a ton of praise.
Right, I’ve been writing for BGN for a long time. I barely ever complain about the referees. But what on earth are we doing here? The quarterback sliding debate has been discussed a lot since Trevor Lawrence’s injury, and I think the league needs to do something. The fact that this can be a penalty is absurd. Justin Fields isn’t even attempting to throw here; he’s basically a running back in the open field, and Reed Blankenship doesn’t even hit him late! I included this because the Steelers were getting nothing going on offense, but this play resulted in a 23-yard gain (with the penalty yards included), and it’s a big reason why the Steelers’ offense managed to score their first touchdown. This should never be a penalty. Come on now.
As I’ve stated, the issue with match zone coverage is that everyone must be in sync. On this one, C.J. Gardner-Johnson doesn’t play it correctly. Considering Zack Baun's position inside the tight end, CJGJ needs to be further outside. It’s not a huge mistake, and he nearly breaks the ball up still, but at this level, even the smallest of mistakes can cost you.
On a random note, look at the reaction of Cooper DeJean pre-snap and post-snap. Pre-snap, he’s pointing out to CJGJ where he needs to go, and post-snap, he’s annoyed that the touchdown was given up. You can frequently see DeJean pointing out where receivers will go, and he clearly understands the scheme very well. He’s a smart football player, and he’s still a rookie!
The coverage wasn't perfect all game—it never will be! The great thing about this defense is that the pass rush and coverage complement each other well. The Steelers break the defensive rules on this play, and a receiver comes wide open. However, Nolan Smith wins his one-on-one quickly and prevents Russell Wilson from making the easy throw!
I thought this was Nolan Smith’s best game of his career. I have been critical of him, but I think he has greatly improved in the past month. I still don’t see him as a top pass-rusher in terms of technique, but his hustle on every snap is incredible. He wins a lot of the time with his relentless effort. He has improved when dropping into coverage, and his run defense has always been outstanding. He played nearly every snap in this one, and I thought he was fantastic. He’s having an excellent end to his second season, and the Eagles must be happy with how he’s developed.
This is one of the most ridiculous plays I have ever seen by a linebacker in coverage. It’s a shame it was completed because it deserves to be in highlight reels throughout the week. The Steelers catch the Eagles out here with a flea flicker, but Baun diagnoses it exceptionally quickly. He barely takes a false step toward the running back. He realizes that a receiver is running a deep over route behind him (Calvin Austin ran 4.32 at the combine, by the way...), and Baun runs with the receiver step for step. This is absurd. Off-ball linebackers who can play the run, as well as Baun can, should not be able to make a play like this. I think Fred Warner could do this, but I’m not sure any other linebacker in the NFL could. The Baun contract extension will be huge, but he deserves it. He’s playing like a superstar. I badly want to see him in the Eagles’ green next year.
We will end here with another great play from an Eagles’ linebacker. Imagine reading that sentence last year! Baun has taken the majority of the national praise, but the Nakobe Dean has been excellent too. He’s improved his play in coverage a lot but his play against the run and as a blitzer is where he really shines. As he shows here, he is very aggressive when coming downhill, especially as a blitzer. He blows past the center. Russell Wilson does everything right. He reads the Eagles’ blitz (called Whip) and checks it down to his running back because that’s the side of the blitzing linebacker. However, Zack Baun recognizes this early and flies over to the other side of the formation to make the tackle. Reed Blankenship rallies towards the football and helps out. The defense is excellent at rallying to the football, which I’ve banged on about the past few weeks, too. It’s awesome to see.
