Eagles Defensive Line "Ruined" Titans
PHILADELPHIA – The game is won in the trenches, as the cliché goes, and the Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines are the best in the business.
Gives you goosebumps, doesn’t it?
The offensive line has been a consistent sledgehammer in the run game all season long and dating back years. It's big and athletic from tackle to tackle.
It was the defensive line that opened eyes in the Eagles’ 35-10 win over the Tennessee Titans.
They were already pretty good, then GM Howie Roseman went ahead and added Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh.
Jordan Davis returned to the lineup after missing four games with an ankle injury, and, while he didn’t show up on the stat sheet, he only makes this unit better.
Like, better than any other team, especially with its depth.
“Honestly, I thought our d-line just ruined that game,” said linebacker T.J. Edwards. “I thought they were dominant, all across the board. They’re stopping the run, and in the drop-back pass game they were getting to the quarterback as well, so I thought the front had a really good game.
“It was all about winning our one-on-ones and upfront, it was nasty in there. You could just feel the presence of our d-line getting after them and safeties filling in the box when they had to. It was a really good game.”
The Eagles heard the noise all week: Derrick Henry this, Derrick Henry that, Tennessee is the more physical team, on it went.
“When you’re sitting at 10-1 and you have a team with more losses than you and people are talking as if you didn’t do anything the whole year, it’s crazy, it’s absurd,” said Reddick. “We didn’t take too kindly to that. It was a challenge for us.”
Well, Henry was held to 30 yards. His quarterback outgained him with 34 yards and his quarterback is not Jalen Hurts, but Ryan Tannehill.
Tannehill was sacked six times.
The Titans’ offense had 209 yards. In total.
“Like I said before, during the week was attitude,” said Brandon Graham. “I felt like everyone’s attitude was to stop Derrick. That is all we kept hearing. That is what they are going to do.
"They are going to run the ball, screen us, and play quick ball with play-action and deep shots. That is exactly what we got and I feel like we started from the jump with meeting them at the line and making tackles.”
Graham had one sack as did Reddick, Fletcher Cox, and Javon Hargrave. Josh Sweat had two.
“We talked about creating the line of scrimmage and playing on their side of the line of scrimmage and give our guys time to get there,” said Cox. “Everybody knows Derrick Henry. He runs hard. … obviously we didn’t want him to come in and have a day.”
The Eagles now have 11 wins after getting nine a season ago.
They now have 42 sacks after getting just 29 last year.
That is the most sacks they have had after 12 games since 1991 when they had 43. It’s not a coincidence that the Eagles had the best defensive line back then, too, with Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Mike Pitts, and Clyde Simmons.
It’s the trenches, as they say.
It helps to have an MVP candidate at quarterback with Jalen Hurts, but the Eagles’ lines take a backseat to none in the NFL.
The best in the league, Reddick was asked.
“You look at the stats and tell me what you see,” he said. “I’m not trying to toot our horns. We have a lot of ball to play, but we’re looking really good.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
