A Season-Defining Game for the Eagles’ Defense
Everyone in the media has brought up that Sunday’s contest versus the Dallas Cowboys is the biggest and the most important game of Carson Wentz’s career.
Wentz has faced criticism with injuries and not having faced a game of importance.
The last two weeks, he has done a great job with leading and carrying the team to two critical wins against divisional rivals New York Giants and Washington Redskins. The real question though is if this game means more about Carson Wentz’s legacy or some other factor not being thought of.
Prior to the Dolphins loss, we saw an offense that wasn’t able to be effective running the ball or passing as they only scored 19 points in two games against the Patriots and the Seahawks, but the defense was performing at a high level. With them facing against elite quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Russell Wilson, the secondary held the two to under 216 passing yards. Since then, it’s been pretty ugly against average at best quarterbacks.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, Giants future Hall of Famer quarterback Eli Manning returned from being on the bench to throw 203 yards and two first-half touchdowns, and Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Granted, Manning and Haskins didn’t play particularly well in the second half of those games, but because of their strong starts in those games, the Eagles often find themselves coming from behind to stay in the game because the secondary had trouble covering their best receivers.
We saw too many times where Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills getting burned by receivers like Devante Parker, Darius Slayton, and Terry McLaurin. What do all three have in common? They all gained at least 130 yards and one touchdown against the Eagles secondary. These are guys that are good receivers, but typically wouldn’t be starters on other teams. One thing that has killed the Eagles with these receivers is their speed. All are great deep threats that the Eagles corners and safeties just cannot handle. They have been prone to allowing big plays down the field in each of the last three games.
Another concern is they haven’t been able to get to the quarterback as well as fans had hoped. They’ve recorded only five sacks in three games with three of those sacks coming in the loss against the Dolphins. This shows that the defensive line has not been able to get enough push to help the backside on coverage. While the secondary obviously needs to step up, the defensive line has not been as helpful on passing situations. Now against the run, they are one of the best in the league, but the pass defense must improve if they have any hopes of making the playoffs.
Checking out other key stats to show their struggles: two turnovers created in three games.
One of them came on a last-play desperation play from the Redskins in the loss so it’s kind of hard to count that. This defense has not done their banged-up offense any favors by setting them up with good field position or momentum from turnovers. There doesn’t seem to be enough playmakers on the defensive side to sniff out where the ball is and get it. More turnovers can help build their confidence and make the offense’s life easier.
The Eagles have an all too familiar problem coming up Sunday when they will have the task to cover Amari Cooper. He has had the Eagles’ number since he has joined the Cowboys 21 catches for 398 yards and three touchdowns in three games (all wins by the Cowboys). He is a torn in the Eagles’ side and it will be their responsibility to make sure Dak Prescott looks for another target. It will be up to either Darby or Mills to have their biggest game as Eagles to keep him contained.
Too many times we have heard that Wentz must play at his best against the Cowboys and it’s true. There is a ton of injuries to the receivers and the offensive line, but nothing compares to what the defense needs to do. They have to contain Ezekiel Elliott in the running game and cover deep threats in Cooper, Michael Gallup, and Randall Cobb.
It could end up being a struggle against the number one passing offense, but if they perform the way they did against the Patriots and the Seahawks, this could be a defining moment for the Eagles and give them the boost they need to steal away the division title from the hated Cowboys.
Featured Image: Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post/Getty Images
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