It would be easy to start this off just by naming all the Eagles’ defensive linemen. All-Pros, Pro Bowlers, Super Bowl Champions, you name it, this defensive line has done it. At their full strength and when fully healthy this defensive line is a nightmare.
The Eagles came into Sunday’s game after getting gashed on the ground the last couple of weeks. Then you look at the schedule and see Derrick Henry coming to town. It looked like Henry could have a big game but that wasn’t the case at all. The Eagles completely shut down Henry holding him to 30 yards on 11 carries. The Titans’ offensive line could not contain the Eagles’ defensive line and you would continually see the Eagles’ linemen pushing the Titans’ offensive linemen back.
This performance was the Eagles’ most impressive performance by the defensive line. They were able to shut down Henry as well as get to Ryan Tannehill for six sacks. Josh Sweat had two sacks while Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, and Haason Reddick all recorded a sack.
Javon Hargrave has eight sacks on the season, one behind Haason Reddick’s nine for the team lead. In a contract year, Hargrave has set a career-high in sacks and only trails Chris Jones of the Chiefs for sacks by a defensive tackle.
Javon Hargrave ties Haason Reddick for the Eagles team lead with his 8th sack
Only Chris Jones has more sacks for a DT in the NFL right now
Career high for Javon. And he is the leading vote-getter for the Pro Bowl among DTs in NFC.
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) December 4, 2022
After a slow couple of weeks, Fletcher Cox looks like the Cox of old. He was reportedly dealing with a foot injury the last couple of weeks and is now healthy. Cox played one of his best games Sunday and was a dominating force on the line.
Fletcher Cox, through first 10 weeks, including Washington game where he played 85% of Snaps, had 3 sacks & 2 TFL
Last 3 games, his snap share dropped: 74%, 63% & 49%.
He has 2 sacks & 3 TFL in those 3 games.
Cox is so efficent when snaps are 📉!#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/Rcb4GRAnLi
— Kelly Green Hour (@KellyGreenHour) December 5, 2022
You can talk on and on about individual play between the defensive linemen, but as a whole, the unit is thriving. Anytime you shut down a running back like Derrick Henry and record six sacks you completely dominated the line of scrimmage.
The Eagles have some more tough matchups coming up. Saqoun Barkley is another tough running back, Justin Fields is playing good football right now, and the Cowboys look explosive. The Eagles will need their defensive line to keep performing as they did Sunday. With how much Jonathon Gannon rotates his personnel, these guys shouldn’t be too tired, and that will play a major role moving forward.
Featured Image: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
