Paging the Eagles defensive line
1 December 2016 Eagles News
Since the week four bye week, the Eagles pass rush has been pretty much non-existent. They do a good job of getting initial pressure, but they are not finishing the play. Look no further than the last two games versus the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers as an example. For the defensive to be successful, they need to get this defensive line going again.
After a hot start to the season, Graham has just two sacks in his last eight games. However, he is one of the best defensive linemen when it comes to quarterback pressures.
Cox, like Graham, had a hot start to the season racking up three sacks in the first three games. Since then, he has just one sack.
The Eagles best pass rusher when it comes to sacks recently has been Barwin. He has three sacks in his last eight games.
Curry, the highest paid defensive end has just 1.5 sacks in his last eight games.
What exactly is happening?
Let’s take a deeper look into the most recent game versus the Packers. The Eagles had a very hard time getting to Aaron Rodgers. Some of that had to do with his very quick release, but a lot had to do with the Packers gameplan.
The Packers did everything they could possibly do to keep Cox from getting to Rodgers. All game, Cox had just four 1-on-1 scenarios. That is compared to Graham (21), Barwin (20), Curry (12). The other defensive linemen are not getting pressure.
Looking deeper, Graham is second in the league when you combine sacks, hurries, and pressures (60). He gets a lot of pressure. No one is ever there to clean up his work.
The whole defensive line needs to do a better job. Maybe, Cox should win some of those 2-on-1 scenarios. While he is double teamed, those other defensive linemen need to win their matchups. For a defense to be successful, they need to make life difficult for the opposing quarterback.
When the Eagles defensive line is playing their best, this defense is one of the best. Paging the defensive line, the Eagles really need some help.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Neal Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin, Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles, Vinny Curry