The key to the game: The Eagles defensive line dominated the Panthers last night
13 October 2017 Eagles News
The Eagles defeated the Carolina Panthers last night 28-23 and it was a defensive masterclass. The Eagles defensive line controlled the game and had Cam Newton under distress for the majority of the game. They were key to victory last night, their performance was special.
Right before the game, the Eagles had a big boost, finding out Fletcher Cox will play in the game. Pairing Cox up with Timmy Jernigan is arguably the best interior combination you can get in the NFL. These two completely outpowered the Panthers in the inside, the Panthers were simply out of their league when it came to blocking Cox and Jernigan.
Other than Cox and Jernigan, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry did a nice job too. However, the two defensive ends who really need to be highlighted are Chris Long and Derek Barnett. Long was a force to be reckoned with all game. He showed us his value to the Eagles. As for Barnett, the rookie made a dumb decision on that roughing the passer play, but he rebounded very nicely and got his first career sack, which changed the game. The Eagles defensive line is a special group this season.
The biggest thing the Eagles defensive line does is make other teams one dimensional. The Eagles completely shut down opposing teams’ run game, forcing them to pass a lot of times. For example, Cam Newton passes the ball over 50 times last night, in fact, he set a career high for pass attempts. The Eagles held the Panthers running backs to just 1 yard, that is pretty incredible.
The Eagles defensive line is so dominant, the Eagles are comfortable rushing just four guys. By already eliminating the run, rushing four guys makes it very hard to pass. This defensive line makes playing against the Eagles very hard, they are an elite group.
If the Eagles can get a defensive line performance like the one they got last night every week, you are looking at a very good and dangerous football team. There is no exaggeration here either, they were borderline unstoppable. The Eagles defensive line controlled the game and won this game for the Eagles.
Photo Credit: Clem Murray/Philly.com
Ryan Neal Brandon Graham, Chris Long, Derek Barnett, Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles, Timmy Jernigan, Vinny Curry