A litmus test for Jim Schwartz’s Philadelphia Eagles defense
By Matt Giraldi
Jim Schwartz has the Philadelphia Eagles defense flying high while the offense gets all the credit.
If you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you probably know how well the defense is playing thus far this season. If not, you likely haven’t heard a lot about them. Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense has (deservedly) received much of the credit for the Eagles fast start. Quietly, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has the Eagles defense playing exceptionally well.
The Eagles defense enters Sunday’s game sitting in the top 10 of several statistical categories including: Points allowed, third down success and opposing time of possession. The Eagles opponents, the Denver Broncos, have been just as good, if not better. That could spell trouble for the Eagles this afternoon.
Sure, Brock Osweiler is going to be the starting quarterback for Broncos. Insert jokes here. Trevor Siemian wasn’t getting the job done, so Osweiler looks to revive his career in Denver 22 months after he last started a game for the franchise. His arm will be fresh too. He has a robust four passing attempts thus far this season.
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In all seriousness though, the Eagles offense is going to be faced with just as difficult of a task as Osweiler’s Broncos. While the Broncos’ record doesn’t reflect what their defense has accomplished, they are still formidable foes. Their defense also serves as a blueprint for what Schwartz and the Eagles want to accomplish. The main cog that keeps the engine running is Von Miller.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai and Lane Johnson are both going to see their fair share of Miller too. Johnson is up for the challenge. Vaitai might have different thoughts. Fortunately for Vaitai, the Broncos are utilizing Miller in a different manner than previous years.
"Last year, Miller lined up on the left side of the defense on just 62.9 percent of his pass-rush snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. In the Broncos’ first seven games this season, however, he has stayed on the left side 79.1 percent of the time in pass-rush situations."
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Fortunately the Eagles have a star defensive lineman of their own in Fletcher Cox. He and the edge pass rushers on the Eagles are going to feast on the Broncos offensive line. The Broncos have allowed 25 sacks thus far, tied for sixth worst in the NFL. Cox has 4.5 sacks this year, just a half sack shy of team leader Brandon Graham with five sacks.
Keeping the quarterbacks upright is only part of the battle. A no fly zone could be in effect throughout the afternoon over Lincoln Financial Field. Both teams are allowing fewer than 61.5% of opposing passes to be completed. The Broncos secondary was supposed to be good this season. Not so much for the Eagles. Remember the pessimism? It wasn’t just Les Bowen either. Pro Football Focus ranked the Eagles secondary dead last before the season.
Taking a look at the standings tells you this game favors the Eagles. In reality, this game could very well be a war of attrition. The team that limits their mistakes will likely win this afternoon. For the Eagles, that has been their bread and butter this season. The Eagles are +5 in turnover differential while the Broncos are second worst in the league with a -11 turnover differential. Playing mistake free football yet again will catapult the Eagles to an 8-1 record entering their bye week. Remember, remember the fifth of November, for that is the day that the Eagles defense vows to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin and take over as the best defense in the league.