Philadelphia Eagles still need more efficiency on defense

We can all assume that much of the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice sessions this week will be dedicated to some defensive scheme and getting the offenses’ ground game more comfortable.

It’s hard to do a ton of complaining after seeing the Philadelphia Eagles go ‘Hulk Smash’ in their 34-13 triumph over the New York Giants, but a closer look will tell you something. It’s obvious there are still quite a few holes on this team.

Understanding where they’ll want to focus in practice won’t take a ton of effort by anyone who’s paying attention.

Let’s talk a little defense.

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A four-sack performance by the Eagles’ defense on Thursday night now gives Philly 16 sacks on the season. Yep, that’s twelve sacks in six games.

Fletcher Cox leads the way in that category with four. Still, with a rotation that includes Michael Bennett, who has two, Haloti Ngata, who has one, Chris Long, who’s only registered a single sack, and Brandon Graham, also with one, you’d expect some more dominant performances by this defensive line.

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will need to come up with some more creative ways to bring pressure. It’s doubtful that he will, seeing as how he never brings the blitz, but allowing four guys to rush and asking the linebackers to roam and help in coverage doesn’t seem to be working consistently.

Sure, a batted ball by Jordan Hicks that found its’ way into the hands of teammate Kamu Grugier-Hill. Sure, that gave everyone an adrenaline rush, but that was a small piece of the puzzle. That interception was an anomaly.

The Eagles have only picked off the opposing quarterback four times in 2018, and just like they’ve done all season, Philly gave up a lot of big plays against an inferior team.

New York’s new star, Saquon Barkley racked up 130 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and 99 yards and nine receptions. Much of that and some of the Giants’ other ‘splash plays’ came as a result of missed tackles that could have prevented long runs and deep passes that, again, found their way into the hands of the opposing receivers.

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Now, they’ll have to figure out the slot cornerback position with an inured Sidney Jones, and they’ll try and figure out what the defense will look like with Rasul Douglas possibly taking a lot of meaningful snaps at safety.

Philly doesn’t play again until October 21st, but trust us on this one. They’ll be working on a whole lot more than a possible trade before the deadline.

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