3 Things Philadelphia Eagles fans can’t stop discussing after Week 4
By Ben Swanger
2. The Philadelphia Eagles defense has returned to form.
The Philadelphia Eagles defensive performance was a far cry from the Week 2 debacle against the Los Angeles Rams. The front four steamrolled the Niner’s offensive line, the secondary made plays, and overall the defense played much, much faster.
Nick Mullens never appeared comfortable with Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, and Genard Avery (yes, Genard Avery) breathing down his neck. For the first time all season, the Eagles won in turnover ratio.
Over the course of last two seasons, the Eagles finished with a negative turnover ratio, a recipe for failure. After a strip-sack and two interceptions on Sunday Night Football, everyone’s talking about how the defense finally wreaked the havoc it’s so desperately been craving.
Should the Eagles continue to win, it will probably be because the turnover ratio is in Philly’s favor. The only question is, can this be sustained? Nick Mullens is by no means a starting quarterback in this league, but somehow, even with him getting benched and with the 49ers turning to a third-stringer, C.J. Beathard, the Eagles still were in danger of squandering the victory.
Doug Pederson didn’t help his defense with a head-scratching final series to try to ice the game (he just didn’t seem to be aggressive enough, but, the Eagles defense did just enough to preserve the win.
Along with the reemergence of Wentz, the defensive line is back to form. Look for the front four, led by elite defensive tackle play, to continue to feast on opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. If that is a constant moving forward, this team could sneak up on some opponents.