How the Eagles can dismantle Gus Bradley’s Raider defense
By Hunter Doyle
The Eagles will face one of the deeper fronts they’ll see in 2021.
Yes, Maxx Crosby is worth the price of admission. Next to him, it’s been a total team effort. Similar to the 2017 Eagles, the Raiders have plenty of depth along the defensive front which is a big reason why they can get home with just four pass-rushers. They’re truly loaded.
Yannick Ngakoue only has two sacks on the year, but he’s in the top 25 in hurries, pressures, and knockdowns. Let’s hope that he doesn’t start getting home in Week 7.
On the interior, Quinton Jefferson leads Raiders defensive lineman in tackles with 19 and has two sacks and six additional quarterback hits. Jefferson may not play this week but Jonathan Hankins is expected to return from injury to fill that void if he doesn’t.
Former third-overall selection Solomon Thomas appears to be coming into his own as he has 2.5 sacks, seven QB hits, two forced fumbles following a disappointing four years in San Francisco. Darius Philon has contributed after being out of the league for a year. Damion Square took advantage of his first start last week and showcased an impressive swim move as Sanjit T. from the Las Vegas Chronicle noted. There are threats all around. While Bradley won’t run many stunts, he did so last week and it worked.
And yes, Eagles fans, even with all of that being said, there are more reasons to worry.