The Philadelphia Eagles have a certified game-wrecker on their defensive line. That may have never been more evident than it was in their snowy Divisional Round victory over the Los Angeles Rams. The pressure mounts even higher now as the NFC East-rival Washington Commanders visit Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship Game for the right to play in Super Bowl LIX. The stars are aligning for another impactful performance.
Jalen Carter already has a legitimate argument as being one of the two or three best defensive tackles the Eagles franchise has seen since Jerome Brown. That's no shade on Fletcher Cox, far from it.
Cox is a franchise legend and one of the 'core four' that guided the Eagles to two Super Bowls (and, he helped win one of them). There were also stretches of his career where he was quite possibly the best interior defensive lineman in the game not named Aaron Donald.
But, Donald recently crowned Carter as his successor.
Jalen Carter has settled in as one of the biggest defensive weapons on the Eagles roster.
Carter displays a domination not seen since the aforementioned Brown. He uses his unique blend of size, speed, and strength (and a touch of crazy) to create gridlock at the line of scrimmage and wreak havoc singlehandedly.
Philly's playoff win against the Rams doesn't occur without Carter's efforts. That isn't the first time we've witnessed this though. See games like Philly's road win vs. New Orleans Saints for evidence.
His most recent performance doubles as his signature moment though. Don't look now, but Jayden Daniels and the Commanders are coming to town.
Philly may need Carter more than ever. Given some of the recent Commanders news, he may be able to deliver.
The Eagles' most dominant defender has a huge opportunity ahead of him as we learn of a Commanders star's recent update.
Friday has come and gone. Both the Eagles and Commanders have issued status reports for the game. Washington will be without starting guard Sam Cosmi. He tore his ACL in Washington's upset win over the Detroit Lions. He's a good player, and it's a huge blow for the visiting team.
He'll be replaced by veteran backup Trent Scott. Keeping Jalen Carter off of his quarterback and creating running lanes vs. this Eagles team will be a tall order. Vic Fangio and his defensive unit must be licking their chops.
The best defensive tackle in football vs. a battered and bruised offensive line... We'll take that matchup every time. If we thought Carter came up huge before, there's a very good chance we'll again sing his praises once the NFC Championship Game wraps. We haven't seen anything yet.