The performance of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense in Week 2's 24-20 road win over the Titans left a fair bit to be desired.
A handful of splash plays in huge spots surrendered by Vic Fangio's group nearly spelled defeat. After many expected the visiting Eagles to come in and clamp down on a young, unproven cast of Tennessee players, improvements are still needed at all three levels.
Overall, the pass rush is just not consistently getting home. While defensive tackle Jalen Carter did tally a sack on the interior, the front seven has been relatively quiet through two weeks of action. And at the edge, Nolan Smith landed the group's first sack of the season when he brought down quarterback Cam Ward. Overall, the unit has been solid but unspectacular.
A trip to Windy City in Week 3 offers the edge group a perfect opportunity. As the team looks to move to 3-0, the edge rushers will be tasked with making plays against a susceptible Bears offense amid a few key injuries.
Eagles' edge rushers must lead the charge in Chicago
So far, general manager Howie Roseman's offseason move to land edge rusher Jonathan Greenard has fallen flat, with the veteran still shelved with no return date in clear sight. In his absence, the returning duo of Nolan Smith (one sack in Week 2) and Jalyx Hunt have held the fort down in solid fashion thus far. Still, this talented young duo should reach another level in Week 3 and beyond.
Heading into the showdown with Chicago, Hunt and Smith have each notched seven pressures and six hurries through two games, showing they are playing active and aggressive but not getting all the way home. Smith finally drew first blood with the edge group's first sack of the season, taking down Cam Ward late in the second quarter. Still, Ward was inches away from busting free for a sneak up the middle, and the pass rush took time to get home as Smith suddenly met Ward for the sack. Hunt was there as well when Ward got sent to the turf, and against Chicago, both have to be fixtures for this pass rush to explode finally.
Bears' offensive line can be beat by this edge group
A revamped Bears offensive line has already been hit with the injury bug, and penalties have also posed a problem in the early going for their pass protection. With quarterback Caleb Williams doubtful for the matchup with a hamstring injury, this matchup is there for the taking.
While Chicago still has plenty of talent at the skill positions, including a running game that can do serious damage, in the pass rush phase, Hunt, Smith, and company must not only get close but also finish the job and get into the Bears' backfield early and often.
Read more: Eagles' Jeremiah Trotter Jr. has every reason to make Jihaad Campbell nervous
For a Philadelphia defensive group with so much star power and draft capital, the results so far have been a bit frustrating. Overall, this Eagles defense can dominate, and the edge group needs to step it up.
Add us as a preferred source on Google