This year, the Philadelphia Eagles defense has been a completely different beast. What once was a weak point just a year ago has now turned into an enormous strength thanks to Vic Fangio and the renovation done at key positions.
It is no coincidence that the NFL's no. 2 scoring defense during the regular season is now the no. 2 scoring defense in the postseason as well.
Oh, and by the way, Philly's defense finished the regular season giving up the fewest yards in all of football. In many cases, you could argue the Eagles did, in fact, own the NFL's top overall defense.
In the postseason, they have made their impact known as well.
Whether it was the three interceptions forced off Jordan Love in the Wild Card Round, Jalen Carter's game-wrecking series of plays on the final drive against the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round or the four total takeaways against Washington last weekend, the Eagles have been downright nasty on defense during the playoffs.
Speaking of those takeaways against Washington, the Eagles were able to snag three fumbles off the Commanders. How exactly did they come up with such a performance? Head coach Nick Sirianni let the world in on his secret sauce. It was all about the "Peanut Punch."
Nick Sirianni had his Eagles defense watch every forced fumble from Charles Tillman's illustrious career
What is the "Peanut Punch?"
Former NFL defensive back and longtime Chicago Bears corner, Charles Tillman, was known for punching the ball out of opposing ball carriers throughout his career. He did it on such a level that it became known as the "Peanut Punch," named after Tillman's nickname, "Peanut."
Sirianni told the media that he had his defense watch every single forced fumble of Tillman's career in order to better prepare them to be aggressive in taking away the football.
Over the course of Tillman's career, he forced a ridiculous 44 fumbles, which is good for no. 6 on the NFL's all-time list. He remains the only defensive back inside the top 10.
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Against the Chiefs, in the Super Bowl, this defense has to know they can't stop Patrick Mahomes. They can certainly try to limit his production, but Mahomes is going to do Mahomes things. That's a given.
However, where this defense is going to win is by taking the football away one way or another. Taking it away from ball carriers and receivers could end up being the difference-maker in this game. If the Eagles can force one or two fumbles lost on the game's biggest stage, that might just be exactly what Philly needs to pull it off.
It's a lot like NBA defenses trying to contain Michael Jordan back in the 1990's. The running joke was the idea that you couldn't stop Jordan from getting 30 points, but you'd hate to be the team that allowed him to get 40, 50, etc.
Mahomes is going to have his eye-popping plays against the Eagles. There's no doubt. But, where the Eagles can win is by forcing his supporting cast into making costly errors. And that's exactly why the "Peanut Punch" is going to be a staple in their game plan.