It was going to be tough for the Philadelphia Eagles to top the dominant defensive performance they put together last week against the Green Bay Packers. But they had another incredibly strong outing on Sunday Night Football in Week 11, against a high-powered Detroit Lions offense, no less.
Recently-acquired edge rusher Jaelan Phillips seemed like the missing piece last Monday against Green Bay, as he recorded an unbelievable eight pressures in his Eagles debut. Though he didn't record a sack, he also tacked on five tackles and four run stops.
Phillips was equally dominant against the run and pass, and he opened things up for the rest of Philadelphia's defensive line. This was the kind of game-changing impact that the Eagles envisioned when they aggressively sent a third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins for him at the trade deadline.
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Well, he was at it again in Week 11, as Phillips recorded his first sack in Philly, as well as a tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and five tackles against the Lions. But the stat sheet, once again, only tells part of the story for this young player.
Tasked with creating pressure against Detroit tackle Penei Sewell, who is arguably the best in the league, Phillips made his presence known. He won several reps that disrupted the rhythm of the Lions' offense and forced Jared Goff into ill-advised decisions.
He came up big at one of the most pivotal moments of the game as well. He got past Sewell on a fourth-and-goal and forced Goff to make an errant throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown, which fell incomplete and gave the ball back to the Eagles.
Although it has been just two games, Phillips has been so good and transformational for Philadelphia that Eagles fans almost have to wonder if defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's one-year stint with the Dolphins was him working as a double agent.
After all, he spent the 2022 NFL season in Philadelphia as a consultant before his stint in Miami. There, he met Phillips, went one-and-done in South Beach, then re-joined the Eagles and took the defense to new heights, which are now even higher with Phillips in town.
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The Eagles' defense needed a jolt if they wanted to make another deep postseason run in a suddenly crowded NFC. After two games in his new shade of green, Phillips has proven that he can be exactly that for Philadelphia.