Philadelphia Eagles: Winning in the trenches is what makes team so special
Through nine games, the Philadelphia Eagles look like one of the best teams in football. With very few flaws and several strengths, the most notable one has to be the ability on both offense and defense to win along the line of scrimmage.
The Philadelphia Eagles are on top of the football world at the moment, and this could be just the beginning. The defense has been a revelation so far, and the offensive line is giving the NFL MVP front runner Carson Wentz enough time to make plays, which is more than a lot of teams around the league can say. A bye week comes at the perfect time for the Eagles, as they can now take a week off to rest up and prepare for an intense divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys, one that will definitely test the teams biggest strength thus far.
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While Wentz has had his fair share of hits against him, the blame can’t entirely be given to the offensive line. Wentz looks the part of a franchise quarterback in his second year, but he still does a few things that get him in trouble, such as holding the ball for too long. In several instances, Wentz uses his amazing ability to extend the play only to hold on to the ball instead of throwing it away, leading to a hit on him. This isn’t the offensive line’s fault, but more of a learning curve that Wentz will have to go through.
With the season-ending knee injury to Jason Peters, several other rotational players have had to step up. Stefen Wisniewski has had to change from a rotational role at the left guard spot so that Halapoulivaati Vaitai could shift over to fill the hole at left tackle that Peters left. While Big V isn’t a future Hall of Fame lock like Peters is, he has filled in admirably. The ability to fill any holes along the offensive line is what makes this team so special, since once one player goes down, another steps up.
Now on the defensive side of the ball, Philadelphia has wreaked havoc on oppositions who aren’t ready. So far this year, the Eagles look like one of the strongest defenses in the league, and the defensive line is the biggest reason why. Rushing the passer does so much more than lead to an occasional sack, as it puts pressure on a quarterback leading to unnecessary throws which tend to be intercepted.
This defensive line already has two All-Pro level players in Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, then the team decided to absolutely ROB the Baltimore Ravens in the Timmy Jernigan trade to give them a possible three All-Pros. Couple that with a first round defensive end, several free agent additions, and the Eagles are legitimately eight above average players deep along the defensive line.
Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Timmy Jernigan deserves his new deal
When a team wins in the tranches they usually end up winning the game. So far, so good for the Eagles. With so many young faces along both of these lines, this could be a strength for Philadelphia for a very long time.