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I’m sure people will look at another blood-and-guts effort from Jalen Hurts, or A.J. Brown’s continuing to produce (though he fell below 125 yards for the first time since Week 2), or at some of the timely plays a resourceful Eagles secondary made Sunday, and tell the story of Philly’s 28–23 win over Dallas through that prism.
Rightfully so. All those factors played into Sunday’s drama.
But to me, and the Eagles themselves, none loomed larger than the core of how this Philly team, and so many of its predecessors, was put together: Every element of that build starts at the line of scrimmage.
“I love the way [GM] Howie [Roseman] put together this team,” 14th-year defensive end Brandon Graham told me postgame. “The biggest thing is keeping us healthy, keeping the rotation good and keeping us fresh as we go, especially as a D-line because our rotation is big. We got people that could be starters other places that are coming off the bench. That’s what I love. We got a bunch of hungry guys, especially me, enjoying my role that I know that every rep counts when I’m out there.
“I’m just thankful for that and appreciative of whenever I’m in, I’m always trying to make it count. That’s what I talk about with [rookie] Nolan [Smith], with me and him being together—just make it count.”
Sure enough, a lot of guys on that deep defensive front made it count at the wire Sunday.
First, there was the stand at the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Eagles’ getting four straight stops in a goal-to-go situation, with pressure on Dak Prescott forcing the throw to Luke Schoonmaker a bit outside, which had the tight end lunging for the ball and leaving him unable to flash it past the goal line (Reed Blankenship rode him to the ground just shy).
Then, an in-game adjustment paid dividends. Graham had noticed the Cowboys were doing what the Packers used to with Aaron Rodgers, in getting Jalen Hurts to more aggressively climb the pocket, and get through the B gaps to use Philly’s aggression against the Eagles. So he started doubling back inside on his rush to catch Prescott before he could get away.
The sacks would follow. After a Dallas score cut the Philly lead to 28–23, the Eagles got two in a row—the first by Graham, the second split between Graham and Jalen Carter—to put Dallas in third-and-21 and ultimately set the stage for a turnover on downs. Which, to the dean of the Eagles’ roster, reflected how his unit is working together.
“It was just more about trust that we have for each other, the respect that we have to be able to talk to each other in pressure moments where things aren’t going so right, but we just need somebody to make a play and calm people down,” Graham says. “It’s so much stuff that goes into it. Some people can be frustrated with other guys’ not doing their job. We don’t do that. If we do, the person that is going off, check yourself. It can’t be perfect.”
But it was when it needed to be, and on this night that juncture came with 27 seconds showing, and the ball on the Eagles’ 11. Josh Sweat came screaming off the left edge and right tackle Terence Steele, riding up on a player he knew was trying to push him past the quarterback, then bending and closing on Prescott.
“For Sweat to come out, he just seen me do it, he went to that side on Steele and, boy, you get smart matchups,” Graham says. “He knew that he only had so many seconds before Dak got rid of it. I think it was just cool to see him make his play. I just know as a D-line, it’s about us rushing together, rushing cohesive.”
And it’s about the Eagles’ being loaded there like they are on the offensive line, which is the basis for how Roseman’s put the whole thing together for years.
So go ahead and fawn over the receivers or DBs all you want.
Sunday showed, again, where the foundation for this 8–1 powerhouse is laid—and why the team will remain a powerhouse for the foreseeable future.
