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The Big Bodies Up Front Are the Key to The Eagles Stopping Justin Jefferson

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Author Bob Cooney
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 10: Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during the second quarter against the New England Patriotsat Gillette Stadium on September 10, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

There was so much to dissect after the Eagles’ season-opening 25-20 win over the Patriots up in Foxborough, that many of us throughout the Delaware Valley feel like we are back in high school looking at the frogs in the jar, masks on, and scalpels in hand. 

Everyone has been put on the table for the Eagles, from the coach to coordinators to individual players on both sides of the ball for what can be termed as a lackluster performance, or normal week one rustiness, or the fact they were going against a genius of a defensive coach.

Whatever the talking point, the dissection wasn’t pretty but always has to end with the ultimate accomplishment – that the Eagles won the game. Like that science class in high school, you quickly have to move on the the next task at hand. For Nick Sirianni and company, that is the Minnesota Vikings and only 96 hours after completing that soggy win over Bill Belichick’s squad. An easy task it is not, as the best wide receiver in the game will be lining up against an Eagles defense that will be down a starting linebacker in Nakobe Dean and a starting corner in James Bradberry. So the expectations of Justin Jefferson to have a field day are popular. And rightfully so. 

So how does that not happen? Not sure it can. But Darius Slay did play awesome against Jefferson in last season’s 24-7 win, limiting the LSU product to 6 catches for 48 yards. 

…

The way I see them limiting Jefferson though has less to do with Slay or Josh Jobe or the unproven safeties. This, to me, comes down to the defensive line and what kind of pressure they can get on Kurt Cousins. Stats will tell you the Eagles D-line got pressure on Mac Jones last Sunday. But the eye test tells you otherwise. Individual battles weren’t won with the frequency needed when going against a patchwork offensive line. Stunts, the model of a 70-sack team a season ago, were rare. 

That has to change on Thursday. If we are hearing Josh Jobe’s name often, it won’t be due to praise, I believe. No, it is incumbent upon the likes of Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, and company to ensure that Cousins doesn’t have time to find Jobe and attack him. Cousins wants to avoid pressure as much as Danelo Calvacante wanted to stay away from jail. But the Eagles allow him to escape their grasp, otherwise, it could be an uncomfortable evening. 

Overreacting to One Week? - Eagles Week 2 Power Rankings Roundup

There is a rule I have when it comes to week 1 in the NFL. Try your best to not overreact to anything, whether it is positive or negative. Many teams have looked good in week 1 throughout NFL history, then struggled the rest of the year. Likewise, many teams have looked bad in week 1 but then bounced back. Last year the Bengals started the season 0-2, and then they finished 13-4 and made it to the AFC Championship game. The goal should usually be to survive, and make it to week 2, hopefully with a win. Which is what the Eagles did. It was ugly, but it was a win. 

And there is certainly a lot of teams that should be living by that going into week 2 this year. The Chiefs and Bengals had ugly week 1 losses. Does that mean they are not as good as we think they are? No. It just means they had a bad start. Are the Cowboys suddenly the best team in the league team just because they blew out the Giants? Also no.  

Take everything with a grain of salt. Your opinion of each team should not be changing wildly after just one game, especially the first game of the season. If your opinions are already different, clearly they were not very strong opinions to begin with.  

But of course, there are a lot of people in the National Media who do not follow that advice. In fact they will go into week 2 with wildly different opinions, and be hitting the panic button after just one loss, or be making Super Bowl plans for other teams who looked good. But how does that impact the Eagles? Are those writers hitting the panic button, or do they still think the Eagles are among the League’s best?  

Let’s see where the Eagles fell in the week 2 power rankings: 

  • ESPN- 2 (Previously 2)

    “The 2023 No. 9 overall pick was a disruptive force in the middle of the Eagles’ defense, tying for a team-high in pressures. He sacked Mac Jones on the Patriots’ final possession to help preserve the win for Philadelphia. With Javon Hargrave exiting in free agency, the Eagles needed their recent draft picks — Carter and Jordan Davis — to step up. So far, so good, with Davis registering a forced fumble and a half-sack of his own.” 

    Jalen Carter was a positive in an otherwise underwhelming game. The same goes for Jordan Davis. It looks like the Eagles could have a pretty dominant DT going forward, courtesy of the two guys from Georgia. Thank you Falcons for taking an RB you will get into a contract dispute with 5 from now years over Jalen Carter.  

    ESPN Power Rankings

  • NFL Network- 2 (Previously 3)

    “Despite benefitting from a few Patriots penalties, the Eagles’ offense at no point resembled the group we saw become an elite unit in 2022. Perhaps the rust was expected based on the opponent, location and lack of preseason reps for the first-team offense. A quick turnaround for Thursday’s game against the Vikings should reveal if these are chronic issues. ” 

    The NFL Network drops the Eagles and the Chiefs a single spot to make room for the Niners at the top. Kind of weird that the Chiefs lose, and look worse, yet stay above the Eagles. If you are going to overreact to a good Niners game, why not also put the Eagles over the Chiefs since they actually won?  

    NFL Network’s Power Rankings

  • Fox Sports -2- (Previously 2)

    “Never apologize for an NFL win, but we can admit this game got away from the Birds. Racing out to a 16-0 lead in the blink of an eye, only to hold on for dear life isn’t exactly the way you’d draw it up.” 

    Fox Sports did what the NFL Network didn’t, which is keeping the Eagles at 2, but swapping the Niners and Chiefs. Which feels like the fair thing to do. Fox Sports also went on to praise the Eagles’ young defenders, namely Davis and Carter, while also knocking the O-Line for Struggling in week 1. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the O-Line though, they have more than proven themselves over the years.  

    Fox Sports Power Rankings

  • The Athletic- 6 (Previously 2)

    “At least six of the eight general managers who passed on Jalen Carter in the first round of the NFL Draft got texts from their owners Monday morning, right? The rookie defensive tackle had more quarterback hurries (seven) than any player in the league Sunday, and he did it on just 32 pass-rush snaps. The Eagles won despite being outgained by 131 yards.” 

    I can see a case for the Niners, Cowboys, and Dolphins being ahead of them. It’s an overreaction to a single week, but they did look amazing and were also highly hyped coming into the season. Putting the Browns and Jaguars over them after one week is just silly though. If the Browns look bad in week 2, they will suddenly drop them outside the top 10 again. Because whoever is putting up these Power Rankings has the attention span of a squirrel. To be fair, the premise of their article is “Let’s Overreact” so they may realize how silly it is. 

    The Athletics Power Rankings 

  • Pro Football Talk- 3 (Previously 3) 

    “They need to worry about the 49ers. And the Cowboys.” 

    Thank you for the analysis, Mike Florio. Riveting stuff. You mean the Eagles have to worry about their biggest competition in the NFC? Who knew? But can you expect anything more from the guy who co-hosts a show with Phil Simms’ far less successful son?  

    PFT’s Power Rankings

  • USA Today- 2 (Previously 2)

    “The NFC champs broke in their new coordinators, running back by committee and some defensive alterations, and it showed in a slightly uneven performance – though no shame in winning in the rain and in Bill Belichick’s backyard.” 

    All fair. The Eagles will certainly need more from their new coordinators, and new RBs in week 2. There is no way Swift can get just two touches against the Vikings. And I suspect part of his lack of touches was to keep him fresh for the Vikings on a short week.

    USA Today’s Power Rankings

  • Yahoo Sports- 2 (Previously 2)

    “While Rashaad Penny was a healthy scratch and D’Andre Swift had two touches, Gainwell was practically an every-down back. It will be interesting to see if that split continues going forward. Also, defensive tackle Jalen Carter was unbelievable in his debut (and a lot of Bears fans are already angry that Chicago passed on the chance to take Carter to trade down with the Eagles).” 

    I don’t think Gainwell will get this much usage going forward. He may still be the guy with the most touches, but the difference in touches won’t be this crazy. Swift should see the field far more on Thursday night.  

    Yahoo Sports Power Rankings

     

  • Pro Football Network- 1 (Previously 2)

    “The Vikings defense the Eagles face in Week 2 should offer some clean looks for the Eagles’ talented corps of WRs. Meanwhile, it’s worthwhile to keep an eye on how things look over the middle of the Eagles defense at each level.”  

    PFN separated the 1-0 teams from the 0-1 teams, and the Eagles were ranked 1 among the 1-0 teams. I don’t know if they would have kept the Chiefs above them. Going into week 1 they had the Chiefs ranked 1 overall. But they did not penalize the Eagles for an ugly win, or the Chiefs for an ugly loss, still keeping them as the top two teams. 

    Pro Football Network’s Power Rankings

  • CBS- 2 (Previously 2)

    “It wasn’t pretty against the Patriots, especially on offense. That will change as they play more, starting Thursday against the Vikings.” 

    That should probably be the standard line for the Eagles after week 1. It was not pretty, but they survived. If they look bad again in weeks 2 and 3, then we can talk.  

    CBS Power Rankings 

     

  • 97.5 The Fanatic- 1 (Previously 1)

    “It was anything but pretty. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead behind two forced turnovers, but they narrowly escaped a stunning upset loss. Ultimately, they traveled to face one of the greatest head coaches in the history of the sport and left with a 1-0 record.” 

    Once again, The Fanatic is a source of sanity among some weird power rankings. Though to be honest, there were fewer overreactions than I assumed. It’s just one week. Yes, it was ugly, but lots of teams looked bad. It shouldn’t change what you think of the team yet.  

    97.5 The Fanatic’s Power Rankings

Bob Cooney has been a part of the Philadelphia sports scene for more years than he wants to admit after 25 years in print media, and now in his seventh year at The Fanatic. Throughout the years, he has covered all sports from the World Series, multiple Final Fours and Regional Finals in men’s college basketball, to the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club and the 76ers. He takes his sports media knowledge and background to a new level by joining a conversation with the passionate fans of this great city. He writes about the Sixers, Eagles, Flyers, and Phillies for the Fanatic.

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