Eagles Aren’t Just Better Than Other Teams, They Are Tougher

They say the toughest steel is forged in the hottest fire. That is not just advice on how to be a blacksmith, it is a metaphor for how adversity makes you stronger. Well, the Eagles have been through plenty of adversity. After nearly everything went right for them in 2022, until they lost in the Super Bowl, 2023 was a massive struggle.

It was one of the worst collapses we have ever seen. They started the season 10-1, but then lost 6 of the next 7 games, including a blowout loss in the playoffs. The summer was full of stories about how strained the relationships between people on the team were. Nick Sirianni nearly lost his job. They brought in two new coordinators and took away play design duties from Nick.

How did the Eagles respond? How did they respond to the early issues this year? How did they respond to the recent drama? They became stronger.

What we are seeing is a team that is tougher. Not just physically, though that is also true, see the performance of both sides of the line if you need proof. But this is a team that has overcome the adversity they went through in the last 1.5 years and came back stronger for it.

This is a very talented team. But we learned this week vs the Steelers how tough they are. That whole drama caused by the comments from AJ Brown and later Brandon Graham could derail another talented team. We saw the Eagles fold at the first sign of adversity in 2023. But when adversity showed its ugly face this season, they proved just how far they have come.

They responded with arguably their most impressive win this season. They went up against a very good Steelers team, and an elite defense, and made them look pedestrian.

Related: 6 Impressive Numbers From Eagles Big Win Over The Steelers

"This team had two big moments this season that could cripple a squad. They had a ton of injuries going into the bye. They're 2-2. People are panicking. It's going to be like last year. You saw what happened when nine in a row.

Then they get another situation where AJ Brown comes out. He's unhappy. But because they're tougher and built for it, what do they do? They come out with a tremendous performance against the Steelers.

We've seen how dominant they are on the line of scrimmage. But also I think they're tougher off the field to some other team because of the adversity that they've gone through and have overcome that adversity. I've got to give credit to Nick Sirianni. I've got to give credit to Lane Johnson. And of course, you have to give credit to your quarterback.

In addition to the talent, because we know they have excellent talent. Could they just go out there and beat these other teams the rest of the way added to the playoffs just because they're tougher than them? It seems to me like nothing can derail this team because of how mentally tough they are."

Obviously, last year was tough. No one can deny that. But it has made the team we now see today tougher. Going through that is why they were able to overcome adversity this year. And it is why no matter what obstacle stands in their way this year, you should have faith they can face it down.

Last week was not easy for the Eagles. Between struggling to beat the Panthers, and then the drama that ensued based of what AJ Brown and Brandon Graham said, it was the most adversity this team has faced all season.

We saw them implode last year when they faced adversity. So how they responded this year was important. Well, what we learned was this is not last year's team. For one they are much more talented and better coached. We already knew that based on everything we saw this year. However, how they responded to the drama from last week showed us that they are also mentally tougher than they were last year.

Champions are born from adversity. Every team faces it at some point. It can make you stronger if you let it, and it seems it made this Eagles team stronger.

The Steelers are very good. They are 10-4, 1st in the AFC North, and 3rd in the AFC overall. They did not have George Pickens, but it is their defense that has been their strength. They are 1 of only 6 teams who give up under 20 points per game. The Eagles put 27 up on them and left 3 more points on the field in that final drive. They easily could have scored 30, or even 34, if they wanted to, but they opted to bleed the clock instead.

Related: Eagles Silence Their Critics In Impressive Win Over Steelers

The Passing Game was the lone question left about this team. The passing game looked as good as it has since 2022 on Sunday. Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season, and both AJ Brown and Devonta Smith showed why they are star WRS.

But just how impressive was the win? How great could the Eagles be? let's take a deeper dive into the numbers from this game.

For me, the most impressive part of the win was the 10-and-a-half-minute drive at the end of the game. The Steelers punted it away with 10:40 left on the clock. when the Eagles offense came onto the field, there was 10:29 left to go. They never gave the Steelers the ball back. They ran 21 plays, including 3 QB kneels, and bleed out the remainder of the 4th quarter, to hold onto the 14-point lead.

But honestly, it gets even more impressive. Because they controlled the clock in the 2nd half for 24 minutes and 10 seconds in the 2nd half. The Steelers only had the ball twice for the entire half. They fumbled, and then they punted. The Eagles opened the half with a 13-play drive that lasted 7:08, eventually settling for a FG. The next time they had the ball they took 13 plays and 6:33 to score a TD. After that, they had that never-ending drive.

The ability to control the clock is vitally important. The Eagles are better at it than anyone. We have seen the Lions like to run up the score. But the Eagles don't need to do that. They would rather just protect their players, bleed the clock, and end it.

The punt by the Steelers was clearly a mistake. But it took the great play of the Eagles' offense to make them pay for that mistake.

How great the passing offense looked caused the defense to go under the radar a bit. But the Eagles defense was dominant. Obviously allowed just 13 points, even though they started 3 drives in Philadelphia territory. But more than that, they allowed only 2 drives all game to go for more than 30 yards. Only 1 went for more than 40. There was the TD in the 2nd Quarter where they drove 70 yards, and then there was their first drive of the 2nd half where they eventually fumbled.

They kicked two FGs, and both came on drives where they started either in FG range or within 10 yards of FG range. They held them to 163 yards total on 9 drives. That is 18 yards per drive.

It comes with the caveat that they were without George Pickens.  But given how well the defense has played this year, I can't put too much stock into that excuse. This is the 8th team they held under 20 points. The Jags only got to 20 points because of a bogus fumble return for a TD. The Rams only got there because of a garbage-time TD. The defense has been near perfect since the bye week.

Jalen Hurts had his best game of the season. 25 for 32, 290 yards, and 2 TDs. He was on the money all game long. He faced a ton of scrutiny after his bad game vs the Panthers. He did throw two Red Zone TDs in that game, but anyone who watched it will tell you it was not a good game by Hurts. But this week he was perfect. outside of a fumble where he was trying to fight for a 1st down, and TJ Watt made a great play, he was flawless. His QB rating was 125.3.

What makes it even more impressive is who they did it against. The Steelers have shut opposing QBs down all year. They came into the game allowing a passer rating of just 79.9. It was the 2nd lowest average QB Rating in the league. Lamar Jackson had a QB rating of 66.1 against them. They had given very good qbs fits this season. Hurts had no issue at all with them and went on to have his best game this season.

Jalen Hurts summed it up perfectly after the game when the spoke to Erin Andrews.

This is a negative stat, but I promise it is to make a positive point. We had asked all year what the Eagles do if someone took away the run game. The Steelers did that. They were stacking the box, and Saquon never got going. He averaged just 3.4 yards per carry. Him battling a minor injury certainly didn't help, but he was not the explosive force he usually is.

And yet, the Eagles still gained over 400 yards, and put up 27 points, against one of the best defenses in the league. Consider that question answered. If someone does sell out to stop the run, the passing game will pick you apart. They have not needed to do that, because the run game was working so well. But the 1st week in a while where they did need to do it, they did it with no problem.

You are picking your poison. Want to keep your safeties back to stop the pass? Saquon and its O-Line will bully you? Do you want to bring them up to stop Saquon? Good luck stopping AJ Brown and Devonta Smith.

Special shoutout to Nolan Smith. Coming into this year, he was not living up to the hype that came with him being a 1st round pick. He was ineffective as a rookie. Even in the preseason, he was not exactly flashing big-time talent. The start of the season was slow. But something has clicked, and he had his best game yet vs the Steelers.

A Sack, 2 pass deflections, and 5 pressures. He is up to 24 pressures and 5.5 sacks on the season. He also added a stop in the run game. Almost all of this production has come since the bye week. I am not sure what he did in that time off, but it worked. He went from being an afterthought to being a star coming off the EDGE.

The Eagles are very close to sealing the NFC East, and at least the 2 seed. This week they guaranteed they will have a better seed then the winner of the NFC West or South. The only thing left to do is seal their spot over the Commanders, and it will guarantee they have the 2 seed at worst.

To do that, all they need is 1 more win or 1 more Commander's loss. They play the Commanders this weekend, so a win would really seal the deal. But even if they lose this week, beating either the Cowboys or Giants at home, or the Commanders losing to the Falcons or Cowboys, would seal the deal for the Eagles.

Getting the 1 seed is a bit tougher. They will need to win out, and they will need both the Lions and the Vikings to lose. The Lions get the Bears, Niners, and the Vikings. The Vikings have the Bears, the Seahawks, the Packers, and The Lions. So 1 of them is guaranteed a loss, barring a tie. But they will need the team that goes on to win that game, to lose before the Final Week. It is possible though, mostly because the Eagles continue to handle their own business.