Eagles Defense Proves They Can Beat Any Team In Any Building

The Eagles defense is used to this by now. Most of the season has been the same story. The offense either takes off in the first half or the second half, and the defense has to do all the heavy lifting. That was certainly the case again today. The Eagles escaped Buffalo by the skin of their teeth with another win, thanks almost exclusively to the defense.

They held the Bills to zero points for nearly 50 in game minutes. Eventually the dam broke, and the Bills broke through with two late TDs. But even while giving up those TDs, the defense still stepped up. Jalen Carter blocked the PAT after the first attempt. And then when the Bills went for the win after the second TD, the defense got the stop on the 2pt conversion to hold onto the lead.

The Eagles' D-Line controlled large portions of these games. 5 total sacks, including 2 by Jalyx Hunt, and 1 each by Moro Ojomo, Jaelan Phillips, and Jalen Carter. Even outside of those sacks, it felt like they were pressuring Josh Allen constantly.

Meanwhile the run defense mostly contained a Bills rushing attack that closely resembles the Eagles run game from last year. James Cook averages 5.3 yards per carry, 102.1 per game, and leads the league in rushing yards. Today he gained just 74 yards on 20 carries, good for 3.7 per carry.

This is nothing new for them. They have played 7 games vs teams in the top 15 for points per game. They have given up on average 19 points per game to those teams. The Bills came into this game averging the 3rd most points per game in the NFL (28.9). The Eagles held them to 12. They held the Lions, who also average 28.9 points per game, to 9 points. They held the Packers (23.9) to 7 points. The Packers and Bills games came on the road.

This defense has proven time and time again that they can go into any building, play any team, and come out on top. even when the offense completely flounders. The Eagles had one 1st down and just 17 yards in the second half. They were as bad as you can be without turning the ball over. Every time the defense got a stop, the offense handed it right back. And the defense still held on. They even got a huge stop at the goal line on 4th down.

The Eagles have played 16 games. At this point the issues with the offense are what they are. It is hard to expect things to magically fix themselves and ofr this offense to turn into the machine it was last season. But likewise, this Eagles defense are who they are. And who they are is one of the most elite units in the NFL.

We say they can't keep winning like this... well, it has worked so far. They just beat a team that they might see if they make it back to the Super Bowl. They beat the Packers like this, a team they are very likely to see on the path to the Super Bowl. The Rams are the favorites in the NFC, and the Eagles beat them.

This is a flawed team. But there is one thing they do better than anyone. Play defense. If the defense plays like this, the Eagles can win it all. It might never be pretty. Eagles fans might sweat out every game. The collective blood pressures in the Philadelphia area will probably spike. But we learned today that, warts and all, this Eagles team can beat anyone. And this defense is the reason they can beat anyone.