Trent Cole helped power the Eagles defense, forcing a fumble and recording two sacks in the Eagles 24-21 win over the Cardinals. Photo Courtesy of ESPN.com
With Nick Foles taking home NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, it was easy for other strong points in a no-loss November to be overshadowed. One such area is the Philadelphia Eagles defense.
It is honestly difficult to pick out one clear cut MVP on defense. Several players are contributing multiple times a game. It was evident to see how in the Eagles most recent victory, a 24-21 nail-biter against the Arizona Cardinals.
Throughout the whole season, the Eagles best defensive player may be linebacker DeMeco Ryans. Ryans led the Eagles on Sunday with nine tackles, including eight solo tackles. He leads the team with 105 tackles and 84 solo tackles.
Even though he’s the subject of scrutiny, Nate Allen has played well as of late. He’s third on the team in tackles with 71 and came up with a crucial interception against the Cardinals.
In the secondary, perhaps the best player of the season has been Brandon Boykin. The second-year cornerback has four interceptions this season, most on the team. Boykin has also forced two fumbles and deflected 15 passes. For a player who wasn’t really on the radar at the start of the season, that’s impressive.
Joining Ryans in the linebacker group is Connor Barwin. Barwin has had several monstrous games this season, posting four sacks and adding 46 tackles, 10 deflected passes, a forced fumble and an interception.
At the line, Fletcher Cox has helped put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. He has three sacks and 28 tackles.
The list of players with incredible defensive games is long. The moments have stacked up throughout the season. Ryans, Allen, Boykin, Barwin, Cox, Vinny Curry, Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher, even Najee Goode.
On Sunday, Trent Cole joined the group.
Cole started things off with a forced fumble that was recovered by Bennie Logan. That was the first of three Cardinals turnovers on the day. Cole also added a second sack and deflected a pass. The numbers look minimal, but Cole has been improving. The two sacks on Sunday vaulted him to the team lead with five.
The Eagles defense, on paper, isn’t the sharpest. They are 31st in the NFL in team defense, allowing 412.2 yards per game. However, they are 16th in the league in points allowed per game.
Since allowing 52 points to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, the Eagles have allowed an average of 17.9 points per game. As a defense, they have allowed an average of 395 yards per game during an eight-game stretch, going 6-2.
One of those games, a 49-20 rout of the Oakland Raiders, account for 560 total yards allowed. Take that game away from the defense’s numbers and the average of the other seven games since Week 4 is 371.4 yards per game.
The most important thing for the Eagles so far is the timely defensive plays. They had to play the final 25 minutes of the game without the benefit of a score from the offense.
The Eagles final points drive came with 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The offense ran just 16 plays following that score. The Cardinals scored twice on their final six drives of the game, running a total of 33 plays. On the four non-scoring drives, they ran just 15, one being a failed fourth-down and another being an interception.
It is not the amount of plays the Eagles defense is making. It is the timeliness of the plays.
In a game where the Eagles offense was in danger of failing to put the dagger to an opponent, the defense stayed on point at the right time. Even with two scoring drives, the Eagles had their continuous opportunities to further the scoring with five more possessions. They punted all five times.
As the season moves forward, and the battle for the NFC East rages on, the defense will be put to the test even more. After facing Larry Fitzgerald, the Eagles secondary gets to deal with Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions. The Lions possess the NFL’s second-best offense.
With three games remaining after that, the next test for the Eagles will be against the Chicago Bears. The Bears also have a strong offense, sitting eighth in the NFL. Their passing offense, averaging 271.6 yards per game, ranks sixth in the NFL.
The tests are certainly ahead and the Eagles will prove themselves as a team. Perhaps the place they need to prove themselves, of all places is on offense. The defense has held their end of the bargain for several weeks already.
Kevin Durso is a contributor for Eagledelphia. Look for his Monday Review the morning after every Eagles game. Follow him on twitter @KDursoPhilsNet.
