The Eagles defense faces a unique challenge in Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning Sunday.
It's a tall order, but the Philadelphia Eagles defense certainly knows who is lining up against them on Sunday afternoon in Denver and are gearing up for a showdown with one of the game's greats.
With Peyton Manning under center for the Denver Broncos the challenges presented in this matchup certainly are unique. Both Trent Cole and Cary Williams who have faced off against the league's leading passer in recent years both mentioned instances Tuesday where Manning looked at their eyes or their feet and was able to recognize their blitz package enough to audible out of his designed play and attack them head on.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to go out and shock the world. It’s a great opportunity," Williams said. "I don’t see it as as, ‘Aw, damn, we got them on the schedule.’ I see it as, ‘Damn, we got them on the schedule, let’s make it happen.’ It’s a wonderful opportunity.”
Defending Manning entails finding the right mix of blitzes and stunts and being able to outfox a quarterback who constantly is scheming to counteract a defense's attack throughout the course of a game.
"The key to beating Peyton is executing your techniques within your scheme," defensive coordinator Bill Davis Jr told reporters Wednesday. "He's seen it all, but if you execute your game plan and get some turnovers, you can win."
While the Eagles defense certainly showed that it took some baby steps towards improvement in Thursday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, they will need to be flawless against Manning on Sunday. Davis explained Wednesday that his defense is simply too inconsistent right now to be considered a good unit.
Connor Barwin faced Manning last season as a member of the Houston Texans and will draw on his experience Sunday.
“It’s about what you do. Some guys you play, you make some mistakes, some quarterbacks don’t find it. This guy, you make a mistake he’ll find it. So it’s important you do what you do real well.”
Safety Patrick Chung missed practice for the second day in a row Wednesday which could exasperate the Eagles matchup woes against Manning if rookie Earl Wolff is thrust into a starting role and becomes a fequent target in his first career start.
Matt Lombardo is the Editor-In-Chief of Eagledelphia and also an on-air personality on 97.5 FM The Fanatic in Philadelphia. Join the conversation and follow Matt on Twitter.
