Philadelphia Eagles Proving They're More Than Just Carson Wentz

As good as Philadelphia Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz has been at points this season, the defense has driven the team's success.

This became obvious when Philadelphia bested the 5-1 Minnesota Vikings, 21-10, at Lincoln Financial Field to improve to 4-2 on Sunday.

Previously, the story wrote itself: Team offers a king's ransom to acquire its franchise quarterback, said signal-caller is thrust into the starting lineup and exceeds all expectations as the squad wins its first three games.

No wonder everyone wanted to anoint Wentz the next great quarterback before he even had a chance to sample all of Philadelphia's wonderful cheesesteaks.

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However, this Rocky-esque script of underdogs hit a snag in recent weeks. The Eagles lost their next two contests by a combined score of 51-43 against the Detroit Lions and Washington Redskins.

Wentz threw his first interception against the Lions and completed only 50 percent of his passes against the rival Redskins.

Similarly, Philadelphia's offense didn't help the team's cause against the Vikings with only 239 yards. Meanwhile, the Eagles defense dominated. Coordinator Jim Schwartz's crew created four turnovers and sacked quarterback Sam Bradford six times.

"It was fun to watch our defense today," head coach Doug Pederson said after the contest, per the Eagles' Twitter feed. "That's the defense we expect to see every week moving forward."

The juxtaposition of the unit's previous performances compared to Sunday's shows how much Philadelphia's success hinges on its play. A week ago, Washington's offense amassed 493 yards, and the Eagles front didn't sack quarterback Kirk Cousins.

"We got no sacks in the game. That's not us," Schwartz said last week, per ESPN.com's Tim McManus. "We got to have pressure."

In identifying the problem, the defensive coordinator didn't just blame his players. He made adjustments to his approach that improved the unit's overall play.

CSN Philly's Reuben Frank noted the primary differences between the defense that showed up during the previous two weeks and the one that dominated Sunday's contest:

"

I know how much Jim Schwartz hates blitzing. It's just not in his nature. He wants the front four to get all the pressure, and the last two weeks, when that wasn't happening, he didn't dial up enough blitzes to make Matt Stafford and Kirk Cousins uncomfortable in the pocket. Sunday, he mixed in the perfect number of blitzes, bringing safeties Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins and linebackers Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham, and the blitzes did a terrific job keeping the Vikings’ front off-balance and keeping Bradford on his back.

"

The Eagles' defensive staff didn't just cross its fingers and hope its line would magically create pressure. Instead, Schwartz utilized multiple talented defenders at every level to rattle Bradford. As a result, three of the players Frank mentioned registered a sack.

Philadelphia's defensive line is outstanding. Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin can change the momentum of any game in an instant. Offenses game-plan to stop these three. However, those same offenses can't stop a well-timed blitz if they're concentrating on the Eagles front. All three create space for other defenders because opponents must account for them.

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Even so, the big boys up front got their licks. Graham and Barwin sacked Bradford.

Philadelphia's defensive performance was a complete effort. In the first quarter, the teams swapped punts before all hell broke loose when Minnesota and Philadelphia traded fumbles and interceptions.

"I've never seen anything like the first quarter we had," Jenkins said, per CSN Philly's Dave Zangaro.

This succession of errors set the tone for what became a successful Eagles second half. Philadelphia surrendered 149 yards through the third and fourth quarters. It wasn't a standalone strong performance from Schwartz's crew, though; it's a trend.

Philadelphia morphs into an immovable object during the second half. Frank detailed how successful the Eagles have been after halftime:

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane expanded on those numbers:

Those splits speak to the job Schwartz and his staff are doing, and the Eagles benefit greatly from the coaches' halftime adjustments.

Minnesota didn't score a touchdown until the final minute of Sunday's contest; otherwise, those previous numbers could have been even better. Then again, the Eagles made it difficult for head coach Mike Zimmer's squad to even sniff the red zone.

Prior to the Vikings' only touchdown, Bradford led his offense to the 6-yard line. On 4th-and-1 while trailing 18-3 with 13:28 remaining, Minnesota found out how stingy the Eagles' second-half defense can be. Philadelphia put up a strong stand against running back Matt Asiata, as the NFL's Twitter feed shows:

"You have to step up there," Eagles nose tackle Beau Allen said, per NJ.com's Mark Eckel. "Any time it's 4th-and-1, it's tough; you buckle up your chin strap and go to work. That's what being a defensive lineman is all about."

The Eagles came into Sunday's action with the sixth-ranked defense. They ranked fifth overall against the pass and 19th against the run. They improved in each category with Sunday's performance.

For Philadelphia to maintain its success, role players must play above expectations. McLeod and Bradham have done that so far. Both signed as free agents. Neither was a heralded signing, yet they've both helped fill the void along the second and third lines of defense and become tremendous complementary pieces.

McLeod tied for second on the team Sunday with seven total tackles and an interception.

"It's a formation we saw all week," McLeod said of the turnover, per Eckel. "... I saw it, and I said I know what's coming. Well, I said it in my head anyway. And there it was; he threw it right where I thought he would throw it."

Bradham also registered seven tackles. The linebacker added a sack, two more quarterback hits and a deflected pass.

With those two joining forces with the defensive line, Jordan Hicks and Malcolm Jenkins, the Eagles have playmakers at every level. As a result, Philadelphia is experiencing one of its best starts in 12 years, per Zangaro:

Of course, Wentz needs to play better (16-of-28, 138 yards, two interceptions, one touchdown). His recent downturn will affect the team's chances to succeed at some point. He's a rookie quarterback, though. These ups and downs should be expected. It falls on the rest of the squad to remain on an even keel and make up for any shortcomings.

The Eagles are fortunate to own a defense that will not only keep the team in games each week but also win them, too.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:@brentsobleski.