Connor Barwin Providing the Spark Eagles Pass Rush Has Been Missing

The Philadelphia Eagles defense needed a spark this season if they wanted to repeat as champions of the NFC East.

Edge-rusher Connor Barwin has been that spark.

Barwin's dominant 2014 season hit an all-time high during the team's 45-21 shelling of the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football. The six-year veteran exploded, racking up eight total tackles, four quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks.

He was everywhere.

Barwin's gift of rushing the passer was on full display, but he also had his moments in coverage. The biggest moment we saw came on a 4th-and-1 play with 4:25 to go in the second quarter.

On that particular play, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton snapped the ball and immediately saw that wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery was left in one-on-one coverage against Barwin. Coaches and fans alike will tell you, seeing a wide receiver being covered by a linebacker is usually a prescription for calamity.

Without holding back, Newton lofted the ball up to Cotchery near the sideline, but to his surprise, Barwin positioned himself properly and forced the Panthers pass-catcher toward the boundary. The ball fluttered and wound up being ruled incomplete and it was all thanks to his marvelous effort.

Pro Football Focus' Mike Clay mentioned the play on Twitter:

What we saw in Philadelphia against the Panthers was something we've seen all year from the linebacker. Through 10 weeks of the NFL season, Barwin has totaled a commanding 10.5 sacks.

CSN Philly Eagles Insider Geoff Mosher tweeted how significant a number that actually is for this franchise:

When you have a guy who can get after quarterbacks that consistently, it changes the whole complexion of a defense.

Looking back now, you may not recall that Barwin came over during year one of the Chip Kelly era. The deal he signed was worth $36 million, with a chance to hit the $40 million mark, over six years.

In that inaugural campaign he finished the year with just five sacks and struggled to impress the advanced metrics crowd. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) designated him as the 28th-most effective 3-4 linebacker in the league.

Already he's more than doubled that sack total, and in the process has looked like a completely different player—a player the Eagles desperately needed.

Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News spoke with Barwin after the team's 27-0 victory over the New York Giants a few weeks back, and together, they discussed how he's become this transformative talent. As any humble player would, Barwin gives all of the credit to the entire Eagles defense and how they've played as a unit is the main reason why his numbers have been inflated.

His head coach on the other hand didn't shy away from the question. Instead, he sang Barwin's praises to Bowen in a very Chip Kelly-like manner:

"

He has an understanding of who he's going against, and he spends a lot of time in his preparation, in terms of what he's trying to get accomplished against certain individual players . . . He's also a very good athlete, so he can have more than one maneuver. Some guys are limited because of their athletic ability, that they only can kind of have one go-to move. If it stops, they can't counter off of it. I think he's developed his repertoire and he's really worked at it, and he's relentless.

"

Whatever the case may be, having him work at a Pro Bowl-caliber level is crucial for the Birds. Offenses now have to account for him on every snap, which by design frees up guys like Trent Cole, Mychal Kendricks and Brandon Graham to go out and demolish pockets.

Elsa/Getty Images

Against the Panthers, that theory came to light as Cole, Graham and Kendricks each sacked Newton—Graham was officially credited with 1.5 sacks on the night.

The Eagles are now 7-2 with seven games left on their schedule. Among those games, the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys—twice—and the Seattle Seahawks are all on the docket.

Can they repeat as division champs? Absolutely. The talent and coaching is there for a deep playoff run. But the only way that happens is if Barwin continues to be disruptive and guide this defense.

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.