How Eagles Run Defense Has Become Major Bright Spot for Philadelphia

On Thanksgiving, the Philadelphia Eagles accomplished something almost no other team in the NFL has been able to in 2014. They contained Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, limiting the league’s leading rusher to season lows of 73 yards, 3.7 yards per carry and a long gain of nine on the ground.

Now the Eagles must attempt to do it all over again, this time against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and their No. 1-ranked rushing offense powered by Marshawn Lynch. Good thing Philadelphia defensive coordinator Bill Davis has his unit prepared.

As Davis pointed out during his news conference on Tuesday, Murray and Lynch are not so dissimilar from one another. Therefore, his defense should be up for a repeat performance, in quotes obtained from PhiladelphiaEagles.com: “Both those guys are big, look‑for‑contact guys. DeMarco Murray will put his shoulder down and run you over, too. So it's nice that we're facing those two big, downhill runners back to back. We know what it's about.”

It’s nice?

I can’t think of anything nice about trying to tackle Murray or Lynch, although the Eagles are nothing if not ready for the challenge. This might take some people by surprise, but Philadelphia has been in possession of one of the better run defenses in the NFL the past two seasons, allowing just two 100-yard rushers in the 29 regular-season and playoff games since Davis’ arrival.

In 2013, the unit ranked 10th in rushing yards per game (104.2) and fourth in yards per carry (3.8). This year has been more or less a continuation of that, with the Birds ranked 12th in yards per game (107.7) and seventh in yards per carry (3.9).

It’s been a major strength for a defense that has its share of flaws. Davis explained why that is, or at least where it all starts: up front:

"

I think it's a collective effort that starts with the D-line in the way that they put their hands on people. They strike with their hands. They've got a great understanding of controlling blocks and then shedding blocks.

So when that front wall is built properly, like ours has really been built properly most of the year, then the rest of the guys fit into place after that.

"

We don’t often talk about the defensive lineman in a 3-4 alignment, because they typically won’t post gaudy numbers and do thankless dirty work in the trenches. That being said, it’s about time people recognize the Eagles have one of the toughest fronts in the league—particularly for stuffing the run.

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Defensive ends Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton and nose tackle Bennie Logan form the wall Davis was talking about. Here’s a great look at the three of them working together in concert.

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It’s 1st-and-10 at the Dallas 20-yard line, and the Cowboys hand off to Murray left. The first thing we have is Cox holding up Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith, who’s trying to get out to the second level to get a hat on the linebacker. Left guard Ronald Leary is also leaning on Cox, so the defensive end is basically taking up two blocks in the area where the run is designed to go.

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Smith never really gets out of the backfield, and Cox is beating his man. Outside linebacker Trent Cole—formerly a defensive end—is also doing a nice job of setting the edge, making it impossible for Murray to bounce the run outside. There’s no room on the left. It’s a wall.

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Murray has to cut back to the middle, which is where the back encounters a new set of problems. Logan still hasn’t allowed center Travis Frederick to reach the second level, much less cross the line of scrimmage, even with impressive rookie right guard Zack Martin essentially double-teaming the nose tackle now.

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It’s another wall. The linebacker crashes down to help as Murray just tries to drive the pile forward, but that thing isn’t moving anywhere. Logan, a 2013 third-round draft pick, bulked up to 315 pounds in the offseason, and with Mychal Kendricks pushing in behind him, this play is going nowhere fast.

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Which brings us to the final aspect of this play: the finish.

Why did Murray try to move the pile with seemingly a sliver of a lane to his right? Because Thornton is working over veteran right tackle Doug Free in a one-on-one battle—you can clearly see the offensive lineman is back on his heels. Plus, outside linebacker Connor Barwin is coming to help fill the hole, while safety Malcolm Jenkins is unblocked, cutting off any notion of escaping out the back door.

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Thornton fights off his block and makes the diving tackle as Murray attempts to squirt through a little hole. The Cowboys gain four yards on the play, but overall, it’s a victory for the Eagles defense against this offense.

Normally, the defensive line sets the table for the linebackers to make the tackle, but Thornton finishes off this play himself, as he has done many times before. Last season, he ranked second only to soon-to-be two-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt in run-stop percentage among 3-4 ends, according to metrics site Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Meanwhile, Logan is proving to detractors that he is plenty big enough to play the nose. He's not the classic 350-pound space-eater people think of in the middle of those old-school 3-4 defenses, but he's not easy to move, either. Logan leaves something to be desired as a pass-rusher, but he is nothing less than stout against the run.

But this year, Cox has been by far Philadelphia’s best defensive lineman, and with his impressive showing in Dallas in front of a national-television audience, might’ve garnered a few extra Pro Bowl votes. The 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft is starting to blossom in Davis’ system, and it's making everybody’s job easier.

The best part is Thornton is the oldest of the three at 26 years of age, which means this trio could be together for a long time. That must be a depressing thought for the Cowboys, who finally have a devastating ground attack, yet were unable to assert their will against their top division rival.

Now if the Eagles can shut down Lynch the way they did Murray, they will not only have proven their dominance in the NFC East, but that this year’s squad is a legitimate championship contender.