Defense Becoming an Emerging Force for Philadelphia Eagles

It looked like the same old Philadelphia Eagles defense during the first half of the regular-season opener. The Atlanta Falcons racked up 15 first downs and 244 yards of total offense—including 203 through the air—en route to 20 points in the first and second quarters. Not good.

Ever since the Eagles defense emerged from the locker room for the second half in Atlanta, it's been a different unit. Over the past 10 quarters, opposing offenses combined to score three touchdowns and kick five field goals in 33 possessions against Philadelphia. That comes out to 36 points.

In other words, the Eagles defense has been phenomenal. Taking that a step further, it was the only reason the team was even in the first two games of the season, both losses, much less held on to beat the New York Jets in Week 3.

Dare we say defense, not offense, is the strength of the Eagles for the first time in Chip Kelly's three-year tenure as head coach?

But wait, there's more.

Philadelphia is No. 1 in the NFL against the run in terms of yards per carry, limiting ball-carriers to a 3.1 average—although that's nothing. The Eagles stout run defense, anchored by defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton, held opponents to under 3.8 per rush over the previous two seasons.

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Pass coverage is where the unit has made its biggest strides, keeping quarterbacks largely in check at a stingy 6.7 yards per pass attempt, which is tied for eighth in the league. Take the first half against the Falcons out of the equation, and that figure dips to 5.9 per throw over the last 10 quarters. Thank both a ferocious pass rush and a rebuilt secondary featuring three new starters for the improvements there.

And the combination of stuffing the run and not giving up anything easy through the air has led to a more opportunistic defense overall. The Eagles are tied for third with eight takeaways—three fumbles and five interceptions.

That's the most dangerous kind of defense of all—the one that not only take points away from opponents but also creates scoring opportunities for its offense.

With Philly's offense still sputtering, that could prove vital. The Eagles have struggled to run the ball, struggled to push it downfield, struggled to do much of anything with their possessions during the early going of this season.

Worse still, it appears that trend might be poised to continue. The offense has run hot-and-cold in contests against the Falcons and Jets, or not at all versus the Dallas Cowboys.

The defense, at least, appears poised to continue dominating. The front seven is what we expected in terms of stopping the run and rushing the passer. The secondary has vastly improved and is seemingly getting better every week with more continuity.

Right this moment, defense is without a doubt not only the strength of the Eagles but a force capable of taking over and possibly even winning games.