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Eagles Defense Pitches First Shutout Since 2018
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Eagles 31, Raiders 0. Could have been 38-0 if Tank Bigsby found the end zone on fourth and goal, but we’ll have to settle for what we got, which was the first donut the Birds’ defense has posted since December of 2018.
Back then, they clubbed the team formerly known as the Redskins 24-0 with a box score looking like this:
Fletcher Cox had three sacks, Michael Bennett (!) two tackles for loss, Brandon Graham two TFL and a batted pass and Rasul Douglas with a pick. It capped off a three-game win streak to finish the season and the Eagles went into the playoffs at 9-7 as the six seed, which led us to the double-doink before Alshon dropped it.
This time around, they once again got a backup QB in Kenny Pickett and once again gave that QB nightmares. Pickett and his small hands finished 15 for 25 for 64 yards and an interception. That’s a 47.9 quarterback rating. Ashton Jeanty ran the ball nine times for 35 yards as the Birds outgained Las Vegas 387 to 75.
Since the bye, the Eagles defense is allowing just about two touchdowns per game on average. They held Green Bay and Detroit to 7 and 9 points, respectively, then allowed 24, 24, and 22 to Dallas, Chicago, and LA, and the run defense against the Bears was the only thing truly concerning. The Birds’ offense fell apart in Jerry World and the Chargers game was a field goal battle that went to OT. The Eagles defense has been truly elite in 5 of the 6 games since the break.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com