Lack of pass rush putting defense in state of disgrace
PHILADELPHIA >> The Eagles’ pass rush isn’t as bad as it looks. But it’s been pathetic the first two weeks compared to the old standard.
Safety Andrew Sendejo, of all people, is tied with defensive tackle Tim Jernigan for the team lead with one sack. Sendejo got there on a blitz.
Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Derrick Barnett, who are the core pass rushers for the Eagles, have been shut out.
How bad is the pass rush for the Eagles? Only the Denver Broncos, who are looking for their first sack, have dropped the quarterback fewer times this season than the Eagles. Opponents have thrown more passes against the Eagles than any team in football, save the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Eagles are 8-1 while allowing fewer than 200 yards passing since the start of the 2017 season. They’re getting gashed for an average of 295.5 yards passing since the start of last season, the most allowed in the NFL.
Case Keenum and Matt Ryan torched the Eagles for 380 and 320 passing yards, respectively, in consecutive games.
The Eagles’ pass rush has fallen off the grid. Last season the defense registered multiple sacks in 16 of 18 games, including the postseason. This season marks the first time they’ve gone two games without multiple sacks since the NFC title game and Super Bowl LII.
“We don’t like when we don’t have sacks but we like winning, too,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “If we win and we don’t get them we just keep on fighting. If we lose and we don’t get them it’s magnified even more. So, we just keep on fighting. We’ve got to get there.”
With Matthew Stafford and the Lions coming to town this weekend, it would be a good time to get there. He’s much more accurate and immensely more dangerous than Keenum or Ryan.
The pass rush wasn’t a game old this season when defensive tackle Malik Jackson exited with a foot injury. Jernigan went down last week.
“The pressure’s there,” Graham said. “But it’s just when you’ve got (quarterbacks) getting it out there’s nothing you can do. We look on the board and see how many hits we have but they’re not sacks. They’re not changing the field. So, we’ve got to make sure we get them on the ground and not get the ball to the receivers.
“We love sacks. We want them. We’re going to do everything we can to get them to help us win. But right now, all we can do is practice and keep working hard.”
••• NOTES >> Running back Corey Clement (shoulder), wide receivers Jeffery (calf) and DeSean Jackson (abdomen), safety Johnathan Cyprien (knee), tight end Dallas Goedert (calf), Jernigan (foot) and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (back) all missed the Thursday practice. Limited was linebacker Kamu GrugierHill (knee) and Rudy Ford (hamstring) . ... The Eagles are allowing 25.5 points per game, eighth-most in the league. The Lions give up 18.5 points, tied for 10th. … Halapoulivaati Vaitai leads the Eagles with four penalties, three holds and an illegal formation.