Suh, Joseph add depth to defensive line

PHILADELPHIA >> In back-to-back weeks the Eagles had been giving away rushing yardage as seamlessly as the Salvation Army hands out free turkeys on this Thanksgiving holiday.

Enter Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh, who won’t be home for the holidays this week. By the end of the first quarter Sunday, they helped the Eagles and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon reinvent themselves.

The run defense gashed for 168 and 152 rushing yards in its previous two starts gave up just 49 yards over the last three quarters, and it was the difference in a 17-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

That bump up in testosterone was largely due to the play of the rebuilt defensive line and the immediate contributions of the 34-year-old Joseph at nose tackle, and Suh, 35, right next to him at tackle although he was listed in the box score as a defensive end.

“We thought the entire defensive line played really well,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Obviously those two guys played really well. It felt like all the plays that we felt were splash plays, play-of-thegame type caliber plays had something to do with the defensive line. Suh and Linval both played really outstanding games and it was great to get them going.”

The snap totals for Joseph and Suh figure to grow as the season rolls on and they get into game shape. That will be at the expense of others.

Gannon and his staff will take a hard look at the playing time and the player production in the win over the Colts. Here are the numbers:

Fletcher Cox: The veteran

played 48 snaps, down from 70 last week but still tops among the defensive linemen, as it was 74 percent of the total defensive snaps. Cox had just two tackles. He hasn’t had a sack in seven straight games. Keep an eye on his numbers this week when the Eagles oppose the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers at the Linc.

Javon Hargrave: Hargrave played 47 snaps, 72 percent of the total, and registered one tackle and one hurry. With 7.0 sacks, the Eagles need to find a way to make better use of his skills set.

Joseph: The 335-pound vet played 26 snaps, 40 percent of the total and contributed four tackles, 1/2 sack and one hurry. In the second quarter he was taking on double teams and waiting for running back Jonathan Taylor, who tested him and lost or reversed field. Hard to remember the last

time the Eagles had a defensive tackle so skillful at reading blocks and knowing downs-and-distances as adeptly as him.

Suh: The nasty guy played 17 snaps, 26 percent of the total and contributed three tackles, 1/2 sack and one hurry. He played like he was 25 with an attitude. Looks like an outstanding pickup. Guaranteed Rodgers (A-Rod as Gannon calls him) will have his head on a swivel. Suh got suspended for stepping on Rodgers back in the day.

Josh Sweat: Sweat played 36 snaps, 55 percent of the total defensive snaps and contributed three tackles and one hurry. He’s the best Eagles edge rusher, and you’ll see more of him against the Packers.

Brandon Graham: BG looked spry playing 29 snaps, 45 percent of the total defensive snaps. His drop of Matt Ryan in the final

minute Sunday all but sealed the win. Graham had three tackles, one sack, one TFL and one hurry.

Milton Williams: A huge day for Milton, who with 18 snaps (28 percent of the plays) collected four tackles, one sack, two TFLs and one hurry. He’d been having a soso season before the game.

Robert Quinn: The Eagles still haven’t found the right role for Quinn, the 32-year-old pass rusher who in 10 snaps (15 percent) didn’t show up on the game day defensive stat sheet.

Gannon doesn’t want to impact the chemistry the line found in Indianapolis.

But clearly the roles are going to change. Gannon said the “versatility and flexibility of Fletch, Hargrave and Milton” was key in enabling Suh and Joseph to jump right into the thick of it.

“The whole front played extremely well,” Gannon said. “They really controlled the line of scrimmage. When the D-line controls the line of scrimmage, you’re probably going to play pretty good run defense. Shout out to those guys.”

Last year Joseph played 58 percent of the snaps starting 12 of 14 games for the Los Angeles Chargers.

Suh played 63 percent of the snaps starting all 17 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Suh and Joseph told Gannon “Whatever you need us to do to help our team win, that’s what we’ll do.

“So, their roles will change just like everyone weekly,” Gannon said. “Depending on the game plan, who’s active, who’s not, all that stuff. I think both want to play a little bit more. It’s always good to have as many guys as we can have up, and fresh and hunting.”

Compared to the previous two weeks, it’s a nice problem to have.