Century Club

PHILADELPHIA — According to Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean, the defense was well aware of the shutout manifesting Sunday afternoon against a hapless Raiders team.

But the conversation on the sideline shifted to an even loftier goal of holding the Raiders to under 100 total yards. DeJean credited safety Marcus Epps for first mentioning how Vic Fangio’s unit could further raise the bar.

All told, the Eagles limited the Raiders to an astounding 75 total net yards, effectively eliminating both the air and ground avenues early enough in the contest to conceivably foresee the eventual outcome.

For the historians, the Raiders’ meager offensive output qualifies as the lowest total allowed by an Eagles defense since 1955, when the Eagles conceded 49 yards to the Chicago Cardinals.

Postgame responses from unit leaders conveyed a standard they set for themselves. There were no traces of wavering on the heels of a gut-wrenching West Coast loss, nor was there a sense of pressure lifted. They’ve been there before, battering teams to smithereens and taking control of games at their best.

DeJean said that’s how Sunday’s game “should have looked.” Defensive tackle Jordan Davis said the Eagles did what they were “supposed to do.” This was hardly a group basking in the glow or reveling the fruits of their labor, but rather adopting their typical business-as-usual approach.

Fangio’s bunch hadn’t before checked off rarified boxes like they did Sunday, per se, but there have been plenty of moments of dominance leading up.

DeJean identified a correlation to this success.

“Stopping the run,” he said. “It always starts with stopping the run. I think you stop them in the run game, and then you put them in predictable situations, and we’re able to use our coverages to match routes the way we do. I think it helps those guys up front who are getting after the quarterback, when we do force them to pass it, it makes it easier on us on the backend only having to cover for two, three seconds.

“They’re already back there. Just everybody working together is the biggest thing, when we’re able to do what we do in the run game – and those guys up front stopping the run – and then the way we match routes in the backend, I think we’re a pretty tough defense to beat when we do that.”

Eagles defenders Brandon Graham (55), Nolan Smith (3) and Jaelan Phillips celebrate a sack Sunday.

While the Eagles on Sunday struck a perfect balance and played complementary football against a two-win Raiders team, it’s been the performance of the defense that’s often pried the team from the jaws of defeat at numerous points this season. The defense plays with an obvious edge, pairing a fundamentally sound structure with a team-first mentality.

Case in point: Brandon Graham, who reunited with the Eagles midseason following a brief retirement stint. Graham, 37, has been tasked with moonlighting inside in light of the week-to-week absence of star defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who’s mending from a shoulders procedure.

A pass-rusher by trade, Graham answered the bell when the team needed him most and began honing in on the specific techniques and details required to yield success repping from the interior. He received an encouraging endorsement from Fangio last week after logging 30 snaps against the Chargers.

Said the veteran defensive coordinator: “BG is the ultimate pro. He’s got strength. He knows how to play blocks. I think he’ll be better this week moving forward.”

Fangio’s words, of course, rang true Sunday, with Graham collecting a pair of sacks of quarterback Kenny Pickett, bringing his career total to 78.5.

While embracing his new role, Graham also noted a specific difference when it comes to kicking inside.

“It’s quicker,” he said. “It gets on you quicker. You gotta make your moves faster, but it’s something that I’m used to. I’m thankful to come in and help whenever I can. Can’t wait to see J.C. when he gets back, but him and Jordan together, man – you see how Jordan’s playing, you see how B.Y.’s playing. Even the edges, everybody is contributing. Nolan [Smith] went out there and got him one. I just think if we keep playing together, the sky is the limit for us.”

Graham was part of a stingy Eagles front that held first-round running back Ashton Jeanty to under 40 yards and below a four-yard average, delivering standout performances across the board, from Moro Ojomo to Davis to Young. The edge rushers, Jaelan Phillips,  Smith and Jalyx Hunt were swarming and disruptive.

Phillips, by the way, has affected key plays in consecutive weeks without getting home. On Sunday, he tallied a batted pass on an early fourth-down attempt. Against the Chargers, Phillips made contact with the arm of quarterback Justin Herbert to aid an Adoree’ Jackson interception.

The second level, headed by Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, thrive attacking downhill and cover a ton of ground, while the backend coverage matches routes and tackles efficiently in space.

When the defense is at its best and working in concert, it suffocates teams. The Eagles force opponents weekly to make a choice – deciding whether or not they’re built to engage in a 60-minute slugfest without wilting.

But perhaps its greatest strength that no one is surprised by the outcome because of the standard. And when they play their game, their best is exceptional enough to take the Eagles far.

“A goose egg is always great,” Dean said. “Not letting them score, holding them to under 100 yards, that’s our style of football. As long as we playing to our standard, which I feel like we did today, on the defensive side of the ball, we gonna be happy with that.”

The tone-setter and heartbeat of the defense is Dean, whose insertion into the lineup since returning from injury has armed the defense with additional physicality and swagger. The vision, the mentality of what shapes the unit is through his perspective.

At every turn, injuries included, Dean has remained an uplifting and steadying voice, one that resonates with teammates. When in search of knowledge, or big-picture offerings regarding the defense, Dean has the answers. Just as he did Sunday afternoon, with an encouraging response to the defensive uprising.

“It wasn’t no difference, we were just back to us,” he said. “I guess it’s different, not playing like yourself, but we were just playing back to us. Executing on a high level, communication was up.

“The confidence has been there, we just gotta continue to build. Now that we back and had a game like this, it’s not time to relax, it’s time to put our foot on the gas hard and continue to get better from it.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com