Instant Impact

PHILADELPHIA — On a night when the Eagles defense authored its most dominant outing in recent memory, it was the show-stopping performance of unit leader Nakobe Dean that particularly resonated hours after the game had ended.

By now, few are likely to argue that Dean functions as the heartbeat of an unrelenting Eagles defense. His proverbial creed that he preaches with every opportunity is for the defense to physically impose their will and play on their terms.

Physicality isn’t just a buzz word to Dean; he abides by it and it’s reflected in his every snap. Dean strikes anything that moves, blowing up linemen when attacking downhill, and his advanced level of football intellect enables him to diagnose things a tick quicker than most linebackers.

Often times, when shooting gaps, he’s on a collision course in pursuit of running backs. He’s also, during his career, demonstrated a flair for blitzing.

GETTY IMAGES: Philadelphia Eagles LB Nakobe Dean has provided a spark to the defense in his return from injury.

On Sunday night, when each player on coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit contributed to bottling up an explosive Lions offense, Dean perhaps best exemplified the collective mentality on what is quickly shaping up to be the most prolific defense in the sport.

For perspective, the Lions, who last week against the Commanders rolled up 44 points and averaged 31.4 points per game going into Week 11, mustered only nine points. The dynamic rushing tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery gained 66 yards on 18 carries. Quarterback Jared Goff, who entered Sunday night second in the NFL in touchdown passes (20), added just one to his total and completed 37.8% of his passes . The 10-year veteran, much like Jordan Love last Monday night, appeared noticeably rattled due to the incessant waves of pressure and he struggled with his location.

With the offense sputtering, the Eagles’ defense did the heavy lifting under the bright lights of “Sunday Night Football,” producing an early turnover to go along with two sacks, one that belonged to Dean, who also yielded a pair of quarterback hits. On third downs, the Lions were a paltry 3-of-13. They possessed the ball for a hair over 24 minutes, more than 11 minutes shorter than the Eagles.

Fangio’s bunch smelled blood in the water and refused to relent.

“We just came out as a defense and played our type of game,” Dean said after the game, a 16-9 Eagles win. “We wanted to play on our terms, we wanted to impose our will physically. And I feel like we did that. They went for it on fourth down a lot. We knew they was a gutsy team like that, but we didn’t know they were gonna go for it that many times.”

As Dean noted, the Lions reinforced their propensity to go for it on fourth down. It proved fruitless, as the offense was denied on all five attempts. It’s an aggressive tactic that has become part of their fabric under head coach – and new play-caller – Dan Campbell, but as a defensive player, it’s something that’s taken personally.

“Almost disrespectful,” Dean began. “Even if it’s not disrespectful to us, I feel like it’s disrespectful to our offense. That’s just how my defensive mind is; I don’t really take no offense to it. I know what kind of team they are over there, and we expected it to be a game like this, so we just had to nut up.”

Dean’s impact extended far beyond his destruction around the line of scrimmage. He was twice tested in coverage, against Lions wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, no less. He didn’t allow much space for Goff to thread the needle on either, and both throws were rendered incomplete.

It’s no coincidence that the defense saw a noticeable uptick in swagger and physicality once Dean was inserted in Week 7, one game removed from returning from the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list.

Dean is a natural leader, wise beyond his years. His energy and positivity radiates throughout the unit and he uplifts those around him. In many ways, he’s a throwback player. He isn’t fixated on stats or personal accolades but rather his unit playing to a standard. He wants offenses to earn every blade of grass and understand that whenever they line up, there’s going to be hell to pay.

Early last season, in a conversation with Dean, he talked about envisioning the identity of the defensive unit as being nasty, like a “junkyard defense” that was tough and gritty. He then added, “If we can’t walk, we gonna crawl. If we can’t crawl, we gonna f-ckin’ roll. If we can’t roll, we gonna bite at your ankles. A defense like that, it doesn’t matter.”

This year, the vision remains the same, though he’s amplified it a bit. He sees the objective for this version being even nastier, doing whatever they want to do with little resistance from the offense and playing on their terms. The mentality from their leader is as contagious as the coach-like intangibles that he provides at every turn.

“While I’m out on the field, I try to not only be the best I can be, I try to bring out the best out of everybody,” he said. “If it’s giving people talks, if it’s just the feel, the vibe, reminding guys to, ‘Yo! Be physical. If all else fails, strike somebody.’

“At the end of the day, it’s about playing football. If all else fails, be physical, put hands on somebody. A lot of guys who play football, definitely the guru or defenses always try to do math – but Vic don’t care about that. And our linebackers coach don’t care about that. We feel like, ‘Hey, if we ain’t got enough guys, make a play.'”

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