A path of heated QBs
No NFL defense pressured quarterbacks more than the Eagles, edging the Jaguars by 19 hurries with a total of 287 pressures during the regular season. Not coincidentally, opposing quarterbacks averaged only a 79.5 rating against Philadelphia, with weekly pressure rates often above the 2017 league average of 35.4 percent.
48% pressured -- Case Keenum
vs. Vikings in NFC Title
41% pressured – Matt Ryan
vs. Falcons in NFC Divisional
39.4% pressured – Dak Prescott
vs. Cowboys in Week 17
46.9% pressured – Derek Carr
vs. Raiders in Week 16
22.4% pressured – Eli Manning
at Giants in Week 15
55.2% pressured – Jared Goff
at Rams in Week 14
44.4% pressured – Russell Wilson
at Seahawks in Week 13
24.3% pressured – Mitchell Trubisky
vs. Bears in Week 12
45.7% pressured – Dak Prescott
at Cowboys in Week 11
58.5% pressured – Brock Osweiler
vs. Broncos in Week 9
57.8% pressured – C.J. Beathard
vs. 49ers in Week 8
45.6% pressured – Kirk Cousins
vs. Redskins in Week 7
43.9% pressured – Cam Newton
at Panthers in Week 6
45.6% pressured – Carson Palmer
vs. Cardinals in Week 5
37.5% pressured – Philip Rivers
at Chargers in Week 4
17% pressured – Eli Manning
vs. Giants in Week 3
38.2% pressured – Alex Smith
at Chiefs in Week 2
42.5% pressured – Kirk Cousins
at Redskins in Week 1
Who needs to blitz?
The Eagles bring all that pressure under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz despite ranking around the league average in blitz rate. A seven-man rotation keeps the defensive line fresh, led by end Brandon Graham (9½ sacks) and tackle Fletcher Cox (5½ sacks).
2nd
Cox has been one of the NFL's most disruptive interior pass rushers since he entered the league. He's the one pushing the pocket for this Eagles pass rush, ranking second among defensive tackles in pass-rush productivity with 50 total pressures on 391 snaps attacking the quarterback.
7th
Defensive end Chris Long is continuing his career as the next great pass-rush specialist, thriving this season in a part-time role. Long's productivity (51 total pressures on 349 pass-rush snaps) ranked seventh among 4-3 defensive ends. He played fewer than half (496) of the Eagles' snaps this season.
9th
Graham is the lead piston in this Eagles engine, fronting a deep defensive line with 64.6 percent playing time. Among his NFL peers, he was a top-10 pass rusher ranking ninth in productivity, with 60 pressures on 443 snaps.
12th
The Eagles' other starting defensive end, Vinny Curry, shouldn't be forgotten. His eight tackles for losses ranked second on the team. He was also one of the league's top 4-3 edge rushers, ranking 12th in productivity with 47 pressures on 333 snaps, tying Saints star Cameron Jordan.
If you drop back, they will come
Sacks come in bunches? Not for this consistent Eagles defense. Only one offense completely shut out Philadelphia from taking down the quarterback this season: Eli Manning and the Giants back in Week 3. The Eagles netted at least two sacks in 14 of 18 games this season.
Wk1: 4 sacks, Wk2: 4 sacks, Wk3: 0 sacks, Wk4: 2 sacks, Wk5: 2 sacks, Wk6: 2 sacks, Wk7: 4 sacks, Wk8: 4 sacks, Wk9: 3 sacks, Wk10: BYE, Wk11: 4 sacks, Wk12: 2 sacks, Wk13: 2 sacks, Wk14: 2 sacks, Wk15: 1 sack, Wk16: 1 sack, Wk17: 1 sack, NFCD: 3 sacks, NFCC: 1 sack
Can they really force Brady into mistakes?
Philadelphia's pass rush faces its toughest test of the year in Tom Brady. The 40-year-old quarterback is generally unflappable when the pocket collapses, and his statistics show it. Brady threw an NFL-high nine touchdown passes while under pressure during the regular season, finishing with a league-high QB rating when things get hot.
top 5 QB rating vs. pressure
96.6
Tom Brady
83.9
Jameis Winston
82.7
Marcus Mariota
81.7
Carson Wentz
80.7
Philip Rivers