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