Eagles Defense Dominates Giants To Keep The Season Alive

Do you hear that faint noise? It is quiet and slow, but incessant. Believe it or not, that is the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles’ heartbeat. Thanks to a stout effort by Juan Castillo’s defense, the Birds were able to beat the division-rival Giants on Sunday night in MetLife Stadium and keep their season afloat. Quite simply, this was a must-win situation. And they won. After a week of having their heart and desire questioned, Jamar Cheney and the defense stepped up and willed the team to victory. How were they able to do it? By stuffing the running game and forcing Eli Manning into obvious passing situations.

Defensive Line

The defensive line set the tone this week and was disruptive early and often. A deep rotation of pass rushers and defensive tackles beating the interior of the Giants’ offensive line helped the Eagles frustrate a very talented New York squad.

Trent Cole had a quiet game, but worked against double teams all night. The Cincinnati product finished with two tackles and zero sacks. Jason Babin, meanwhile, bounced back from a disappointing game last week and wreaked havoc on Big Blue. The former Titan recorded three tackles, a sack, and forced a fumble that sealed the game for the Birds. Backup defensive ends Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker were also able to create pressure on Manning, registering half a sack each.

On the inside, Super Bowl champion Cullen Jenkins was able to bring some much needed leadership to the Eagles defense. Along with three tackles and good interior pass rush, the former Packer’s hard hitting was a tone-setter in this all-important win. Mike Patterson was his reliable self and helped the run defense hold the Giants to a staggering 29 yards. Fellow tackles Derek Landri and Trevor Laws provided depth and several big plays. Landri, who had an impact for the second straight week, recovered the fourth quarter fumble forced by Babin.

Linebackers

The most maligned group of the entire team came up huge in this one. Middle linebacker Jamar Cheney was able to stifle New York running back Brandon Jacobs and shut down tight end Jake Ballard throughout the game. The former Mississippi State Bulldog also intercepted Manning early in the game and swung the momentum for the Birds. The Florida native is quickly becoming a leader of this young, improving defense.

Brian Rolle continued his surprising rookie season with his best game yet. The sixth-round pick out of Ohio State had three tackles, made no glaring mistakes, and looked like he belonged on the field. Oklahoma product Keenan Clayton also made contributions in nickel situations. Solid performances by these two, along with veteran Akeem Jordan, were key parts of one of the best defensive performance this season.

Secondary
Despite not creating any turnovers, the Eagles’ secondary was able to blanket the Giant receivers for most of the night. Manning finished with an unimpressive line of 18 of 35 for 264 yards. Victor Cruz had six receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown, but other New York receivers failed to produce. Asante Samuel’s name was not called much, which is always good for a cornerback. The former Patriot had one of his best games this season.

Nnamdi Asomugha, on the other hand, struggled this week. He was flagged for defensive holding and was victimized by Cruz on his 24-yard touchdown reception. Nickel cornerback Joselio Hanson filled in extremely well for the injured Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Hanson, one of the longest tenured Eagles, is a greatly underappreciated slot defender who can cover wide receivers and tight ends.

Safety Nate Allen returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s game due to a concussion. The second-year player finished with an unimpressive two tackles. Kurt Coleman also had two tackles and played a solid, unspectacular game. Allen and Coleman were both adequate in pass coverage and helped contain Jacobs on the ground. They did their jobs, nothing more, nothing less.
Yes, the Eagles may still be on life-support (which Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth annoyingly mentioned about 50 times), but they are alive.

Despite improving to 3-1 within the NFC East, the Birds still trail the Giants and Cowboys by two games each. And thanks to one of the best performances by an Eagles defense in quite some time, next week’s Patriots game does mean something. They held Jacobs and the running game of the Giants to only 29 yards. Hell, the Giants never even made it into the red zone! Regardless of the success of this week, there is still an uphill climb before the team can even start thinking about the playoffs.

But on this November night, the Philadelphia faithful can sleep easy. The Eagles’ heart still beats, Eli Manning still throws interceptions, and Tom Coughlin’s face still contorts into some of the most puzzling faces I’ve ever seen.