Tag: jalen carter

Which Eagles’ defender ‘wrecked’ the Commanders in Week 11?

Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury shows respect to this Eagles’ defender.

Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury met with the media on Thursday to preview this Sunday’s rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The two NFC East rivals met just five weeks ago, with the Eagles coming away with a 26-18 victory. The Commanders actually led this game heading into the fourth quarter. But Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley took over in the fourth quarter, rushing for two touchdowns and finishing with 198 yards of total offense.

In the first meeting, the Commanders, a top-five NFL offense all season, managed only 264 total yards against the top-ranked Philly defense. Kingsbury singled out one player from the Week 11 meeting who “wrecked” the Commanders.

“It starts, I think, with coach [Eagles DC Vic] Fangio, they’re very well coached,” Kingsbury said. “They don’t give up anything easy. You gotta defeat them, not a lot of big plays. And then creating havoc up front, 98 [Philadelphia Eagles DT Jalen Carter] is as good a player as there is in the NFL right now. He wrecked us the first game, and they have some really good rushers.”

Philadelphia has several talented defenders at every level of the defense. But Carter is unique. Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, was widely considered the best player in his class, but an off-field incident dropped him, and the Eagles happily pounced.

Carter has 4.5 sacks this season, but his dominance doesn’t always appear on the stat sheet. His impact does, though, as Philly’s defense is ranked No. 1 in scoring defense, pass defense and total defense. The Eagles are ranked seventh against the run.

Kingsbury explained why the Eagles are so difficult to run against.

“The two guys inside there have done a great job of even if they empty the box out, really making the run game difficult,” he said. “Not many people have been able to establish it. Baltimore is one of the best teams and running the football and it was kind of tough sledding for them.”

Washington’s offensive line struggled with Philadelphia’s defensive line, specifically the interior five weeks ago. Kingsbury must have an answer for that front or it could be another long day for the Commanders on offense.

 

 

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Sights and sounds from first half as Eagles hold a 17-13 lead over Steelers

Philadelphia established its passing game and was dominant on defense, but the scoreboard tells a different story as the Eagles hold just a 17-13 lead over Pittsburgh after one half.

Vic Fangio’s defense held the Steelers to just 80 yards of offense on 30 plays in the first half, but two costly Eagles turnovers and two Chris Boswell field goals have Mike Tomlin’s team within four.

With the second half set to begin, we’re looking at sights and sounds from the first half.

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WATCH: Bill Belichick credits Jalen Carter’s conditionng for Eagles defensive success

Bill Belichick credits the conditioning of Jalen Carter and other Eagles defenders for the success Philadelphia has had this season

When you are the No. 9 pick in the NFL draft, the pressure can be enormous for any player. When you’re tasked with replacing Fletcher Cox as the face of the Eagles’ defensive line positions, the pressure rises to another level.

Last season, through the first nine weeks of his rookie year, Jalen Carter generated 29 pressures (tied for eighth in the league among interior defensive linemen), according to Pro Football Focus, including four sacks and 20 hurries.

Carter finished his rookie year with 6.0 sacks, 33 tackles, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery (which he returned for a touchdown) in 16 regular-season games.

Still, Carter started just one game and played 51 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps, but the ninth overall pick in the 2023 Draft was third on the team in sacks and fifth among all rookies.

Carter hit the proverbial rookie wall, and his production decreased down the stretch. Fast forward to 2024, and Carter has more than carried the “enormous weight on his shoulders.”

During a recent episode of the CW’s ‘Inside The NFL’ former Patriots, and new North Carolina Tar heels head coach Bill Belichick credited Carter’s increased conditioning for the improved play on defense.

According to PFF, Carter’s 683 defensive snaps are 2nd out of 212 defensive tackles in the NFL, and he’s third among all defensive tackles with 48 pressures.

Top photos from Eagles 22-16 win over Panthers that saw Saquon Barkley make history

Top photos from Eagles 22-16 win over Panthers that saw Saquon Barkley make history

The Eagles are 11-2, winners of nine straight games after a 22-16 win over the much improved Carolina Panthers (3-10) at Lincoln Fnaincla Field.

The afternoon saw Saquon Barkley break LeSean McCoy’s franchise record for rushing yards in a season. This set Philadelphia up for a huge intrastate matchup against the Steelers (10-3) in Week 15, which should certainly be the NFL’s game of the week.

With preparation for Pittsburgh set to begin, we’re looking at the top photos from Sunday’s win.

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Saquon Barkley runs the Rams out of SoFi Stadium, carrying the Eagles to their 7th straight win

A sea of Eagles fans took over SoFi Stadium, carrying Philadelphia to its 7th straight win on Sunday night as Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night

The Eagles are 9-2 and have won seven straight games after Saquon Barkley exploded in the running game, and A.J. Brown was dominant in the passing game. Philadelphia put the league on notice with a 37-20 win at SoFi Stadium on Sunday.

If not for a late Matthew Stafford touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp, Philadelphia would have exited Los Angeles with a 37-14 road win just seven days before a monster matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Week 13.

Barkley rushed for 255 yards on the night and had 302 total yards of offense in a game that saw A.J. Brown log 109 yards receiving and a touchdown on seven targets.

Eagles vs. Jaguars: Best photos from Philadelphia’s 28-23 win in Week 9

We’re looking at the top photos from the Philadelphia Eagles 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 at Lincoln Financial Field

Nick Sirianni left 8+ points on the board with questionable calls, but Philadelphia got stops on defense when needed.  The Eagles moved to 6-2 on Sunday afternoon with a 28-23 win over Jacksonville. A.J. Brown was forced to exit with a knee injury. Still, Saquon Barkley made highlight-reel plays, and DeVonta Smith was a rock as the Eagles’ offense struggled to put the Jaguars away. However, it was functional enough to stay within a game of Washington in the division. With preparation for Dallas set to begin, we’re looking at the top photos from Sunday’s big win. ***

Latest injury update for Eagles DT Jalen Carter

Jalen Carter returned to practice on Thursday as a full participant after missing Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury and will start

The Eagles are just hours away from hosting the Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field and star defensive tackle Jalen Carter will be in the lineup.

Carter returned to practice on Thursday as a full participant after missing Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury and then logged another full practice on Friday.

Philadelphia will face off against a Jacksonville offensive line that will have a new starter at left tackle in Walker Little after the trade that sent Cam Robinson to Minnesota. The team also has two players questionable: left guard Ezra Cleveland (ankle) didn’t practice this week, and right guard Brandon Scherff (knee) was limited.

After not practicing all week for Philadelphia, tight end Dallas Goedert and cornerback Darius Slay are out for Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Eagles vs. Giants: Best photos from Philadelphia’s 28-3 win over NY in Week 7

We’re looking at the top photos from the Philadelphia Eagles 28-3 win over the New York Giants on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in Week 7

The Eagles are 4-2 and back atop the NFC East after an emphatic 28-3 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

In Saquon Barkley’s first game against his former team, the running back logged 17 carries for 176 yards (10.4 avg) and one touchdown on the afternoon.  Barkley finished 14 yards shy of his career-high yards in a game and placed himself firmly back into the race for the NFL rushing title and the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award.

With preparation for the Week 8 matchup against the Bengals set to begin, we’re looking at the top photos in Sunday’s win.

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Eagles young Philly DAWGS turn back the clock on defense in dominant win over Giants

Eagles young Philly DAWGS turn back the clock on defense in dominant 28-3 win over Giants

Less than 24 hours after Georgia entered Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and dominated the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns 30-15,  three former Bulldogs helped Philadelphia move to 4-2 with impactful defensive efforts against the New York Giants.

The Eagles’ eight sacks were the most they’ve had in a game since Week 17 of 2022, and Vic Fangio’s defense dominated the New York Giants, 28-3, on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.

Philadelphia has four defensive starters from the University of Georgia, and those guys set the standard in Sunday’s win.

Nakobe Dean led all players with 11 tackles.

The former Georgia All-American middle linebacker added two sacks, two tackles for loss, and four quarterback hits on the afternoon.

Jalen Carter logged four tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

Nolan Smith has improved week by week and has logged two tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits.

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Eagles limp into bye week after a 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 4

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

With A.J. Brown (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (concussion), and Lane Johnson (concussion) out with injuries, the Eagles didn’t have enough depth in key positions. They suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts was sacked six times on the afternoon, and the star quarterback committed another turnover (fumble), as Philadelphia could not sustain any offensive consistency without the big three in the lineup.

Saquon Barkley had ten carries for 84 yards (8.4 avg). Still, with the Eagles playing from behind all afternoon, the running back was unable to get the Philadelphia offense over the hump against a motivated Tampa defense.

An Eagles defense that shut New Orleans down in Week 3 was gashed to 445 total yards for the Buccaneers offense, including 111 rushing yards and a twelve-minute advantage in time of possession.

Baker Mayfield was on fire early, and even after an inefficient second half, he still was 30-40 passing for 347 yards, two touchdowns, and a 100.2 rating.

Philadelphia (2-2) will now have a week off, during which questions about Sirianni’s job security and the Eagles’ playoff hopes will dominate the airwaves.

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