There might've been no part of the team that benefitted more from two weeks away than the Eagles' pass rush.
In the four games before the bye, they just weren't much of a factor. A front seven that was supposed to be strong on paper was instead struggling to get to the quarterback, which led to coverage getting picked apart overtop and the whole defense getting left on the field for way too long.
Brandon Graham, in year 15 and at age 36, looked like the Eagles' most effective rusher off the edge; Bryce Huff, as the offseason signing meant to replace Haason Reddick, looked like an unplayable disaster; and the Georgia products Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith, they would either show quick flashes of brilliance or just disappear entirely.
None of that was what the organization, which has always prided itself on strength within the trenches, had in mind, and was collectively one of the leading factors for why the Eagles were only treading water through their first five games.
But then something clicked.
The Eagles took the bye and then returned home to Lincoln Financial Field a week later against the Browns, and while they just barely beat an awful Cleveland team with much to criticize about the 20-16 effort, the pass rush did get to Deshaun Watson five times with, by far, the most punch they displayed yet.
Then on Sunday in East Rutherford, they were tearing through the Giants' offensive line and chasing down floundering quarterback Daniel Jones all day. The Eagles totaled eight sacks in Sunday's 28-3 thrashing of New York, doing so with their most complete overall effort of the season and with a pass rush that finally looked as mean as many expected it to.
"I'm happy that it's showing up because we work every week," Graham said after the win over the Giants that moved the Eagles to 4-2.
"It was just a matter of time," Sweat added of working through his own early-season struggles. "When would I have time to get there?
"I've been rushing the same," Sweat cracked with a big smile. "Ain't doing nothin' different, but as a group, we've been taking care of each other, and like I said, the back end, they've been doing their thing, too. Both sides have been improving a lot."
And maybe just in time.
Here are the Eagles' 8 sacks vs. the Giants… pic.twitter.com/65gsodJvDe
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) October 21, 2024
The Eagles have combined for 13 sacks over the past two games, compared to just six through the first four ahead of the bye week.
On Sunday in the Meadowlands, Sweat got to Jones first on a third down to force the Giants to punt on their second drive, which opened the floodgates for Carter, Smith, Huff, and linebacker Nakobe Dean to cash in, too.
By the time the first half was over, Jones had already hit the MetLife Stadium turf five times, and by game's end, Carter and Dean each had two sacks, while depth rusher Jalyx Hunt recorded his first career sack (with a forced fumble) on Drew Lock in garbage time.
The Giants' offense never really had any time to breathe, and moreover, the shift in pressure from the Eagles' pass rush has contributed to an overall effort where the defense hasn't allowed a touchdown over the past two weeks.
Of course, there's the obvious "yeah, but…" there: The Browns are terrible, and so are the Giants.
But from the Eagles' perspective in the locker room after Sunday's win, it is momentum building, and toward a section of the schedule that is very winnable – at Cincinnati this coming Sunday and then home against Jacksonville the next – ahead of their first crack at Dallas on November 10.
A resurgent pass rush, and the team on the whole, intends to keep it rolling.
"I don't know if it's like something that's clicked," said Huff, who has 1.5 sacks since coming back from the bye week. "But I just feel like it's a product of us working hard every week to continuously improve on what we've been coached to do. Everybody's taking up their role and attacked it."
And they'll need to keep attacking if the Eagles are going to hit their stride.
MORE: How the Eagles' secondary, D-line worked together for 8 sacks vs. the Giants
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