The Eagles Showed How to Negate Micah Parsons

Initially, it appeared the Eagles had way too much faith, way too soon in their revamped defense that received a boost from three trades ahead of last week’s deadline.

It wasn’t pretty and it was confusing at times watching the Eagles settle for dump-offs and short runs on a handful of third downs in Monday’s showdown against the Packers. It was even more baffling watching Eagles coach Nick Sirianni go away from the conservative approach in the final minute of the eventful 10–7 victory. But outside of a reckless fourth-down decision that nearly cost Philadelphia the game, the conventional plan to eliminate star edge rusher Micah Parsons from the game worked to perfection. 

Go ahead, call it boring or cry about getting more plays eliminated from Philadelphia’s playbook. But there’s no denying the conservative approach worked because Parsons was nowhere to be found on the stat sheet until 4:08 left in regulation. (I kept refreshing the page because it was hard to believe that Parsons was held without a significant stat for that long.)  

Fans of big hits and stellar defenses certainly enjoyed the battle between the Eagles and Packers. There’s an even smaller group of football fans outside of Philadelphia who have great appreciation for how the Eagles operate offensively. Again, putting the final drive aside, Sirianni often runs his team similarly to a National League baseball manager before the designated hitter spot was added, when teams strategized around the starting pitcher getting at-bats. 

While many expected plenty of fireworks for Monday’s highly anticipated showdown between two of the best teams in the NFC, the Eagles were again prepared to do whatever it took to gain an advantage, putting aside style points and sacrificing the bulk of their offensive playbook at the expense of the expensive pass catchers. 

The Eagles embodied the tush push and were extremely conservative most of the night in their bold attempt to remove Parsons from the game. And, yes, it looked like Philly was hoping to get bailed out by its defense, but the offense eventually took its shots in the fourth quarter. Saquon Barkley got it started with a nifty spin move on a catch-and-run play that went for 41 yards. 

It might have gone for less if it weren’t for A.J. Brown’s willingness to block down the left sideline. Brown won’t be happy about only getting two catches for 13 yards, but his toughness and playmaking ability is why the Eagles are so dangerous, with a versatile offense that can beat teams in various ways.

Eventually, Brown will get his big-play moments and they will likely come in the postseason during the team’s quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith was the beneficiary of the one deep shot that connected for Jalen Hurts against the Packers—a 36-yard touchdown pass and a 10–0 advantage on the snap after Barkley’s highlight play in the fourth quarter. 

With how well the new-look defense played, the Eagles again appear to be the best team in the NFC, even though all the attention is on Sunday’s NFC West showdown between the Rams and Seahawks. Yes, both those teams are innovative, but they haven’t shown they’re capable of winning in ugly fashion. More importantly, they haven’t proven whether they can hold up against the Eagles’ ugly, confusing and extremely effective brand of football. 

It takes more mental toughness than just simply having a bevy of 300-pounders to stop the tush push. It takes plenty of patience and discipline to keep Barkley bottled up for four quarters. And if a team somehow gets past the Eagles’ physicality and ground game, they can still air it out, as the Rams found out in their down-to-the-wire loss in Philadelphia earlier this season.

It’s easy to forget that Hurts, Brown and Smith are capable of forming a dangerous passing attack. But they weren’t needed much for three-plus quarters against the Packers. Parsons was moved all over the field, but on most occasions, Hurts either got the ball off quickly or called a run play in the opposite direction of the All-Pro edge rusher. The Eagles even settled for a short run on a third-and-long instead of taking a shot into the end zone, then ending the drive with their first three points of the game. 

Again, these Eagles are willing to do whatever it takes to win games, something that many teams won’t do. Good luck trying to beat this team in the winter months, especially on a revamped defense that just gained edge rusher Jaelan Phillips for a loaded front. 

Get ready for more tush pushes and conservative game plans. But, hey, at least Sirianni is known for a few wild-card decisions. 

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