PHOENIX — The defensive philosophy that has carried the Philadelphia Eagles to the brink of an NFL title is relatively simple.
A deep rotation of defensive linemen provides constant pressure that makes opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable and often leads to them winding up on the ground.
“It’s always a race to the quarterback,” defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said. “We all look at it every week that we have to earn the right to rush the quarterback, and guys buy into that.”
Few teams have gotten to the quarterback more frequently this season than the Eagles, who are closing in on the NFL’s most prolific season ever when it comes to sacks.
That will be the formula the Eagles (16-3) will hope to replicate Sunday when they face the Kansas City Chiefs (16-3) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LVII. Fox will televise the game, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.
“Any time you play these great quarterbacks, you’ve got to affect them, because you can’t have them out here playing 7 on 7,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “The line definitely has to affect anything that goes on with the play. I know that we’ve got a great D-line, but we’ve got to prove it each and every week.”
That won’t be easy even if Mahomes is limited by his right ankle, which he injured during a playoff victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 21. He missed only part of that game and none of the AFC title matchup the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals, and while he’s still receiving treatment on the ankle, he said Wednesday that he’s “definitely in a better spot” in regard to getting back to full strength.
Mahomes was the NFL’s best this season at avoiding sacks, with only 10.2% of pressures turning into sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. The 27-year-old will be making his third Super Bowl appearance, and while he was MVP of the Chiefs’ 31-20 victory against the San Francisco 49ers three years ago despite being sacked four times, when Kansas City lost 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the title game the following season, he took one fewer sack but was constantly on the run behind a banged-up line.
The Chiefs have bolstered the line since then, but Mahomes knows it will be difficult against the Eagles.
“They’re on like a historic sack rate, and the way they’re able to get to the quarterback — so everybody knows that everything starts up front,” Mahomes said. “It’ll be a great challenge for our offensive line to try to do what they can.”
Philadelphia has followed up a regular season with 70 sacks — tied for the third most in league history — with eight in the playoffs. The 78 sacks combined in the regular season and playoffs have been topped only by the Chicago Bears defense that had 82 sacks in 1984 and 80 the next season.
While the Eagles benefited from a 17th regular-season game in their record pursuit, their rate of sacks is also quite impressive. They have sacked the quarterback on 11.5% of dropbacks this season for the highest rate in a season since 1989, when the Minnesota Vikings did it on 12.2% of dropbacks.
“Being a part of a pass rush where everybody gets the chance to eat, that’s the best thing,” Philadelphia defensive end Haason Reddick said. “It causes no problems. Everybody gets their chance. Everybody gets the chance to get their stats up. Everybody gets their chance to make an impact at the end of the day. When you have a D-line like we have, it’s crazy. All it takes is for one person to make a play, and then the energy amongst everybody is just rolling.”
Philadelphia spreads the wealth around, with an NFL-record four players reaching double digits in the regular season: Reddick (16), Javon Hargrave (11), Josh Sweat (11) and Graham (11).
Reddick is the one who sets the tone, though. He had 1.5 sacks on the first series of Philadelphia’s opening playoff win against the New York Giants in the divisional round, and he made the strip-sack that injured San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s elbow on the first series in the NFC championship game.
It’s been part of a fairy-tale season for Reddick that will end where he started his NFL career. A first-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, Reddick struggled early in Phoenix, with just 7 1/2 sacks combined his first three seasons while often playing out of position as an off-ball linebacker.
He has put together three straight seasons reaching double digits in sacks in his final year with the Cardinals, one year with the Carolina Panthers and this season in Philadelphia, where he has relished the opportunity to be back near his boyhood home in New Jersey, playing for the team he rooted for as a kid.
“For me, it is a dream,” Reddick said. “I’m getting to live it each and every day, which is a blessing in itself.”
Now he’s looking for one final accomplishment to add to this memorable season: sacking Mahomes in a Super Bowl win.
“He’s one of the quarterbacks in the league that I haven’t been able to sack or haven’t gotten to yet,” Reddick said. “So if I’m able to get to him and I get him in a Super Bowl, that’s going to be historic for me.”