Eagles film breakdown: Jalen Carter is leading a D-line that may be peaking at the right time

The Eagles’ biggest win of the season stemmed from the defensive line’s biggest performance.

There were several contributing factors in the Eagles’ 24-19 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, but the amount of pressure their defensive front managed without sending many blitzes jumps out as one of the most encouraging signs from the statement victory.

Led by another dominant showing from defensive tackle Jalen Carter, the Eagles got pressure on Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson on 25 of his 45 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. It’s both the highest total number of pressures the MVP quarterback has faced this season and the highest pressure rate he has dealt with as well. The 35 total pressures PFF credited to Eagles pass rushers is also the most the group has had this season.

» READ MORE: Eagles-Ravens takeaways: The Eagles’ young, cheap defense has Super Bowl window wide open

How did the defensive line manage such a dominant performance while mostly relying on a four-man rush in its first game without veteran defensive end Brandon Graham? Let’s look at the film to find out:

Full disclosure, when I began reviewing the film of the Eagles’ defensive performance, it was not with the sole intention of highlighting Carter. Still, the second-year defensive tackle ended up so frequently listed in my notes that it was impossible not to lead with his performance when assessing the defensive line as a whole.

Watching the tape back, it’s obvious why Carter is starting to command serious attention from opposing offensive lines, which will often slide toward him even when it comes at the expense of the other side of the line each week.

It didn’t go well for the Ravens most of the time they tried blocking Carter one-on-one in the run game and in passing situations. Carter knifed into the backfield on Baltimore’s opening drive to tackle wide receiver Zay Flowers on a jet sweep for a 3-yard loss, showcasing the speed with which he can get off the ball to disrupt plays in big moments.

The Ravens settled for a field goal two plays later partly thanks to Carter’s impact play, which is an important thing to note. A handful of Carter’s best moments came on pivotal downs to either get the Ravens behind the sticks or off the field entirely.

His lone sack of the game fits into that category as well. With the Ravens facing first-and-10 in Eagles territory late in the second quarter, Carter and Eagles defensive tackle Milton Williams ran a twist stunt that got him singled up with Baltimore guard Patrick Mekari. As Jackson escaped the pocket, Carter disengaged with Mekari in time to trip Jackson up for a 13-yard loss. The Ravens kicked a 50-yard field goal with little time remaining in the half two plays later.

Difference-making plays aside, Carter has an influence on teams just because of how often his rushes jump off the screen.

Here’s a few examples:

It’s worth pointing out the final snap in that three-play sequence — the one where Carter attempts a defensive tackle’s impersonation of a Eurostep before tossing Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum aside with a club move — came in the fourth quarter when he had still yet to get a play off.

Carter played 70 of the Eagles’ 71 snaps, with his lone idle time coming on the Ravens’ final play of the game. It’s a remarkable statistic, but one that only holds weight if Carter’s motor can withstand the heavy workload.

To answer that question, we’ll end this section with Carter’s 62nd consecutive play, when he drives 380-pound Ravens lineman Daniel Faalele into the backfield and holds up Derrick Henry with one arm for a 1-yard loss in another crucial moment in the game.

Usually it’s advantageous to rotate defensive linemen to keep rushers fresh, but the Eagles have found a winning formula letting Carter wear down offensive linemen all by himself instead.

Carter wasn’t the only Eagles defensive tackle to make a share of difference-making plays.

The Ravens’ frequent usage of heavy personnel packages with multiple tight ends allowed the Eagles to come out in their base defense with five down linemen and two linebackers more often. Doing so let Jordan Davis operate as a nose tackle more often on early downs, which is his more natural position.

That comfortability was apparent for Davis, who showed his quickness off the ball with the Ravens on their own 6-yard line early in the second quarter.

Davis flashed his power one series later, stacking and shedding Mekari to tackle Henry along with Eagles edge rusher Josh Sweat for a 1-yard gain.

Williams, often the recipient of one-on-one matchups as a result of the attention Carter draws, was also disruptive. According to PFF, Williams had a team-high nine pressures along with one quarterback hit in the third quarter.

While the interior line led the way, the Eagles’ reworked edge rusher rotation was also productive in its first game without Graham.

Sweat led the group with seven pressures and one quarterback hit, although his biggest contributions won’t necessarily appear on the stat sheet.

Sweat played a key role in Nolan Smith’s second-quarter sack, dropping into coverage, identifying a shallow crosser from the opposite side of the field, and stepping up in coverage to force Jackson into extending the play long enough for Smith to get home.

Two of Zack Baun’s biggest plays came with assists from edge rushers as well.

Midway through the second quarter, Sweat shot upfield against an outside toss to Henry to occupy multiple linemen pulling and working toward the second level. Sweat’s initial disruption freed up Baun, who tackled Henry for a 4-yard loss.

Even rookie Jalyx Hunt, playing an increased role in place of Graham, had a few key moments.

The third-round pick also assisted on a big play from Baun, splitting the Eagles’ third and final sack with the linebacker by using a long-arm move against Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

Hunt had a quarterback hit with a similar rush against the Rams a week before, illustrative of the former college safety’s hastened development for the Eagles in his first season.

Hunt and Baun’s efforts made the Eagles just the second team this season to sack Jackson three times. The fact they were able to do that while almost exclusively using a four- or five-man rush is an encouraging sign for the group as the stakes rise in the regular season and beyond.