Eagles-Giants takeaways: Philly Dawgs, Quinyon Mitchell show the future is now for the Birds defense

The Eagles left MetLife Stadium on Sunday with the type of blowout win that’s evaded them for nearly an entire calendar year.

Was the 28-3 victory a statement win, an encouraging showing, or just status quo against a mediocre New York Giants team? We’ll dive into that and more.

Here’s what we learned:

For Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and the rest of the former Georgia stars now filling roles within the Eagles’ defense, there were two games worth mentioning in the visitor’s locker room.

The No. 5 Bulldogs’ 30-15 victory over the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns on Saturday, and the one they were instrumental in delivering for the Eagles themselves one day later.

“Them Dawgs, man,” Davis said. “Them Dawgs is hell.”

» READ MORE: Eagles defense piles up sacks vs. Giants QB Daniel Jones and now wants more: ‘It’s coming to fruition’

The Philly Dawgs were, as well. The group led by Carter, Davis, Nolan Smith, and Nakobe Dean are about a month removed from notably limited production in the team’s Week 2 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. After the game, I pointed out Carter, Smith, and Davis combined for just four total tackles, five pressures, and zero sacks.

On Sunday, the trio had six pressures, six total tackles, and three sacks with Carter and Smith flashing potential as an effective rushing combination on one side of the Eagles’ defensive line. Add in Dean’s four pressures, two sacks, and 11 total tackles, and the group’s banner performance comes even more into picture and showcases the defense’s ceiling when those high draft picks are on their game.

The Eagles may have found something with Dean as a blitzer. According to Next Gen Stats, all eight of the team’s sacks came while rushing just four players, meaning each of Dean’s sacks benefited from an edge rusher dropping into coverage for a “simulated pressure.” Dropping someone like Josh Sweat into coverage puts the onus on Dean to win quickly before opposing quarterbacks identify where the rush is coming from, and he did just that for his two sacks. The Eagles have used sim pressures in the past, but Dean’s juice coming downhill gives the looks a credibility that they previously lacked.

Smith has also taken a noticeable step as a rusher since the bye week. Making his first career start against the Giants, the 30th player picked in the 2023 draft played 45% of the team’s defensive snaps and finished with a career-high three pressures.

It’s worth noting he was working against Giants backup left tackle Joshua Ezeudu in place of Andrew Thomas, but Smith is clearly earning a bigger role nonetheless. One of his pressures directly contributed to Carter’s second sack, with the edge rusher flying upfield to force Daniel Jones to step up in the pocket and into Carter’s path.

These types of plays illustrate the impact general manager Howie Roseman envisioned while collecting players from one of the most dominant defenses in college football. The familiarity is there for the group, and when it translates into plays like it did Sunday, the team’s ceiling on defense increases considerably.

The Eagles’ youth movement on defense isn’t limited to the front seven, though.

The majority of the team’s eight sacks featured sound coverage on the back end, where the rookie combination of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean turned in yet another solid performance. Mitchell went into the game with a difficult matchup against Giants first-round rookie receiver Malik Nabers, who has been as advertised this season. According to Pro Football Focus, Mitchell was targeted just twice when covering Nabers and gave up one catch for 14 yards.

It’s a bit early to talk about regular-season accolades, but Mitchell is putting together a decent Pro Bowl case as the halfway point of the season inches closer. He’ll need to start coming down with his apparently weekly interception opportunities to solidify it, but he is fourth in the NFL in pass breakups and third in “forced incompletions,” according to PFF.

His 79.8 passer rating allowed ranks 38th in the NFL, in between All-Pro corners Jalen Ramsey (Miami Dolphins) and Trent McDuffie (Kansas City Chiefs). That’s pretty impressive company.

DeJean’s integration into the lineup the last two weeks has been a similarly seamless transition. He was targeted three times Sunday, each coming on an underneath route near or behind the line of scrimmage. On those three completions, DeJean gave up just 3 yards and managed one tackle for a loss.

It’s the second week in a row the Eagles have kept an opposing offense out of the end zone, largely thanks to the high-level play they’ve gotten from their young defensive players. Sure, it’s been against two mediocre offenses, but dominant performances like these shouldn’t be overlooked.

As encouraging as the performance against the Giants was — and it was encouraging — zooming back out from the game presents an important question about how the Eagles’ passing game will fare when the defense isn’t dominating.

Jalen Hurts threw just 14 passes on Sunday, and for good reason. Saquon Barkley was the star of the afternoon and showcased why the offense’s best identity may be centered around his ability to make explosive plays even behind a banged-up Eagles offensive line.

Still, there will be shootouts this season. Next Sunday’s game against the Bengals could be one of them. The Eagles could prioritize ball control in games against elite offenses like Cincinnati’s, but typically the best way to combat an explosive offense is to have one yourself. The Eagles have the talent to be one, but haven’t shown it the last few weeks.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts has given the Eagles just what they’ve needed lately: a calming, stabilizing presence

There were missed opportunities from Hurts & Co. on Sunday, albeit in a game where it ultimately didn’t matter. And almost all of what I wrote about the Eagles’ low-percentage passing game last Monday still holds true a week later.

The positive developments revolve around Hurts avoiding committing a turnover for the second week in a row and the confirmation that this team is good enough to win big even without heroic plays from the 26-year-old. The scheme around Hurts and his decision-making under center are still a question mark. It’s one of the biggest questions when evaluating the overall ceiling of the team, especially with the midway point of the season fast approaching.

Up, Cam Jurgens in space: There were times when Jurgens looked understandably overmatched against defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who is the type of hulking power rusher that would give Jason Kelce trouble throughout his career as well. But watching Jurgens get out into space as a puller to clear the way for Barkley’s 55-yard run, you’d have been forgiven for thinking the retired six-time All-Pro center was still suiting up for the Eagles.

Down, Fred Johnson: Johnson conceded a team-high four pressures on Hurts’ 23 dropbacks with the unenviable task of blocking Brian Burns flying off the edge. It’s not going to get easier for Johnson, though, who will see plenty of Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson next Sunday.

Up, Ben VanSumeren the fullback: VanSumeren played some running back in college and was a receiver in high school, so it makes sense that the depth linebacker and special teams ace is getting some spot duty as a fullback for the Eagles this season. He had a handful of key blocks, including one to spring Barkley for a 41-yard run late in the third quarter. Considering VanSumeren showed his route-running ability on the final day of training camp, it feels like a matter of time before the second-year undrafted free agent gets an opportunity in the play-action game.