Inside Josh Sweat’s career night and the strip-sack that swung the momentum for the Eagles

It was early in the first quarter of the Eagles’ home opener against the Minnesota Vikings when defensive end Josh Sweat had an inkling that it was going to be one of those games.

Through the first several drives Thursday night, Sweat consistently trumped his opposition — Vikings’ reserve offensive tackle Olisaemeka Udoh was tasked with blocking the 6-foot-5, 265-pound edge rusher — with his laundry list of pass-rush moves. Sweat found himself in the backfield on multiple instances, but quarterback Kirk Cousins made a noticeable effort to quickly get rid of the football with the Eagles’ vaunted pass-rush hounding him.

If “near-sacks” were a statistic, then Sweat would’ve had more than a handful.

Despite his constant prowess, he was held without a sack in the first half. Sweat’s efforts were like a Jack-In-The-Box toy unwinding, but never fully popping open.

“I knew I was going to make a play,” he said. “The ball was coming out fast, but I just had to stick with it.”

Coming out of halftime, it took just two plays for Sweat to bust through the ceiling. His strip-sack on Cousins swung momentum toward the home sideline, and the Eagles rode his forced fumble all the way to a 34-28 victory to improve to 2-0.

“Once you start getting into the flow,” Sweat said, “it’s like nothing can keep you from the quarterback, man.”

In Week 1, Sweat ranked second in the NFL behind only Myles Garrett in pass rush get-off time with his average of 0.59 seconds, according to Next Gen Stats. Pass rush get-off is defined as “the time it takes for a pass rusher to cross the line of scrimmage.”

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The Eagles-Vikings matchup was the first contest of the NFL’s Week 2 schedule, but Sweat seemingly should finish among the league leaders in get-off time again after he destroyed Minnesota’s offensive line with his career-high five quarterback hits. Sweat’s 2022 season-high in quarterback hits in a single game was three in four different games.

“We come out hot with Josh’s strip-sack,” said defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who recovered Sweat’s forced fumble. “The most important thing is getting the ball back and giving it to the offense.”

Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham has embraced his rotational role while he’s taken a backseat to starters Sweat and Haason Reddick over the past year. On Thursday night, the 35-year-old Graham flashed a wide smile while he discussed the impact of Sweat, 26.

“He started it for us. I’m so proud of him,” Graham said. “I be rooting them guys on. When my time comes, I make sure I go out there and give everything I got. It’s going to take everybody for us to have another long season. His elite get-off — I’ve seen him working everyday at stuff. It’s cool that it’s showing up on the field. It’s his attitude, how he brings it every single day.”

The Eagles capitalized on Sweat’s forced fumble — one of four turnovers forced by the Eagles — by punching it in with Jalen Hurts’ QB sneak just a few plays later. Hurts had two rushing touchdowns, while the Eagles leaned on running back D’Andre Swift, and finished as a team with a whopping 259 rushing yards.

“You’re talking about four turnovers … that’s pretty impressive,” Hurts said. “[Sweat] did a great job.”

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Sweat was so dominant that he effectively knocked Udoh out of the game. With less than 11 minutes remaining, Sweat executed a long-arm pass rush, a move made famous by Khalil Mack, and he tossed Udoh to the ground. The move was powerful enough that Udoh suffered a knee injury and he needed to be carted off the field.

“I didn’t even know what happened. I don’t wish anyone to get hurt,” Sweat said. “It was the best move to do in the situation. I knew my move was good, but I ain’t gonna lie to you — I was hyped. I was like [to my teammates], ‘Damnnnn! Did you see that?! I didn’t know it was like that til I saw it.”

Sweat has now registered sacks in consecutive weeks to begin the year after he compiled a career-high 11 sacks last season. Since 2019, Sweat leads the Eagles with 31 1/2 sacks.

The Eagles’ next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Sept. 25 will have special meaning for Sweat, who resides and trains in the area during the offseason. He credited his workouts from this summer with former NFL receiver Yo Murphy for his improvement, specifically in get-off speed. According to Sweat, Murphy, who also trains receiver DeVonta Smith, had him participating in conditioning workouts typically intended for defensive backs.

Looking back, Sweat is grateful for that intense work as he is now reaping the benefits.

“I’ve been winning at a higher rate,” Sweat said. “I don’t care who’s out there. I’ve got to keep going. [Buccaneers All-Pro offensive tackle] Tristan Wirfs next? Whoever is out there, I’m trying to beat you. I respect everybody the same. I watch film on everybody. I watched all of them.

“I like quarterback hits. Five is nice. But sacks are better. I feel like I can get a lot more.”