Many Philadelphia Eagles fans knew that edge rusher Jaelan Phillips was going to be a significant upgrade for the defense after just 4.5 sacks at that position this year, but even the pass rusher surprised everyone.
Phillips ended up taking over 50 snaps in their Week 10 10-7 win over the Green Bay Packers and dominated on defense. He racked up seven pressures, six tackles, two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and one fumble recovery in the win.
After the game, the former Miami Dolphins edge rusher spoke to the media about how different it was to play on a winning team, as opposed to what he was used to in Miami.
”The biggest thing I noticed was just no panic. The whole entire time, there was just utmost confidence on both sides of the ball. It felt really good to be in that environment."
Eagles are a winning team that must start getting respected
One constant about Philadelphia is that it is a winning team that knows what it takes. Phillips rarely got to see that in Miami, especially after the last two years with their struggles.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made an incredible move for Phillips, and they gave Miami a third-round pick in 2026. That trade has instantly become one of the most important moves of the season for Philly.
Right away, fans saw Phillips making big defensive stops on fourth down to pressure Jordan Love. Phillips even makes his teammates better, including Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr., as they made some big plays themselves.
The edge rusher position went from being one of the biggest struggles on the roster to now being a strength of this team. Phillips brings a different attitude to the position that fans have been missing from the team this season.
Read more:It took one game with Eagles for Jaelan Phillips to be missing piece to defense
Big credit to Phillips for the great play, but one game doesn't define a season. There's still more work to be done in Philadelphia.