The Patriots’ revamped pass rush proved relentless Thursday night during their 37-20 victory against the Eagles, and the most encouraging sign was their work through five series against a chunk of the visitors’ starters.
In all, the Pats racked up eight sacks, 10 quarterback hits and 11 pressures for a total of 29 disruptions over the course of the Eagles’ 59 drop-backs. The 21 hits and pressures led to 13 incompletions. Those stats were padded a bit by a dose of second-half domination when the Patriots proved their defensive depth was too much for the Eagles’ backups to handle. But the important heat was applied early by the core of the Patriots’ front seven.
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While the Eagles would argue they suited up without left tackle Jason Peters, the Patriots took the field without defensive end Trey Flowers, their best pass rusher, who is nursing a minor injury, and linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who appeared to get a planned night off.
Prized offseason addition Adrian Clayborn paced the early attack with a strip sack that injured quarterback Nick Foles, and the fumble was returned for a touchdown by rookie linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. Clayborn also had a quarterback hit and two pressures that yielded incompletions. Granted, Clayborn mostly squared off with Peters’ backup, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, but it would be understandable if Clayborn finally got a chance to unleash his frustration after three weeks of making eye contact with Trent Brown’s collarbone during training camp.
Defensive end Deatrich Wise had two quarterback hits against Foles and a pressure against Nate Sudfeld. All three disruptions caused incompletions to further the damage and continue to validate Wise’s summer surge.
Safety Patrick Chung, an honorary member of the front seven in sub packages, added a strip sack of his own, but he got some help. Clayborn, from an interior rushing position, and Derek Rivers collapsed the front side of the pocket while Chung swooped in from the blind side. Rivers, who will likely serve as a rotational starter, was dominant against Eagles backups with a sack and three pressures, but those contributions took a backseat to his performance against higher-tiered competition early in the game.
Defensive tackle Adam Butler rounded it out with a sack to show off his bulkier physique and speed that should deliver more opportunities on early downs in his second season. The Pats disrupted Foles on five of his first nine drop-backs and beat the Eagles’ starting front for three sacks, three quarterback hits and two pressures on 14 drop-backs.
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The Patriots should also be optimistic about undrafted rookie Trent Harris (1/2 sack, one quarterback hit and two pressures) and Keionta Davis (1.5 sacks, two QB hits), who sat out his rookie season with a neck injury, for their work against the backup offense. Davis has been playing himself onto the 53-man roster, while Harris is giving Bill Belichick something to think about. The Miami product also had a strip sack and run stuff in the preseason opener against the Redskins.
Obviously, the Patriots and Eagles weren’t game planning for one another, but the fundamentals of pass rushing come down to winning one-on-one battles, which the Pats did with consistency against one of the best offensive lines in the league. It’s possible they’ll be more aggressive with their blitz packages under the guiding light of new defensive coordinator Brian Flores, too.
The Patriots were streaky with their pass rush in 2017, ranking seventh with 42 sacks, but the offseason additions of Clayborn and defensive tackle Danny Shelton are already providing a boost. Wise and Butler look ready to take a leap in their second seasons, and Rivers and Davis offer intriguing potential as they march toward their debuts. Of course, Flowers and Hightower are proven commodities in their own right. If Flores does indeed send more rushers from the second level, Kyle Van Noy (sack, pressure), Chung and Bentley are off to a good start in the preseason.
The front seven’s contributions against the Eagles might have been a teaser to an improved pass rush this season.
FILM STATS
Coverage:
- Stephon Gilmore: 0 of 1, pass breakup
- Eric Rowe: 1 of 4, 15 yards, PBU
- Jason McCourty: 1 of 2, 4 yards, TD
- Keion Crossen: 4 of 7, 53 yards, PBU, 3 penalties
- Jomal Wiltz: 2 of 3, 53 yards, TD
- J.C. Jackson: 1 of 1, 57 yards
- Patrick Chung: 1 of 1, 28 yards
- Damarius Travis: 2 of 2, 45 yards, TD
- Eddie Pleasant: 0 of 1
- Jordan Richards: 0 of 1, PBU
- Ja’Whaun Bentley: 1 of 4, 16 yards, PBU
- Elandon Roberts: 0 of 2
- Christian Sam: 0 of 1, INT
Pressure:
- Adrian Clayborn: Sack, forced fumble, QB hit, 2 pressures
- Deatrich Wise: 2 QB hits, pressure
- Derek Rivers: Sack, 3 pressures
- Keionta Davis: 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits
- Trent Harris: ½ sack, QB hit, 2 pressures
- Geneo Grissom: 2 QB hits, pressure
- Eric Lee: QB hit
- Danny Shelton: Pressure, run stuff
- Adam Butler: Sack
- Vincent Valentine: Sack
- Ja’Whaun Bentley: Fumble recovery
- Elandon Roberts: QB hit
- Kyle Van Noy: Sack, pressure
- Keion Crossen: Run stuff
- Patrick Chung: Sack, FF, run stuff
Blocking:
- Trent Brown: 2 pressures
- Joe Thuney: Pressure
- Shaq Mason: 2 pressures
- LaAdrian Waddle: QB hit
- Isaiah Wynn: Pressure
- Ulrick John: QB hit, pressure
- James Ferentz: Sack, QB hit
(Top photo of Adam Butler sacking Nick Foles by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
