Eagles-Packers Film Review: How about Nolan Smith?!

Defensive analysis from Philadelphia’s Wild Card win over Green Bay.

Unlike the Eagles-Packers offensive film review article, this one has much less controversy. This was an outstanding defensive performance in the first half, but there were a couple of errors in the second half, which allowed the Packers to get back into the game. Despite the mistakes, this was still a top performance against a good offense. Let’s get into it.

Defense

The Eagles’ use of rotation from a 4-man to a 5-man front was exceptional in this game. Zack Baun may be the most schematically important defender in the league. I’m not kidding. He can play the run as an EDGE defender, but he can also drop back into coverage as he does here! The Eagles’ first defensive drive was a clinic in how-to-play zone match coverage. The Packers couldn’t get anything going. The route distribution and communication in the secondary was fantastic.

The Packers have an outstanding running game, and the Eagles’ defensive line won the battle in the trenches. Except for one long run we will get into later, the Eagles’ run defense was excellent. I thought the Eagles’ defensive tackles were good against the run, but the secondary also did their bit. Quinyon Mitchell had two excellent tackles on Josh Jacobs in the open field, which was outstanding to see. The Eagles’ run defense has been let down by the secondary at times in the past few years, but this current secondary is very effective. That’s the benefit of having two young, fast rookies in the secondary!

If you don’t get the joke in the tweet, this is why…

Seriously, how can anyone watch football and rank anyone above Lane Johnson? It’s mystifying.

Moving back to the defense. How about Nolan Smith?! He has fully made the second-year leap. Many of you will know I have always been a skeptic. I will never shy away from my opinions. However, even when I didn’t think he was playing well, I have always maintained that his work ethic and athleticism are rare and could enable him to become a great all-around player. Here is my summary of his rookie season film review

This is a very obvious statement, but while you can teach technique, you cannot teach athleticism. Nolan Smith has the kind of athleticism that was worthy of a 1st round pick. If he works hard on his technique as a pass rusher, there is no reason why he can not be a valuable pass rusher moving forward.

The athleticism was on show here. Beating the right tackle is great. Tackling Jordan Love in the open field is outstanding.

Darius Slay’s injury issues have been annoying this season. It feels like he is constantly in and out of the lineup. Despite this, it feels like he has been as good as ever this year when he is on the field. He is an excellent fit for Fangio’s defense, and even at 34, he can make plays like this! This is one of the most impressive plays an outside cornerback can make. Fangio’s defense is all about crowding the passing strength side. One of the problems of this style is that it can leave the defenders on the weak side to play a lot of one-on-one coverage. This requires your defenders on the weak side to be excellent. Slay is excellent here!

I can’t express how upset I am about Nakobe Dean’s injury. He has been playing at an extremely high level over the past month. It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed watching two Eagles linebackers play this much. Both Baun and Dean have been so much fun to watch. They are excellent in coverage. Aggressive and physical against the run. I think both have leadership qualities, too. Baun’s recognition of running plays is so quick it’s almost absurd. How the hell has this guy never made it as a linebacker until the age of 28? It’s hard to believe.

I realize I tweeted the wrong play out here. This was supposed to be the play that Dean got hurt on, where he read the short pass and blew it up quickly. Instead, my fascination with Jalen Carter got the better of me, because I decided to post a play of Jalen Carter blowing through a double team. There are worse plays you could look at, aren’t there?!

Let’s talk about the Eagles’ linebackers. Oren Burks didn’t have his best game. Nakobe Dean was playing lights out. That’s a real shame. I won’t get into the long-term consequences of Dean’s injury (it sucks), but from a short-term perspective, it could harm the Eagles’ defense. I think I would start Oren Burks on Sunday, but I would have him on a short leash. if he struggles again, I would not hesitate to give Jeremiah Trotter Jr. a chance. For all of the Eagles’ great defensive play this week, the biggest issue was probably open-field tackling. Jayden Reed and Josh Jacobs are very elusive, but you would expect most good NFL offenses to have players who can break tackles. Oren Burks takes a horrible angle here. Open-field tackling is all about taking the right angles and allowing other players in the secondary to rally to the football. The worst thing you can do as a linebacker is charge toward the ball, miss the tackle (and take out the other linebacker in the process), and not slow down the ball carrier. Burks manages to do all of those three things.

The same Jalen Carter play from earlier? Why not. Enjoy it again.

I say the same thing about Zack Baun every single week. I’ve got nothing else to add. I’ve seen some people say this week that he will be too expensive to bring back. I rarely say this about anyone, but the Eagles have to do everything within their power to bring him back. Baun must play for the Eagles next year. It’s that simple. I don’t want to hear anything about how Fangio has developed Baun and Dean, and therefore, he can develop another unknown next season. That’s nonsense. I’m not sure there’s another linebacker in the league with his current skill set. He’s a freak. Just look at the instincts in coverage to step in front of the deep dig.

Remember what I said earlier about the Eagles’ defense flooding the strong side and leaving the weak side defenders in one-on-one coverage? Well, here’s the negative of that style of defense. When you have a weak link, teams will look to exploit it. If Burks does start on Sunday, I would expect Sean McVay to isolate him a lot on the backside of Trips. The good news is that Vic Fangio knows this, too, and I expect him to have a plan! Fangio’s individual game plans have been exceptional this season. McVay is an exceptional offensive mind, but I expect Fangio to be prepared. It should be a fascinating game on Sunday.

Go back to the start of the season when the Eagles’ run defense was an issue. The biggest problem was the Eagles’ defensive line slanting aggressively to try and make a play in the backfield. The Eagles have stopped doing this as a unit, but occasionally, individual defenders will still do it. I don’t mind, but it can leave a gap in the B-gap just like it does here. All it takes is a couple of minor errors against an outstanding back like Jacobs.

We haven’t seen many 3-man rushes like this! I can’t decide if it is a 3-man rush or if Josh Sweat is supposed to rush after chipping the tight end, but it works out perfectly! The Eagles get two one-on-one matchups, and Milton Williams and Nolan Smith win. Milton Williams was outstanding in this one, and he’s been outstanding over the past couple of months, too. He’s going to get paid by someone, and he deserves it.

Williams is fantastic, and the Eagles usually prioritize defensive linemen, but if I can only extend one player with a huge contract, then I’m extending Baun. Seriously, just look at this. He’s covering a receiver all the way down the field with ease! He’s done this multiple times this year, and it impresses me every single time.

Oh, and this receiver is Bo Melton. I’m sure he must be slow if a linebacker is running with him down the field, right? Let’s google it.

Bo Melton, a wide receiver from Rutgers, ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.

Oh. Enough said.

Lastly, I am so glad Quinyon Mitchell finally got his interception. He’s played so well, and he deserved this one.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.