The most surprising thing about Eagles' hot defensive start

It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast. 

With a new coordinator, a new scheme, a new coaching staff and seven new starters, it was fair to expect a year of growing pains from the Eagles’ defense while the offense carried the Eagles.

Here we are nine weeks into the season, and the Eagles are 3^rd in points allowed, 3^rd in yards allowed, 5^th against the run, 7^th against the pass, 5^th in first downs allowed and 6^th in the red zone.

During this four-game winning streak, the defense has been spectacular, allowing just 11 ½ points and 215 yards per game.

This is only the third Eagles defense in the last 70 years to allow four or fewer offensive touchdowns and fewer than 900 scrimmage yards in a four-game span. They also did it during the 2017 championship season. The only other Eagles defense with a four-game streak like this over the last 70 years was the legendary 1991 group.

Over these last four games, the Eagles have allowed an NFL-low 3.95 yards per play and an NFL-low five plays of 20 yards or more. 

What’s remarkable about all this is that the Eagles have the youngest defense in the NFL. 

On Sunday, their oldest starter was 27-year-old Zack Baun, who’s a few months older than Josh Sweat. According to the Stathead database, it was the first time in Eagles history they played a meaningful game without a starter older than 27.

“I don't typically like being the oldest guy,” Baun said with a laugh. “But this time I’ll take it.”

The Eagles’ 11 starters in the win over the Jaguars averaged 24.4 years old. The next-oldest starting defenses in Week 9 belonged to the Giants (25.3), Chiefs (25.6), Cards (25.7) and Rams (26.0). Even when 33-year-old Darius Slay is healthy and starts over Isaiah Rodgers, the Eagles are still the NFL’s youngest defense at 25.0.

“I think that's credit to the guys they bring in,” Baun said. “We're all hungry like we've been in this league a long time, even though most of us haven’t.

“And Coop and Q (Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell), they might be rookies, but they sure don’t act like it. Everyone acts like a veteran no matter how long they’ve been here.

“Just the way everyone approaches this thing, we have high expectations. So it's like you can't come in and be messing around. Act like a professional no matter how many years you have, and these guys all do that.”

In wins over the Browns, Giants, Bengals and Jaguars, the Eagles have faced 41 drives and allowed two or fewer first downs on 31 of them. Those 41 drives have resulted in four TDs, five field goals, two missed field goals, 20 punts, four takeaways, two failed fourth downs, two ends of the first half and two ends of the game.

This is elite defense over a month going into a game against the 20^th-ranked Cowboys offense missing its quarterback.

Vic Fangio said he doesn’t look at how young this defense is, just how talented they are.

“I don't see it as an age thing or an experience thing,” he said. “I see it as a production thing. Who can play the best? And we put them out there regardless.

“Yeah, would you like experienced guys right in the middle of the prime of their career, 11 of those? Sure you would. But in today's day and age, that's not going to happen very often, but we are not afraid to play young players. I never have been. Never will be. So as long as they can do their job.”

You look at this group and Nakobe Dean has 12 career starts, Quinyon Mitchell and Jalen Carter eight starts, Cooper DeJean three, Nolan Smith two.

Even guys we think of as veterans – Jordan Davis has 30 career starts, Reed Blankenship 27, Baun 22, Milton Williams 17.

DeJean is 21, Dean, Mitchell, Smith, Carter and Moro Ojomo are 23, Jordan Davis and Sydney Brown 24, Williams and Blankenship 25, Rodgers, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Bryce Huff 26, Josh Sweat and Baun 27.

“I think really the older guys in our room, them having trust in us to go out there and do our job on the field is huge,” DeJean said. “Them teaching us throughout the week, helping us prepare. They've been doing that since we got here. That's been a big part of it. When you’re a young guy and the older guys trust you, that’s big.

“And we’ve got some great coaches that have helped us prepare for this moment. We've got a lot of young guys but a lot of guys who are eager to learn and have learned in the sense that I have and to help put a good product out there.”

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