The legend of Jalen Carter has continued to grow each weekend as his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, progressed closer and closer to the Super Bowl. Now that the Eagles officially secured a berth to the biggest dance of all with a 55-23 win over the Washington Commanders, our football-hungry nation has turned its focus to the young man from Apopka, Florida.
His breakthrough into the nation’s consciousness proved to be ever so timely after former Eagles fullback Jon Ritchie made a series of bold predictions ahead of the Eagles’ Wild Card matchup. “He’s about to explode into national conscience this weekend, next weekend, the weekend after that because he’s going to be making ridiculous plays that help our team in the postseason,” Ritchie gushed on his podcast.
Approaching Greatness
Those apparent calls to action buoyed the Eagles’ first round pick and the following week, in the Divisional Round, Carter wrote another chapter in his football journey. He logged two tackles for a loss, three hits on the quarterback, a forced fumble and two crucial game-saving plays including a sack on the last and desperate drive of the Los Angeles Rams. His team, the NFL’s number one rated defense, held the Rams under 300 yards. On the final third down of the game, he went on to sack Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. He followed that up immediately on the last desperation fourth down, when he rushed the quarterback, forcing Stafford to throw a heave so desperate that it would only be recorded for posterity as an incomplete pass.
Carter put his stamp on the denouement of the divisional game against the NFC’s L.A. Rams. The Eagles faced a formidable foe in the NFC Divisional round, and just when it seemed the Eagles had put them away, the Rams kept making run after run until they closed the gap to 22-28. That’s the closest they would get, however. Carter’s decisive plays allowed his team to quell any last sign of life from Los Angeles, effectively slaying the Rams.
The Eagles are the number one defense in the league. Jalen Carter is that defense’s anchor. As multiple Super Bowl winning Head Coach Jimmy Johnson says, “he is one of the most dominant players I’ve ever seen.” Indeed Carter demands so much attention, especially with the game-changing plays he’s produced of late. When he is double teamed, it allows his teammates to have more freedom to play their game aggressively. Defensive end Josh Sweat and linebacker Nolan Smith will only be facing single coverage as they attack on the pass rush.
Onward to Glory
It was strength on strength as the Eagles’ defense went up against the Washington Commanders’ defense. Washington loves to run the zone read. The Eagles successfully played underneath coverage with Carter asphyxiating the quarterback, allowing his linebackers and cornerbacks to settle in to their coverage and play one on one. When you have a stud on the front lines, it makes the job that the back lines of defense perform become much easier. The postgame stats of the NFC Championship game almost mirrored the game stats against the Rams. The Commanders finished with around 300 yards. The box score shows 350 total yards, but a good part of those took place after the game was out of reach; the Eagles approached 500 yards yet again, finishing with 459 yards.
The Commanders’ offense that looked so punishingly unstoppable against their previous opponents in these playoffs was limited to just a few big plays. Likely Rookie of the Year, Jayden Daniels’ notoriously hard-to-defend option plays looked uncannily limited in options. Daniels’ number one target and one of the greatest deep threats in the league, dynamic wide receiver Terry McLaurin only caught three passes for 51 yards.
The coverage responsibility against McLaurin falls on the cornerbacks and safeties. Carter is in the trenches, effectively the first layer, his imposing presence causes a ripple effect that enables the second and third layers of the defense to flourish. The nation is taking notice of just the degree to which Carter impacts a game. When Carter is on the field, you can count on the defense to do something special. Former Eagles’ offensive lineman, Brian Baldinger raves, “he’s got movement, balance, pass rush…and then he’s just flat-out nasty. I don’t know if we’ve seen a guy have that type of power. You can’t knock him off his feet.” As imposing as Carter is individually, he makes his presence felt as a key element of a powerful combined force. The mark of a successful defender in the NFL is when the entire squad gets kudos for the success it is having working together as a unit. Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a finalist for the Assistant Coach of the Year award. NFL.com raves about Fangio: “(He transformed) the unit into an elite squad in his first season.”
We have yet to see if Jalen Carter can stay consistent enough to join another alum of Apopka High School in the Hall of Fame someday, former Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive lineman Warren Sapp. Sapp had this to say: “you gotta show up and show out.” Jalen Carter will get that chance on February 9th when his Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs for bragging rights in Super Bowl LIX.