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Much tougher test ahead for Eagles defense

Connor Barwin collected two more quarterback sacks Sunday, giving him a career-high and an NFC-high 121/2 this season, strengthening the case that there's no defensive player in the conference more versatile and valuable to his team. And he planned to celebrate his fine game, and the Eagles' 43-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans, by putting his feet up, flipping on his television, and forgetting everything that had just happened.

Connor Barwin celebrating a sack. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)
Connor Barwin celebrating a sack. (David Maialetti/Staff Photographer)Read more

Connor Barwin collected two more quarterback sacks Sunday, giving him a career-high and an NFC-high 121/2 this season, strengthening the case that there's no defensive player in the conference more versatile and valuable to his team. And he planned to celebrate his fine game, and the Eagles' 43-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans, by putting his feet up, flipping on his television, and forgetting everything that had just happened.

Barwin's agenda for his Sunday night comprised a single item: Watch Dallas. The Cowboys and the New York Giants were kicking off on NBC in a few hours in East Rutherford, N.J., and even if this weren't a short week for the Eagles, even if the schedule didn't demand that they move on quickly, there would be little for their defense to extract from Sunday's win.

The Titans aren't anything like the Cowboys, aren't close to the same caliber of opponent, and are so dissimilar in style that defensive coordinator Bill Davis said he wouldn't watch a minute of Sunday's game film. Barwin wouldn't, either. There was no time, not with that Thanksgiving matchup just three days away, and no point.

"We'll go right into installing the game plan," Barwin said. "We've watched some [Dallas] games because we play the same people they play, but I'll watch them on TV, which is a decent look, and we'll jump into them [Monday] morning."

They will need every possible second of preparation and more, because they will not have the same luxuries they had against Tennessee. The Titans offered a rookie quarterback with little mobility in Zach Mettenberger, an offensive line that predictably struggled to handle the Eagles' four-man pass rush, and an offensive scheme that Davis knew well. He coached with Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt for four years in Arizona and was familiar with the complex, vertical routes that Whisenhunt likes his receivers to run. The Titans' receivers ran those routes, affording the Eagles time to sack Mettenberger five times.

That was the good part Sunday. The less-good part was that, on those occasions that Mettenberger did have a few seconds to set his feet and throw the football, he racked up 345 passing yards on just 20 completions. The Titans managed all this production without having any appreciable success running the ball - they had 52 yards on 19 attempts - and against an Eagles defense that didn't have to blitz to create pressure.

Contrast the result Sunday, then, with what awaits the Eagles on Thursday: the NFL's leading rusher in DeMarco Murray; arguably the NFL's best and most physical wide receiver in Dez Bryant; arguably the NFL's best offensive line; a tight end in Jason Witten who is an eventual Hall of Fame inductee; and a quarterback in Tony Romo who, for all the criticism he gets and scrutiny he undergoes, presents a far greater challenge than Mettenberger - a 23-year-old neophyte making his fourth NFL start.

"He's one of the elites out there," cornerback Cary Williams said. "He's very talented. He's proven it. I think his statistics show that, too. Romo isn't just an average quarterback out there. He's a threat. He can run the ball. He can pass it. He can pass it outside the pocket. He can make plays outside the pocket. We understand that, and we understand the magnitude of this game and how crucial it is to our season."

In other words, Romo is nothing like the quarterback whom the Eagles just beat and a good bit like the quarterback who sliced them up last week in Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers. "I think [Mettenberger's] time of throwing the ball away was probably a little less than Aaron was a week ago," Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. "But I think our guys were relentless in going after it."

They could be relentless Sunday against Mettenberger, against a stationary target without Rodgers' or Romo's experience. But after 11 games, the Eagles' defense now has its identity: It has to generate a sustained pass rush, or else it leaves a suspect secondary - and now, suspect middle linebackers - vulnerable. Remember: Emmanuel Acho, who already had replaced DeMeco Ryans in the starting lineup, left Sunday's game with a groin injury. If Acho can't play Thursday, Davis said, rookie Marcus Smith will, and exactly how much film do you think Romo needs to watch before he decides that Witten just might be open a time or two?

So here's the conundrum for Davis, for Barwin, for the entire Eagles' defense ahead of Thursday: Do you come after Romo? Do you risk it? He might elude Barwin and Trent Cole and the rest of the Eagles' linemen and linebackers. The Cowboys' offensive line might prevent the Eagles from getting near Romo. Either development would be destructive.

But sitting back might be the worst choice of all. These aren't the 2-9 Tennessee Titans. This isn't a kid quarterback behind a wobbly bunch of blockers. These are the Dallas Cowboys, with first place in the NFC East in the balance. This is the decision that could define the Eagles' season.

Sack Attack is Back

After a quiet game against the Packers, when little went right in any phase of the game, the Eagles' pass rush returned to recent form Sunday against the Titans. Here are the Birds' sack numbers this season:

First 3 games: 3

Next 6 games: 29

Week 10 vs. Packers: 1

Sunday vs. Titans: 5EndText

@MikeSielski