The Atlanta Falcons have tried to build great defensive lines and fallen short, and they’ve neglected the line in favor of building a dominant offense or trying to stock the secondary. They’ve had varying levels of success with those approaches, but the consistent lack of a pass rush and the kind of line that simply makes life hell for opponents has been glaring, and it has played a very real (and much-lamented) role in the way they’ve fallen short for years now.
The Philadelphia Eagles won for multiple reasons last night—Jalen Hurts had an impressive game, their cornerbacks made some heroic plays—but the standout story was their defensive front.