The Eagles definitely have something with their defensive tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson. These guys are winning the battle upfront against the run and it's solved the Eagles run defense problems. Trent Cole has come into his own and is headed to the Pro Bowl.
We’ve got to give a pat on the back to the entire defense which held Vikings rookie Superstar Adrian Peterson, in check. They held him to a 3.5 yard per carry average which is an outstanding effort when you look back and how he ran through other defenses.
Defensive end Trent Cole continued his big year by notching a couple of sacks. Cole also did a good job helping out against Peterson. As I said earlier, Trent continues to play like he wants to make a trip to Hawaii for his first Pro Bowl. He's got a motor that never turns off. Each of his sacks were integral in halting Vikings drives. Juqua Thomas and Jevon Kearse also contributed sacks which came in key situations.
I liked what I saw from 2nd year outside linebacker Chris Gocong. He did a good job keeping contain against the ever dangerous Peterson. He’s a very physical player who seems to be getting better with time. Omar Gaither isn't great but he's doing a good job at the middle linebacker slot.
The Eagles defense has played well for the most of the season but they’ve got to start getting some turnovers. They’re going to need to shorten the field for the offense if they’re going to have any chance of beating some of the really good teams on their upcoming schedule.
Finally I’ve got to single out punter Sav Rocca who got a hold of a couple of 60 plus yard punts which pinned the Vikings back in their side of the field. Rocca beat out Dirk Johnson because of those booming kicks, so it was good to seem some of them show up with the game on the line.
