Finding success as a passing defense is very difficult in the NFL. A lot of the rules that have been implemented in recent seasons skew toward helping the offense as it has gotten tougher and tougher to slow down teams from scoring.
With the game turning into more of an aerial affair as well, teams must load up on defensive backs capable of making some plays and locking down wide receivers. Having one player shut down one side of the field is a nice advantage, but you need players capable of covering all over the field nowadays and more often than not, you need more than one.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one team that addressed that this offseason with their acquisition of James Bradberry. His bounce-back season is nightmare fuel for New York Giants fans as Bradberry was released as a cap casualty only to not only sign with a rival team but thrive.
Bradberry has looked just as good, if not better than he did in 2020, his first season with Big Blue when he made his first Pro Bowl. He has been everything the Eagles had hoped for as a complement to Darius Slay.
Slay was acquired from the Detroit Lions in 2020 as the Eagles were desperate for upgrades to their secondary. He has certainly lived up to expectations as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and in recent weeks, his performance has reached a truly elite level.
There is a strong argument that could be made that Bradberry and Slay are the best cornerback duo in the NFL. It is hard to argue against the numbers as PFF has both of them in the top three of lowest passer ratings allowed thus far this season. Slay is first at 36.2 and Bradberry is third with 38.4.
Opponents have found very little success throwing the ball against Philadelphia this season. They are currently first in the NFL with 12 interceptions and have allowed the third-fewest amount of yards despite having the sixth most passing attempts thrown against them.
The dominance of Bradberry and Slay is a big reason that the Eagles remain the last undefeated team in the NFL as they have an 8-0 record heading into their Week 10 matchup with the Washington Commanders.
