Jared Verse’s invisible speed could be the difference in Philadelphia

On By Littum

The Eagles have two very distinct rushing threats behind the line in Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. While Barkley has the top-end speed to make defenses pay if they don’t slow him down at the line of scrimmage, Hurts has the nimble speed to extend plays and allow him to advance the ball upfield if defenders stay in coverage.

When defenders, more importantly off-ball linebackers and defensive backs try to contain Hurts, Hurts simply throws the ball to the space the defender left, and given the talent and intelligence of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, both men will run to the spot before ball thrown in, leading to a completion.

The Rams have a neutralizing factor in Jared Verse, and his unsung speed could chase Barkley down while forcing Hurts to either make a throw under tremendous duress or simply contain the Eagles star quarterback while keeping defenders alert in coverage.

Talking about the speed of his star pass rusher, Sean McVay said, “I want to know why he didn’t hit 20 (mph). No, he’s a stud. I thought it was a great job. It was great by Ahkello (Witherspoon) to be able to force it was an excellent, relentless rush at Quentin lake to be able to pick it up. He sure thought he would much cooler stuff, but it looked pretty cool to me. He rolled. He’s a man, and he’s doing a great job.” That was in reference to Verse’s 57-yard fumble return touchdown against Minnesota, where Verse flashed a glimpse of his speed in open space, something he doesn’t get to do often.

McVay went on to say, “I knew about the speed that he hit, meaning he threw it for the touchdown yesterday. The guy plays so hard and that’s what you like. It represents our defense as a whole. I thought it was cool for him to get a touchdown like that. You look at the excitement and the energy it gave our football team. It was a huge play. I thought he made a huge impact on that game yesterday. Everyone got in on the party. He got his touchdown, and then everyone else got some in those sacks.”

Verse, the expected NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year will have the opportunity to show his skills against the man who has the best opportunity to dethrone him, Eagles DB Quinyon Mitchell.

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