Moro Ojomo is getting into Eagles opponents’ heads. His work is part of a D-line resurgence.
The defensive tackle's astute observations are just part of the picture that has helped fuel the Eagles' defensive strength.
Contrary to public perception, Moro Ojomo isn’t a mind reader.
But it seemed that way on Monday night. Late in the fourth quarter, the Packers were attempting to dig themselves out of a 10-7 deficit by deciding to go for it on fourth-and-1. Ojomo foiled their plans, though, and called out the precise play that would come after the snap.
“Inside zone this way!” Ojomo shouted loud enough to get picked up by ESPN’s microphones.
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Sure enough, Packers quarterback Jordan Love handed the ball off to running back Josh Jacobs, who attempted to scamper up the middle of the field. But the Eagles defensive front got uphill quickly thanks to Ojomo’s tip. Newcomer Jaelan Phillips put tight end Luke Musgrave on skates and wrapped up Jacobs 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage to further dim the Packers’ chance at a comeback.
The Eagles would have forced a turnover on downs regardless had Jacobs gone down short of the line to gain. But Reed Blankenship forced a fumble on Jacobs and recovered it himself to rub a little extra salt in the wound.
How did Ojomo know the play that was coming? Was it a superpower? Or something he saw in film study? Turns out, it was neither.
“On the touchdown drive that they had, they had called a play, and the quarterback came up and he said something,” Ojomo, the Eagles’ 2023 seventh-rounder out of Texas, explained on Wednesday. “And he basically did the exact same gesture. So I just remembered it happened one drive before.”
The play that Ojomo appeared to be referencing occurred on the Packers’ previous possession, which indeed resulted in a touchdown. On that drive, Jacobs had an 8-yard inside zone run preceded by Love communicating something to his teammates at the line of scrimmage, then tapping his right fist on his stomach as he backed up into the shotgun.
Love did the same before the failed fourth-down play. He spoke to his teammates at the line, then bumped himself in the stomach as he walked backward. Jacobs was less than enthused when Ojomo called out the play.
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“As a runner, it don’t ever feel good,” Jacobs said after the game. “Whenever they know what we’re doing, it don’t ever feel good, because it changed my mind on how I’m going to run the ball, if we’re being honest. It makes me guess what I’m going to do. Obviously, people are smart. If we’ve got code words or whatever, you hear it a few times, you’re going to eventually react to it. That’s football, but it’s never a good feeling.”
Ojomo is smart, but he isn’t the only player who has made a difference in the Eagles’ improved run defense over the last few weeks. Through the first six games of the season, Vic Fangio’s defense was conceding 4.7 rushing yards per attempt, which was the sixth-worst clip in the league in that time frame.
Over the last three games, though, the Eagles have improved to 3.7 yards per attempt against, which is tied for fourth-best in the league. The improvement comes down to the new personnel and a mindset shift, according to Ojomo.
“Jaelan Phillips is a hell of a run defender and he’s helped us a ton,” Ojomo said. “But before that, I think we had two back-to-back weeks which maybe were our first under-100-yard weeks. Nakobe Dean being back, I think that’s huge. I think he has a leadership role. I think also just the mentality, too, to be a dominant run-defending group.”
That dominant run-defending group will be put to the test on Sunday night when they face NFC offensive player of the week Jahmyr Gibbs and the Detroit Lions rushing attack. Gibbs, 23, is coming off a stellar performance against the Washington Commanders in which he posted 172 scrimmage yards (142 rushing, 30 receiving) and three scrimmage touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving).
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In Week 10, Gibbs led the NFC in scrimmage yards, rushing yards, rushing yards per attempt (9.5), and scrimmage touchdowns. Keeping Gibbs at bay is going to be key for the Eagles’ defense on Sunday, according to Ojomo.
“Every time the Lions have been held under 100 [rushing yards], they’ve lost their games,” Ojomo said. “And every time they’ve been over 109, they’ve won. So great defense starts with stopping the run.”
And stopping the run starts with smart players like Ojomo, who is eager to build on the team’s recent defensive strides when the Lions come to town on Sunday.
“It’s an exciting matchup, and I think we’re excited to come and stop the run vs. a team that’s committed to the run,” Ojomo said.