It’s well documented that the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles led the league in pressures on passing plays in 2017. They were one of two teams that accumulated over 300 pressures, racking up 342 total, 35 more than the runner-up. With a league-leading pressure rate (41%), the Eagles were able to consistently swarm opposing quarterbacks despite one key fact. They don’t blitz. Well, they don’t blitz very often.
According to Pro Football Focus the Eagles ranked 27th in blitz frequency, bringing an extra blitzer only 22.5% of the time. There are several reasons why the Eagles could afford to play conservative.