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Vic Fangio and the Defense is Stopping this Eagles Season from Becoming 2023 All Over Again
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The sky is falling in Philadelphia once again, as the Eagles have dropped three straight games and now sit at 8-5 on the season. A team once known for finding ways to win games at any cost is suddenly showing this knack in the opposite direction.
There have been vocal concerns that this current Eagles squad is representative of the 2023 team, which has become increasingly difficult to push back against. In both situations, the Eagles were on the back of a Super Bowl run, and even when the victories were piling up the results did not feel as comforting and conclusive as they should. The Eagles started the year 10-1 before losing five of their final six games and being blown out 32-9 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opening round of the playoffs. After getting off to an 8-2 start to this season, the Eagles have have some real soul-searching to do to get back on track.
But the one key difference between these two iterations of Eagles teams is the man pulling the defensive strings. Vic Fangio has provided stability at the defensive coordinator position that is proving to be the reason for belief. Even amid the stale and underwhelming offense, the Eagles’ defense has looked increasingly elite and will continue to provide a pathway to wins on a weekly basis.
During the Monday Night Football loss to the Chargers, Philadelphia limited Los Angeles to 275 total yards of offense despite losing the time of possession battle 38:05 to 29:26. They forced two turnovers, limited Justin Herbert to 139 yards passing, and sacked him seven times.
Looking on the broader scale of the season, Philadelphia ranks 22nd in the league in yards allowed, but just ninth in points conceded. They’ve given up the third-fewest passing touchdowns, rank fourth in opponents’ red-zone scoring percentage, and are tied for 14th in takeaways with 1.2 per game. The run defense still needs to improve, and they are not a perfect overall roster, but there is enough talent on this side of the ball to have legitimate belief in the defensive unit. Vic Fangio has built an identity of a bend-but-don’t break defense and has continually worked to bring in the personnel this requires. With Jalen Carter expected to make his return this season, there is still another level this collective unit could make.
To contrast this with the 2023 season, there was no flicker of hope for the collective defensive unit. The Eagles finished that season ranked 30th in points allowed and 26th in yards given up. They were shredded for the second-most passing touchdowns, ranked 23rd in turnovers forced, and 17th in sacks per game. They only held opponents below 20 points in three games all season, while allowing 30+ points in four of the final seven.
These defensive concerns became so significant that the Eagles elected to replace defensive coordinator Sean Desai with Matt Patricia in a desperate late effort. There was plenty of careful wording in an effort not to undercut Desai publicly, but the fact of the matter is Patricia took over the play calling responsibilities ahead of the Week 15 matchup with the Seahawks. For what it’s worth, Desai is currently the Senior Defensive Assistant Coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, who currently rank dead last in both points allowed and yards given up.
This is not to discount that there are legitimate concerns on this football team. Kevin Patullo has caught plenty of heat all season for the play-call decisions. Jalen Hurts is coming off likely the worst game of his NFL career, in which he had as many turnovers on Monday night as he did in the 12 games leading up to it. A.J. Brown does not look like the elite wide receiver he talks about himself as; Saquon Barkley is averaging fewer than half the yards per game he tallied last year, and the offensive line is the least cohesive and productive of a unit that has been seen on the Eagles in the better part of a decade.
But the defensive side of the football is a sure thing that looks to only be getting better. Vic Fangio has the unit firing on all cylinders, and they will continue to give this team opportunities to win football games. Identities of a team can shift quite drastically year-to-year, and the Eagles should accept the fate of being a defensive-minded team. If the offense can figure out some level of competency, there is a pathway to team success. This is especially the case in a wide-open NFC, and really the entire NFL, where no team is flawless this year.
This Eagles’ season very well may be a lost year. You could make a case that the offensive concerns are as significant as the defensive concerns were in 2023. But don’t bank on Vic Fangio’s unit rolling over in the way that occurred two seasons ago to any capacity. This defense is good enough to give the Eagles chances to win. It’s now on Jalen Hurts and the rest of the offense to take advantage of these opportunities and give this team some semblance of postseason hope.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.