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Vic Fangio Says Eagles Defense is Due for a Takeaway
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Vic Fangio was asked about takeaways at his midweek press conference:
Q. What are your thoughts on the lack of takeaways so far? (Christiaan DeFranco)
Vic Fangio: We’re due. We’re due.
Q. Any reason? (Christiaan DeFranco)
Vic Fangio: I don’t think so. I don’t think so.
Q. Do you worry about guys maybe trying to press too much if they don’t come? (Dave Zangaro)
Vic Fangio: A little bit. We have to tackle and not miss tackles because we’re trying to go for the ball. That bugs me.
The Birds are one of three NFL teams without a takeaway in 2026, joining the Commanders and Texans. Washington was near the bottom of the league in 2025 in this category, but the Texans were very good, and the Eagles a top half team, so it’s interesting to see Houston and Philly bringing up the rear right now.
It’s only two games, of course, but if you go back a year, the Birds had an interception and fumble recovery through Week 2, and in the Super Bowl year, 2024, they picked off Jordan Love in Sao Paulo to begin the season.
The good thing is that the Birds’ offense has only turned the ball over twice, with Jalen Hurts’ interceptions in Tennessee, so the Birds are just -2 in turnover differential. That number could be a lot worse. The defense has forced a pair of fumbles, which were recovered by the opposition. They also had to chase around a couple of young and shifty quarterbacks in Jayden Daniels and Cam Ward, which is worth mentioning. They’ve allowed 21.0 points per game and 293 yards per game, which are both inside of the top 12, so those numbers look typical.
For what it’s worth, the Eagles finished in a five-way tie for 10th place last season with 21 takeaways. In the Super Bowl year, they were 6th overall, with 26 takeaways. Then they had a ridiculous 13 takeaways in the 2024 postseason, which is something you’ll probably never see again. They picked off Love, Daniels, and Patrick Mahomes six times and recovered 7 fumbles.
The Birds’ first takeaway of the season might come on Monday night in Chicago, with a backup quarterback under center.
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com