Why former Eagles DC is getting last laugh in return to Philadelphia

Jonathan Gannon was a polarizing figure in Philadelphia, even during the Eagles' 2022 run to the Super Bowl.

As Eagles defensive coordinator, Gannon's unit tallied 70 sacks last season, the third most of all time. In Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs, however, Patrick Mahomes gashed the Eagles for 24 second-half points and threw for three touchdowns and only six incompletions.

Two days after the Super Bowl loss, the Arizona Cardinals gave many Eagles fans their wish by hiring Gannon as head coach.

"Obviously we didn't finish the job last year, which all of us have the taste in our mouth of, dang, wish we finished the job," Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told ESPN.com recently, "but there still were a lot of special moments last year and in 2021, and Jonathan Gannon was a big part of that."

Gannon makes his return to Philadelphia on Sunday, leading the 3-12 Cardinals against the 11-4 Eagles. It has been a long first season for Gannon in the desert, mainly due to franchise quarterback Kyler Murray missing the first nine games of the season after suffering a torn ACL last December.

Meanwhile, the Eagles are coming off a 33-25 win over the New York Giants that snapped a three-game losing streak. Philadelphia still has the inside track to win the NFC East, but its recent struggles on a certain side of the ball must be considered ironic.

Given the overall performance of Philadelphia's defense during Gannon's two seasons as coordinator, it's still puzzling why many celebrated his departure. 

Yes, the team got off to a slow start in 2021, Sirianni's first season as head coach. Philadelphia lost six of its first nine games with Gannon's defense allowing 24.2 points per game. Surprisingly, the Eagles won six of their next seven to clinch a wild-card berth in the NFC playoffs. Over those seven games, the defense was terrific, allowing 16.5 PPG. (The Eagles rested their starters in Week 18.) Still, Philadelphia was young and inexperienced, and it showed in a 31-15 wild-card loss to Tampa Bay.

In 2022, everything clicked for the Eagles. They won a franchise record 14 regular-season games on the strength of an outstanding offense and a strong defense. Philadelphia allowed 20.2 points per game in the regular season — eighth best in the NFL — and surrendered 14 points total in playoff wins over the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers.

This season, the Eagles offense has regressed only slightly, from 28.1 PPG in 2022 to 26.1 through 15 games. 

The defense, on the other hand, is allowing 24.4 PPG, 4.2 per game more than last season. The unit has cratered over the past five games, surrendering 30.8 PPG, despite adding a considerable amount of on-paper talent in the 2023 NFL Draft. To resolve the issue, Sirianni transferred play-calling duties from first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai to longtime New England assistant Matt Patricia, the failed former Detroit Lions head coach.

Although the Eagles are a double-digit favorite per DraftKings as of Friday, they shouldn't take the Cardinals for granted. 

In Murray's six starts, Arizona is averaging 20.6 points, up from 16.7 in the nine games he missed. 

Even if Gannon can't pull off the upset, the recent collapse of Philadelphia's defense should be enough to give him the last laugh.