Eagles defense enjoying a resurgence under Vic Fangio

The offseason switch in offensive and defensive coordinators was a major headline of the Eagles' offseason. After a first-round loss to the Bucs ended a disappointing 2023 season, the team brought in longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to spearhead the Philly defense.  

Many pondered if Fangio’s dated yet proven schemes would hold up in the modern NFL upon his hiring. Through 12 games with the Eagles, his defense has put all doubt to bed.  

So far this season, Philly is allowing just 18.2 points per game, fourth fewest in the NFL. Philly has been especially stingy in the secondary, allowing just 178 passing yards per game, which is third-fewest in the league.  

On Sunday, the Eagles defense put on its best performance of the season against reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Baltimore entered the game second in the league in points and first in total yardage but was held to 19 points against Philly — the final score coming with three seconds remaining.  

"This is a good defense,” linebacker Zach Baun said after the game. “We hold our heads high. I think we earned the right to have some confidence, going into any game.” 

“I think a lot of guys in this defense and this team have been underdogs for a long time. Having that chip on their shoulder — I know have, I know Nakobe has, and a lot of these linebackers are. [We're] just playing aggressive. We want to grind on teams, we want to wear them out, and that's what we did." 

The defense hasn’t been perfect, but they have been a vast improvement over last year’s unit. Under Fangio, the defense has been much more aggressive and seems more confident in the scheme being executed than a season ago.  

Through Week 12 last season, the Eagles allowed 24+ points four times and surrendered an average of 274 yards per game. So far this season, in the same amount of games, Philly has yielded 24+ points just twice and has not done so since Week 4 against Tampa Bay.  

While the entire unit deserves credit for the impressive output this season, the Philly defense has been anchored by its young core. Former first-rounder Jalen Carter has been a wrecking ball in the middle, Nakobe Dean has emerged in his second season, and 2024 NFL Draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have been better than advertised in their rookie seasons. Plus, free agent signee Zach Baun is playing like a legitimate All-Pro candidate at linebacker.  

“I have the mindset that nobody can juke me out,” said Carter, who, despite routinely drawing double teams Sunday, had three tackles-for-loss and hit Jackson twice. “I see what he can do. I see all the film. But he had an opportunity to try to break that tackle, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I talked about it all week: ‘If he tries to escape on me, I’m not letting him go.” 

While Carter’s emergence has helped inspire the Eagles' defensive turnaround, Fangio’s influence should not be overlooked. Fangio, 66, has over 33 years of NFL coaching experience. His defenses have finished in the top 10 in points allowed eight times and in the top 10 in yards allowed 10 times. Now, as defensive coordinator for the Eagles, Fangio appears to have conjured up yet another top-10 defense.  

Even with the stylistic, schematic changes NFL offenses have undergone in the last decade, Fangio has still managed to create defenses to counter them. 

"We have a system that is versatile, we like to think,” Fangio said at his introductory Eagles news conference. “It needs to be versatile because every week you're facing different strengths of an offense, different schemes. You have to have a versatile system for the offenses today in the NFL. What we'll eventually do is learn what our guys are best at." 

Just as he has throughout his career, Fangio has proven to be adept at in-game adjustments in Philly. The Eagles’ defense shut down the Ravens in the second half, limiting Baltimore to field goal attempts and following up Saquon Barkley's fourth-quarter touchdown with a massive third-down stop that saw rookie Cooper DeJean uproot Derrick Henry via a crushing open-field tackle. 

Two weeks ago, the Eagles took down the rival Commanders by keeping them off the scoreboard almost entirely in the second half. Last week, Philly stifled Matthew Stafford and the Rams to secure a win in Los Angeles. The recurring theme in each victory was Fangio’s ability to limit the opposing teams’ biggest strengths.  

Now, after holding the No. 1 offense to just 19 points — on the road, no less — the Eagles defense has established itself as one of the NFL’s best and a legitimate reason to believe in the Eagles as Super Bowl contenders.