Vic Fangio Challenges the Eagles’ Pass Rush

In the season opener, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense held the Washington Commanders to 22 points, with fewer than 165 passing yards, on their way to a 24-22 victory. Despite the win, Vic Fangio was not thrilled with the performance of the pass rush.

“I thought our pass rush overall, when our guys that mainly rushed the passer, was inconsistent and really wasn’t good enough,” Fangio said. “There’s a lot of reasons here and there. Mobile quarterback plays into that. We just didn’t win enough of our one-on-ones across the board.”

Daniels’ pocket presence was on point on Sunday, consistently avoiding would-be tacklers and extending plays, whether by rolling out to give his receivers more time to create separation or picking up chunk yardage with his legs. The only sack that Daniels took was off a blitz, where Jihaad Campbell burst off the edge with great bend and wrapped him up. Even with the inability to sack, the Eagles’ defensive line still made Daniels’ life difficult in the pocket.

The Eagles pressured Jayden Daniels on 19 of his 38 dropbacks, with the 50% pressure rate tying the highest-pressure rate Daniels has ever faced in one game. The 19 pressures is the 2nd-most in an Eagles game since Fangio took over as the defensive coordinator.

Jalyx Hunt had an insane 29.6% pass rush win rate, the highest rate in the NFL, as the first glimpse that his breakout training camp will translate directly into the regular season. Nolan Smith also had a 20% pressure rate, fifth highest in Week 1.

Jonathan Greenard changes the equation

After being acquired by the Eagles and given a four-year, $100 million contract extension, Greenard suffered a pectoral strain during weightlifting that held him out from all of training camp. Greenard made his return to practice on the Wednesday prior to the opener as a limited participant but was ruled out for the game. 

Adding Greenard, who recorded 12-plus sacks in 2023 and 2024, gives Fangio a proven play-finisher in an edge room that has shown the ability to create pressure. Greenard gave an optimistic response on when he will make his season debut for the Eagles.

“Obviously, it’s not 100% but in a pretty good spot, though, where I’m confident where I feel at,” Greenard said. “We’re close, I know that.”