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Jan 12, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) reacts against the Green Bay Packers during the second half in an NFC wild card game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Vic Fangio Isn't Expecting Sluggish Start From Eagles Defense

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Ed Kracz | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 11:44 AM ET

Fittingly enough, it was on Labor Day when Vic Fangio opened up about his defense’s labors through last season’s first four games, when he thought he knew what it was capable of but had to return to the drawing board during the bye week after a stumbling 2-2 start.

It wasn’t until Week 7 that his defense really found the legs that would carry them to the NFL’s top-ranked unit over the final 11 games of the year.

The Eagles defensive coordinator was asked on Monday what gives him the confidence that won’t happen this season. There are, after all, many moving parts on his side of the ball.

“I hope not,” he said. “I don't foresee that. I think that's overplayed a little bit, what happened those first four weeks. But no, I think we're ready to go. We still have a lot of guys that were here last year and guys that we expect to be improved from last year.”

Then he unpacked the first four games, when his D labored.

Vic Fangio Dissects Eagles 2-2 Start In 2024

Week 1 vs. Green Bay in Brazil. The defense gave up 414 total yards, including touchdown passes of 70 and 33 yards, though the Eagles won, 34-29.

“The first game last year, we probably did too much as coaches schematically, which somewhat was my fault,” said Fangio. “I gave up too many big plays because of things we weren't playing correctly. It was more so [that] than execution. It was execution, but we shouldn't have been playing them that early. I had too much confidence in what I thought they knew in that first game.”

Week 2 vs. Atlanta at the Linc. The defense surrendered 385 yards, then broke in the final two minutes, allowing the Falcons to drive 70 yards in 65 seconds to steal a 22-21 win.

“The second game, we just didn't play the run well,” said Fangio.

Indeed, Bijon Robinson had 97 yards rushing. As a team, the Falcons ran for 152.

Week 3 vs. the Saints in New Orleans. Fangio said he thought his defense played “great.” That they did, allowing just 219 yards in a 15-12 win. The Saints came in hot on offense, too, piling up 91 points in starting the season 2-0 before the Eagles’ defense crashed the party.

Week 4 vs. the Buccaneers in Tampa. Raymond James Stadium is a House of Horrors for the Eagles, and they get to play their game this year, again in Week 4. They can only hope it goes better this time around than a season ago. They were in a 24-0 hole before you could blink in what would turn into a 33-16 loss. The Eagles defense allowed 445 yards of offense and 29 first downs.

“In the fourth game, our entire team just got slaughtered,” said Fangio.

Week 5 vs. the Browns at the Linc. The defense gave up a drive that allowed Cleveland to pull within 20-16, but the offense never let the Browns get the ball back, running out the final 3:57 of the game.

“(You have to) learn from your mistakes, and there's a lot of things that we bring up as coaches that would be nice to do,” said Fangio. “But I’ve always got to say, we’ve got this young guy here and this young guy here. We’ve got to be careful.”

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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