With a banged-up offense, the Philadelphia Eagles defense needed to step up against the Buccaneers. They did not do that they did the opposite. The Eagles’ secondary got gashed by Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ passing attack. The Buccaneers came out more prepared and pounced on a sluggish Eagles team to start the game. This result makes the defensive performance against the Saints seem like an outlier that papered over the Eagles’ scheme and personnel issues.
The Philadelphia Eagles Defense Needs to Step Up
A Flawed Scheme
Veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was brought in to fix an Eagles defense that fell apart down the stretch. Fangio is a hugely influential defensive mind, whose scheme took over football a few years ago. However, the NFL is a cyclical league, and evidence began to show that offenses had figured out how to beat his scheme. Defenses from the Fangio tree struggled mightily in 2023, and teams began to move away from his style of defense. Sean Desai, the coordinator of the Eagles defense last year was a Fangio disciple. The new defensive meta has shifted, with Mike Macdonald’s Ravens defense from last year providing a blueprint.
The Fangio defense is too conservative, with not enough press coverage. They are giving teams too many easy completions to avoid big plays. This puts stress on the defense to make tackles, which the Eagles have not done. They missed 18 tackles on Sunday, which is unacceptable. Fangio’s defense has its flaws, but there are some things that no scheme can solve. Missed tackles and rushing the passer are two of those things. The Eagles have struggled tackling and getting pressure on the quarterback.
Underperforming Talent
The players on the Eagles’ defense are not doing Vic Fangio any favors. So far, Jalen Carter, Zach Baun, and Reed Blankenship have been the only standout performers. The rest of the unit has struggled. Free agent signing Bryce Huff has been particularly underwhelming. He has yet to register a pressure this season and is already losing snaps. He also deleted all Eagles-related content from his Instagram, showing his frustration. The Bryce Huff, and Hassan Reddick swap with the Jets has been a massive failure for all parties involved.
The secondary has also continued to struggle after a disastrous end to 2023. Veteran Darius Slay had a particularly rough game in Tampa, struggling to contain Mike Evans. After the game, Slay lashed out on X to remind fans of his achievements, before apologizing later. This has become all too familiar to fans, who appreciate Slay’s time in Philadelphia but also see his declining play. There are plenty of big names on the Eagles’ defense, but not enough of them are living up to the billing.
Moving Forward
Outside of the Saints’ game, the Eagles defense has been a mess. However, there is still plenty of time to fix things. As they head into the bye week, Fangio will have time to make adjustments. The players will also have time to rest and evaluate what they need to do moving forward. An elite defense is probably off the cards, but there is still time for the Eagles’ defense to become a solid unit.
Main Photo: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
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