In 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles had one of the better defenses in football, and that dominance was on full display in the team’s victory in Super Bowl 59.
The defense terrorized Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense, shutting them out for almost three quarters. Furthermore, they sacked Mahomes six times and forced him to turn the ball over three times, including two interceptions, one that Cooper DeJean returned for a touchdown.
However, the defense wasn’t always dominant. In fact, in the first four games, the defense struggled to stop teams. They weren’t stopping the run as they allowed over 100 yards rushing in three of their first four games. In addition, they allowed 22 points or more in three of their first four games, including 33 points in a loss to the Buccaneers in Week 4.
On Monday, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, a key figure in the team’s defensive strategy, discussed why the team struggled on defense during the first four weeks of last season.
“I just think the first game last year, we probably did too much as coaches schematically, which somewhat was my fault,” he said. “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.
“The second game, we just didn’t play the run well. The third game, I thought we played great, and then in the fourth game, our entire team just got slaughtered. Then I think the fifth game, we had a game come down to the wire against, I think it was Cleveland. It’s there, I’m not saying it wasn’t, but it wasn’t like suddenly a light went on.”
The defense didn’t just come together over time, they grew together. Their unity and growth are one of the reasons the Eagles are the defending champions entering the 2025 season.
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