R1 The Eagles’ offense may still be shaky and inconsistent, but Vic Fangio’s defense is quietly playing at a championship level — and it might be enough to fuel a serious push for a Super Bowl repeat.
Even though the Philadelphia Eagles seem to feel disrespected, their defense still looks like the real deal. And though the offense is shaky, Vic Fangio’s defense is good enough to push for a Super Bowl repeat.

It seems like the Eagles have somehow managed to fly under the radar. They stand at 11-5, became the first NFC East repeat champion in over two decades, and are still the defending Super Bowl champions. And yet, people look at the offense and hold their nose.
How good is Eagles DC Vic Fangio’s defense?
The Eagles rank No. 13 in the NFL in terms of yards allowed. They are a top-10 unit against the pass. But the ugly game against the Bears helped push them to No. 21 versus the run.
So what is the bottom line? How about giving up only 18.8 points per game? That ranks No. 3 in the NFL. And that’s how even a shaky offense can still be good enough to win games.
Fangio said he sees similarities to last year, according to philadelphiaeagles.com.
“In that this time last year, you know, we had a lot of turnover in personnel from the previous year,” Fangio said. “You had (Zack) Baun, nobody knew what he was at this point last year … Nakobe (Dean), who hadn’t played any meaningful NFL football in his first two years. (Linebacker) Oren Burks, who we had just signed. You had Isaiah Rodgers, who we had just signed …(Moro) Ojomo, who didn’t play hardly at all in his rookie year. You had Nolan (Smith), who didn’t play hardly at all in his rookie year. We got Chauncey (C.J. Gardner-Johnson) back. We drafted Q (Quinyon Mitchell), Cooper (DeJean), Jalyx (Hunt). We had a lot of question marks at that time.
“This year, those names are replaced. And I don’t know how that’s going to turn out. But I look at it like it’s basically the same one year to the next. The names have changed. Hopefully, we’ll get the same results from these new guys like we got from a lot of the new guys last year.”
Fangio said this year’s unit has improved as the season has progressed. The Buffalo Bills can attest to that. They got shut out in the first half. And they managed a season-low 12 points. It looked ugly for the Bills’ offense. Josh Allen looked human. And the Eagles had everything to do with that.
Defensive tackle Jordan David said it has been a work in progress.
“It took us some time to get things together, build our chemistry, and just, you know, work with each other the way we wanted,” Davis said. “For me, I came into the season as the veteran in the (defensive tackle) room. And I wondered how that would go. And so I learned a lot early on. It’s been a positive, having us all grow together. We have a lot of young guys here. And we have taken steps to success together.”
Where do the Eagles stand now?
The Eagles are feeling themselves a little. They’re coming off a good game against the Bills. But if they get run over by a team like the Bears again, all bets are off. The Bears steamrolled them for 281 yards rushing earlier this season.
“You’re only as good as your last game, your last rep,” Mitchell said. “You have short-term memory in this game. So the work never ends until you have played your last game.”
But Fangio will likely have his defense ready when the playoffs arrive. That’s why he is no stranger to praise, according to NBC Sports.
“(Fangio) stays relevant because he’s good at his job (and) how he’s able to adapt with the times,” Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt said. “He has a way he likes to play defense, but he doesn’t force players to convert their playing styles. He just uses our playing styles to the benefit of the entire defense.”
And Fangio has learned a lot through the years, cornerback Adoree’ Jackson said.
“One reason Vic is still successful is that he’s been through a lot of different eras of football and coached a lot of great players,” Jackson said. “And when you have that as well as the willingness to want to learn and the humility to put the right pieces around you that may be opposite of how you coach, you’re going to have success.”
Plus, he has an ear to the players, DeJean said.
“The biggest thing with him is he listens,” Cooper DeJean said. “He listens to us and our input on the defense and certain calls and what we like, what we don’t like. And I think that’s a big thing. And he’s always making sure everybody’s on top of their stuff, giving constant reminders in the meeting rooms. It seems like he’s having fun coaching us.”
What will the Eagles face in the playoffs?
Maybe their best road would begin with the Packers. They would need to be the No. 2 seed to get them.
A first-round matchup against the 49ers, Rams, or Seahawks would be the toughest from a matchup standpoint. The Bears might be their kryptonite.
But the Eagles seem to have enough defensive moxie to reach the Super Bowl once again.

