This year’s Philadelphia Eagles’ defense showed one of the time-old adages to be true.
We all know that it’s not offense that wins championships. In general, the passing game has been down this year. But still, many expected Patrick Mahomes to show why he’s in GOAT conversations. Fortunately for the Philly faithful, a certain defensive coordinator had entirely different ideas.
Vic Fangio remains the unsung hero. He orchestrated a fantastic performance from his unit. They were able to accumulate six sacks and 15 pressures. But more impressively, they did so without needing to send an extra man. In short, the Eagles won the battle in the trenches.
It’s often a gamble either way. There is something of a false choice. In most cases, teams will elect to sit back and let Mahomes pick them apart. Conversely, sending extra bodies often gives the Chiefs’ QB easy reads. Either way, the completions usually lead to large chunk gains.
Coach Fangio flipped the script on this narrative. Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense only sent four. But in order to do so, a team needs quality defensive linemen. Fortunately for them, the roster has exactly that. Coaches will often preach about lane gap integrity, but it was on full display.
Masterpiece by the Philadelphia Eagles Defense
A lot of teams fall short here. This often leads to the Kansas City QB taking off or extending for plays downfield. Unfortunately, when playing Mahomes, even if a defense does this well, that’s only the first part.
Coach Sirianni explained afterward while sitting down with NFL Gameday reporters, “We had to be able to play the second play that he’s so good at.” This is what separated the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Opposing teams often see the Chiefs’ QB1 evade the initial pressure only to comfortably make a dynamic play.
However, until late in the fourth quarter, this was far from the case during Super Bowl LIX. Instead, the onslaught of rushers proved to be too much for Mahomes to get into a rhythm. The escape valve was sealed off. Additionally, the numbers and coverage held up, and any hot reads were taken away. It doesn’t happen without the likes of Josh Sweat, Jalen Carter, Milton Williams, and Jordan Davis.
It takes special athletes to win one-on-one matchups against opposing offensive linemen. Players need to be able to do this while also being quick, fast, and agile enough to catch up to and force contact on Mahomes.
Finally, this unit saw a boost in welcoming back Brandon Graham. The savvy vet added another ring to his collection after coming off of the injured reserve. Case in point: the 36-year-old didn’t record a sack or QB hit, but rest assured #15 felt his presence. And this illustrates the overall concept. It’s not always about who has the most numbers or flashy plays.
Instead, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense proved to be better fundamentally. The sum of the parts and all 11 working in conjunction together ultimately allowed for there to be a new reigning champ in the NFL.
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