For the Philadelphia Eagles, whatever problems the defense may have seemed to have early in the season have been ironed out over the last 14 games by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
In Week 15, what we got to see was a finely-tuned machine — a unit that not only pitched a much-needed shutout of the Las Vegas Raiders in a 31-0 victory but made NFL history in the process.
“The Eagles defense allowed just 75 total yards in the win over the Raiders,” NFL reporter Jeff Kerr wrote on X on Monday, December 15. “Fewest yards allowed in a game in the Super Bowl era. Fewest yards allowed in a game since Week 11 of the 1955 season (faced the Chicago Cardinals).”
More importantly than setting records, the win snapped a 2-game losing streak for the Eagles, who are now 9-5 and in first place in the NFC East Division as they try to win a second consecutive Super Bowl.
Holding the Raiders to just 75 yards of total offense wasn’t the only remarkable thing the Eagles did against the Raiders.
“Per Next Gen Stats, the Eagles are the first NFL team this year to not miss a single tackle attempt in a game,” NFL reporter Fran Duffy wrote on X. “Tackling was a huge strength of last year’s Super Bowl defense. The guys in the back seven are finishers.”
Fangio at Heart of Bone-Crushing Philly Defense
Fangio, 67 years old, has been the driving force behind why the Eagles have been so dominant on defense the last 2 seasons.
The Eagles hired Fangio as defensive coordinator in 2024 after he spent one season as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2023. The Eagles are the fifth NFL team Fangio has served as defensive coordinator dating back 30 years following stints with the Carolina Panthers (1995-1998), Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001), Houston Texans (2002-2005) and Dolphins.
He also served as the defensive coordinator in college for one season, at Stanford in 2010, and was head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019 to 2021.
In an interesting twist, Fangio winning a title in 2024 with the Eagles wasn’t the first time he’s won a championship in Philadelphia. He was the defensive coordinator for the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in 1984 when they won the championship in 1984.
“The Eagles’ 31 to 0 win over the Raiders was the largest shutout win for the Eagles in 35 years,” NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark wrote on X. “The Eagles held the Raiders to 75 total yards. Fewest total yards for the Eagles defense since 1955 at Connie Mack Stadium. A historic performance by the Eagles defense. The Eagles defense has been playing at a championship level. Do you think the offense is catching up?”
Eagles Won Without Defense’s Best Player
The record-setting shutout by the Eagles also came with them missing their best defensive player for the second game in a row as NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been out the last 2 games after undergoing procedures on both shoulders.
Fangio has come up with a unique solution to replace Carter by using 37-year-old edge rusher Brandon Graham at defensive tackle. It was a move that resulted in Graham getting his first 2 sacks of the season against the Raiders and becoming the oldest player in Eagles history to register a sack in a regular season game.
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