Eagles allow more yards to Buccaneers in the first quarter than they did in Week 3

The Eagles are proof positive that if you have two defensive systems, you have no defensive systems.

If you want to know how far the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has fallen since head coach Nick Sirianni made the decision to switch play-callers from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia, here’s one quick and easy statistic for you. The Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-11 in Week 3, allowing 174 net yards. But in the first quarter of the wild-card rematch on Monday night, things were far worse.

Philly’s defense has dropped from 27th to 29th in Pass Defense DVOA in the second half of the season, so that’s been a problem throughout, no matter the guy in charge. But the run defense has gone splat — from fourth to 31st.

Moreover, the communication on defense has become an irreparable issue, as was shown on this 44-yard Baker Mayfield touchdown pass to David Moore with 5:47 left in the first quarter. This had not been a common occurrence. The horrible spacing and tackling, however, has been all too frequent.

One issue with changing defensive play-callers in season, unless the two coaches have fairly common schemes, is that you’re asking your players to do a lot of new things at a time when NFL practice rules are limited, and it’s tough to get the installs in place to the point where they work on the field.

Greg Cosell and I discuss this exact issue in this week’s “Xs and Os.”

On January 8, Sirianni was asked about the difficulties in installing all kinds of new things in such a short amount of time.

“We’re not completely changing to adjust Matt’s philosophy,” Sirianni said. “Matt’s also doing things to fit the defense that’s currently in place. So, to me, that’s not what the issue is going on.

“You know, are we doing some different things and some new things? Yeah, of course, but we’re doing some different things and new things on offense as the year progresses. And so that to me is not — we’re very conscious of that, and we understand that when you put something new in, every detail has to be ironed out, and every offense that you go against has to be prepared for it with that scheme that you’re putting in. And so that’s done with thought in mind.

“We’re being conscious of how much we’re changing and what we’re doing because it is hard to change. To say, ‘hey, we’re going to run a completely new defense at this point in the year,’ when Matt took over, and that’s why we’re not doing that.

“We’re just making some adjustments, some different things that we’re doing when we’re going through defense, and hey, has it been good enough these last couple of weeks? No, but we’re still working like crazy to get it better.”

Whatever that work may be, it’s not showing up on the field, and it could end the Eagles’ season sooner than anybody in the building would like.

Eagles DC Sean Desai notes CB Eli Ricks’ determination

Philadelphia Eagles DC Sean Desai revealed what part of rookie CB Eli Ricks’ game has helped him gain more opportunities.

Eli Ricks entered the NFL at the bottom.

Although the cornerback played for SEC powerhouse Alabama in 2022, the 6-2, 188-pound defensive back went undrafted. Ricks signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, yet he was fighting for his place on the club’s 53-man roster all throughout training camp.

Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai met with reporters Tuesday and acknowledged Ricks’ tenacity since joining the organization.

“I think he’s been humble,” said Desai. “He prepares like a pro and he’s learning, and he’s like a sponge. He just wants more and more information and he’s trying to take on all these roles and learn so many different things and he goes out there and he competes.”

When Ricks was on scout team, the 22-year-old was getting meaningful reps facing Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown.

Said Desai: “We watch it all. We watch our scout team guys because if you are getting developed against our offense, that’s pretty good. That’s pretty good reps that you get at all levels of the defense. We watch those guys, and our coaches watch it with them and give their coaching points off that, too. It’s part of the whole process for us.”

Competition also takes place in the meeting rooms, and Ricks’ attention to detail was noticeable.

“He’s competing in those reps and that’s how you get noticed and you get elevated,” Desai said. “In the meeting room he’s prepared, and when you get your chance, you make the best of it and he’s done a good job of that.”

Through seven games, Ricks has generated five combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass breakup. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles have utilized Ricks on 65 defensive snaps, representing 15% of the snaps through seven games. Philadelphia has mostly used Ricks on special teams where he has played 87, or 51% of the special teams snaps.

How different will the Eagles’ defense look under new DC Sean Desai?

During his first training camp press conference, Sean Desai talked about being physical and preventing big plays, but how different will the Eagles look under the new defensive coordinator

The Eagles hired defensive coordinator Sean Desai after an extensive search that included Michigan’s Jesse Minter, Georgia’s Glenn Schumann, and NFL assistant coaches Vance Joseph and Chris Shula.

Desai is a 39-year-old Vic Fangio pupil and the first Indian American coordinator in NFL history.

The rising star in NFL coaching ranks has previous ties to the region after a stint at Temple, and has built a growing reputation over his coaching career — most recently with the Chicago Bears (2021), where he served as defensive coordinator, and the Seattle Seahawks (2022), where he was associate head coach and defensive assistant.

Desai’s defenses are known for two-high safety looks and pre and post-snap disguises meant to confuse the opposing quarterbacks, a system designed to limit explosive plays.

The Eagles will continue the tradition of getting to the quarterback with pass rushers, eliminating the need for heavy blitz packages.

With training camp moving fast, we’re considering how Philadelphia’s defense will look under Desai.

Takeaways, observations from Sean Desai’s 1st training camp press conference

Sean Desai met with the local media for the first time since becoming Eagles defensive coordinator and we have takeaways from his presser

After an extensive search that included Michigan’s Jesse Minter, Georgia’s Glenn Schumann, and NFL assistant coaches Vance Joseph and Chris Shula, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Sean Desai, a 39-year-old Vic Fangio pupil and the first Indian American coordinator in NFL history.

Desai has strong ties to the region and has built a growing reputation over his coaching career — most recently with the Chicago Bears (2021), where he served as defensive coordinator, and the Seattle Seahawks (2022), where he was associate head coach and defensive assistant.

Desai’s defenses are known for two-high safety looks and pre and post-snap disguises meant to confuse the opposing quarterbacks, a system designed to limit explosive plays.

The Eagles will utilize carry-over from Gannon’s system, and they’ll continue the tradition of getting to the quarterback with pass rushers, eliminating the need for heavy blitz packages.

With Day 2 of practice set to begin, here are takeaways from Desai’s first press conference.

How different will the Eagles’ defense look under new DC Sean Desai?

With training camp fast approaching, we’re taking a look at how different the Philadelphia Eagles defense will look under Desai.

After an extensive search that included Michigan’s Jesse Minter, Georgia’s Glenn Schumann, and NFL assistant coaches Vance Joseph and Chris Shula, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Sean Desai, a 39-year-old Vic Fangio pupil and the first Indian American coordinator in NFL history.

Desai has strong ties to the region and has built a growing reputation over his coaching career — most recently with the Chicago Bears (2021), where he served as defensive coordinator, and the Seattle Seahawks (2022), where he was associate head coach and defensive assistant.

Desai’s defenses are known for two-high safety looks and pre and post-snap disguises meant to confuse the opposing quarterbacks, a system designed to limit explosive plays.

The Eagles will utilize carry-over from Gannon’s system, and they’ll continue the tradition of getting to the quarterback with pass rushers, eliminating the need for heavy blitz packages.

With training camp fast approaching, we’re looking at how Philadelphia’s defense will look under Desai.

Super Bowl LVII: Eagles’ defensive line collapse involved a lack of containment

The Eagles’ defensive line collapse was one of the biggest stories of Super Bowl LVII. Laurie Fitzpatrick details what happened.

We’ve all heard it a thousand times, This Philadelphia Eagles defensive line has been the best we’ve seen since the 1985 Chicago Bears.

So if that’s the case, how did they absolutely disappear in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs?!

Eagles were simply unable to contain the Chiefs offense. They lost the ability to contain the edge, and also lacked an ability to contain anyone within five yards of the line of scrimmage.

In the first half the Eagles won the time of possession battle by a significant amount, 21:54. But there was a huge shift in the second half, the Chiefs won time of possession by two minutes.

The Chiefs were able to keep the ball on the ground and expose the Eagles defensive line, in one area specifically, and when Mahomes threw it, he got it out quick!

Why the Philadelphia Eagles will win Super Bowl Bowl LVII

Laurie Fitzpatrick is all-in on the Philadelphia Eagles winning Super Bowl LVII, and here are her reasons why.

One thing we should never do is count out Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With his ability to throw guys open paired with Andy Reid’s ability to game plan, it’s a recipe for success. That said, outside of those two aspects, when we compare each unit per team, the Eagles are just better.

  • Total Sacks: Eagles 70, Chiefs 55
  • Turnover differential: Eagles +8, Chiefs -3
  • Yards allowed PG: Eagles 195.5, Chiefs 329.0
  • Rush YPG: Eagles 208, Chiefs 93

From receivers, offensive line to defensive line and secondary. In the basic team statistics, the Eagles are at the top of the league in several categories.

“They put you in a bind,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo recently said. “I mean, everybody knows the numbers game. [You’ve] all been around football long enough to say, ‘If you pack them in the box, you leave two really elite wide receivers all by themselves.’

So yes, it’s easy to just pull some basic stats and say one team will win, so let’s dive a little deeper into why the Eagles are likely to win Super Bowl LVII!

Super Bowl LVII: How the Eagles cornerbacks can limit the Chiefs’ passing game

How can the Eagles’ outstanding cornerbacks best counter the Chiefs’ passing game in Super Bowl LVII? Laurie Fitzpatrick goes to the tape.

There is a reason why the Philadelphia Eagles are considered to have a shutdown defense. Behind their pass rush, they have arguably the best secondary in the NFL. Most successful defenses are anchored by cornerbacks on the outside.

They went from having the12th ranked pass defense DVOA (3.6%) in weeks 10-14, to the 4th ranked (-25.4%) from week 15 through the NFC Championship game. In their last three games, they’ve had the highest score differential in the league, at +20.3.

Their cornerbacks are a big reason for this!

In matchups including Brandon Aiyuk, Justin Jefferson, Terry McLaurin and in their last matchup against Darius Slayton, the Eagles’ cornerbacks have only allowed eleven receptions for 138 yards.

Let’s dive into the film and see how the Eagles might plan to defend Patrick Mahomes and limit the Kansas City Chiefs high-flying offense.

NFL Playoffs: Eagles must ramp up their league-best pass rush to beat the Giants

If the Philadelphia Eagles are to advance against the New York Giants in the divisional round, their top pass rush will have to maximize its efforts.

The Philadelphia Eagles are entering their divisional round matchup against the New York Giants with the top pass rush in the league.

Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham all have 10+ sacks, and their interior oine is just as effective. Javon Hargrave has the fourth-most pressures in the league among interior defensive linemen with 57, and he’s third-highest graded pass rusher from the inside, per Pro Football Focus.

The blueprint of this Giant’s offense is what makes this matchup a great one. The Eagles have the top defense against the pass, but what’s that against one of the best running backs in the league in Saquon Barkley. The Eagles are ranked 16th overall against the rush, allowing 4.6 yards per carry, which is bottom 10.

Including the wild-card round, Barkley has had 304 carries for a career-best 1,365 rush yards and 12 touchdowns this season. He finished in the top ten in just about every rushing category. He’s also caught 62 passes on a 75 percent catch rate for 394 yards.

Even if Giants quarterback Daniel Jones plays the best game of his life this weekend, the winner of this game will be decided in the trenches.

There are a few things that the Eagles will need to do if they want to win this game up front, let’s allow the film to tell the story!

The Philadelphia Eagles’ run defense: Fixable, or fatal flaw?

The Philadelphia Eagles’ run defense has been a problem of late. Is it fixable, or could it bump the team out of a Super Bowl run?

The Philadelphia Eagles losing their first game of the season to the Washington Commanders last Monday night isn’t the biggest issue that they have right now.

It wasn’t just how they lost, but why they lost.

With the rookie nose tackle Jordan Davis on IR, the Commanders decided to keep the game on the ground, and they demolished the Eagles between the tackles.

The Commanders dominated the time of possession. By halftime they had the ball for 23:49 and the Eagles only had the ball for only 6:11. If there is one way to minimize an explosive offense, keeping the ball out of their hands is one of them.

The Commanders may have very well leaked the formula for success against the Eagles’ defense. And with the remainder of the Eagles season up against some run-heavy offenses, this defense may be in more trouble than we realize.

Here’s how it all went wrong, and how it can be solved.

Commanders hand Eagles first loss of season as Philly’s defense falls apart