You could understand why the Eagles' defense started this season lacking the same punch as it did at the end of 2024, when the group overcame an iffy September to skyrocket to No. 1 by January, a rise capped by an utter domination of the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
This season, the Eagles needed to replace about half their starting defense after losing Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Darius Slay in free agency; after salary-dumping safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson in an offseason trade; and after temporarily losing group leader Brandon Graham to retirement.
The Eagles opened 2025 with two rookies in the starting lineup, lost edge rusher Nolan Smith in Week 3 to a major injury, had Nakobe Dean still sidelined from an offseason surgery until Week 6, and were rocked by the sudden retirement of free-agent signing Za'Darius Smith.
Also, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's scheme isn't easy to learn, and the Eagles opened the year with newcomers at cornerback, safety, and linebacker.
Naturally, for the first four weeks the Eagles were more vulnerable on defense. They allowed more than 30 points in consecutive games against the Rams and Buccaneers in Weeks 3 and 4, and let up 18 points in the fourth quarter alone against a pedestrian Broncos offense in a loss, followed by 34 more points allowed to a bad, banged-up Giants offense.
But just like last year, the Eagles have shaken off a rough first few weeks and surged as the calendar has turned to November.
Since the start of Week 5, they've seen the healthy returns of Dean and Smith, seen Jalen Carter improve after battling a nagging shoulder injury, acquired an upper-echelon edge defender in Jaelan Phillips via trade, and seen rookie safety Andrew Mukuba and veteran cornerback Adoree' Jackson become more comfortable in the scheme.
The return of Dean from patellar tendon surgery has been especially impactful, along with the trade for Phillips. The defensive front is back to causing chaos for quarterbacks, and over the past two weeks, Fangio has scaled back on blitzing and let his four-man rush get the dirty work done.
After holding the Packers and Lions, two playoff teams from last year, to a combined 16 points in a six-day span last week, this Eagles defense is starting to resemble last year's.
Could it possibly be better by season's end?
The Eagles are still working things out, but since the start of Week 5, which includes their 34-17 loss to the Giants, the Eagles have shown to be among the NFL's best in major defensive categories.
Since Week 5 Rank
PPG 18.8 (6th)
Opp Completion % 56.4 (1st)
Opp Passer Rating 77.5 (2nd)
Opp 3rd Down % 42.4 (10th)
Sacks/Game 2.7 (13th)
Yards/Play 5.09 (10th)
Opp Rushing/Attempt 4.0 (10th)
TDs/Game 2 (7th)
The Eagles aren't top-10 in some other categories, such as total yards allowed and third-down conversion rate, but that 34-17 loss to the Giants – which looks like an outlier now – has skewed some of their averages. The defense also isn't securing takeaways at the same rate it did last year, with just five total since the start of Week 5.
But over the past three games, which takes into account Dean's insertion back into the defense and the addition of Phillips, they've reached a higher level.
Past 3 games Rank
PPG 12 (1st)
YPG 275 (4th)
Opp Completion % 49.5 (1st)
Opp Passer Rating 72.7 (5th)
Sacks/Game 3.33 (5th)
Yards Allowed/Play 4.68 (7th)
Rushing Yds/Attempt 3.6 (5th)
TDs allowed/Game 1.3 (2nd)
There's an argument to be made that if they keep this up, the Eagles could be even better on defense by the end of this season than they were by the end of last year.
Some other factors to consider:
• CB Quinyon Mitchell and CB Cooper DeJean aren't rookies anymore. Both played at high levels last year, but Mitchell now shadows No. 1 receiver often and has played like an All Pro while DeJean's value has increased by splitting time in base and nickel packages.
• Nakobe Dean is playing extremely well since coming back from his offseason surgery and has reclaimed his starting role alongside Zack Baun. However, rookie first-round pick Jihaad Campbell continues to rotate in, giving the Eagles one of the NFL's most impressive ILB groups, also an improvement from last year.
• DT Jordan Davis is proving to be more disruptive in the pass rush than ever before. He already has a career-high three sacks and is one QB hit away from tying a career high with seven games still to play.
• EDGE Jalean Phillips already has one sack and four QB hits in two games with the Eagles, making him the closest thing they have to what Josh Sweat gave them last year. Maybe even better?
• After this Sunday's game against the Cowboys, the Eagles will face some struggling offenses, including the Commanders twice (Weeks 16, 18) and the Raiders (Week 15). The Commanders rank 24th in PPG, the Raiders 30th. Also, their Week 14 opponent, the Chargers, have lost both of their OTs to season-ending injuries, the effects of which showed in their 35-6 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. There will be plenty of chances for the Eagles' defense to pad its stats down the stretch.
Here's a look at how the Eagles since Week 5 compare to last year's defense:
2025 Since Week 5 2024 Season
PPG 18.8 17.8
YPG 322.5 278.4
Opp Completion % 56.4 62.2
Opp Passer Rating 77.5 82.5
Opp 3rd Down % 42.4 35.6
Sacks/Game 2.7 2.4
Yards/Play 5.1 4.7
Since Week 5, the Eagles have shown to be as good, or better, in many significant defensive categories.
Could this Eagles defense by Week 17 be even better than last year's No. 1-ranked unit? We have seven more weeks to find out.
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