There might not be a better team in the NFL at problem solving over the course of a regular season than the Philadelphia Eagles.
The reigning Super Bowl champions opened 2025 with some serious question marks on all three levels of the defense. They’ve literally had two veteran roster additions abruptly retire while searching for short-term solutions.
But in a similar fashion to last season, Vic Fangio’s group has emerged from the bye week looking like a completely different animal, and that’s a nightmare for NFC contenders (and the entire NFL as a whole).
In their latest wins over playoff hopefuls Green Bay and Detroit, the Eagles allowed a total of 16 points and two total touchdowns. They held the Packers and Lions to a combined 9-for-34 conversion rate on third and fourth down, or 26.5 percent.
The 2025 Eagles may already be the most scrutinized 8-2 team in NFL history. Still, it’s becoming impossible to ignore some familiar signs with Thanksgiving and the season’s stretch run just around the corner.
Could the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles be even more dominant on defense than the 2024 Super Bowl champions?
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made a slew of trades this season in an attempt to address depth issues at wide receiver, cornerback and edge defender. It’s only been two games since the NFL’s trade deadline passed, but he already appears to have found a game-wrecking force in pass rusher Jaelan Phillips.
Not every perceived problem has needed a solution, though. Adoree’ Jackson has stepped up big-time at the No. 2 cornerback spot, so much so that trade acquisition Michael Carter Jr. has been waiting his turn as a depth piece. The return of Nakobe Dean at middle linebacker and Moro Ojomo’s breakout on the interior have Vic Fangio’s group suddenly humming at the most opportune time.
Eagles reporter Zach Berman said the quiet part out loud in a piece for The Athletic this week, while comparing this year’s emerging group to the 2024 unit that helped set the tone for Philadelphia’s second championship in eight years.
“After watching the past two weeks, I think the 2025 defense ends up better than the 2024 group,” Berman wrote. “I never thought I’d say that, and perhaps there’s some recency bias following standout performances against the Packers and Lions, but the improved personnel, plus the wizardry of Vic Fangio, make it a compelling case.”
That’s obviously a bold statement, as the Eagles parted ways with some horses this offseason in Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, along with other solid veteran leaders like Darius Slay Jr., C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Isaiah Rodgers.
This year’s group has work to do, as Philly’s 2024 group led the NFL in total defense and was second in both points against and EPA (expected points added) per drive, according to Berman. The Eagles are going to need guys like Jackson and rookie Andrew Mukuba in the secondary to hold firm to get where they want to go this year.
But the addition of Phillips to a defensive front that already features Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, and now even Nolan Smith Jr., who recently returned from injured reserve, represents the common denominator between 2024 and 2025.
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The Eagles tortured opposing quarterbacks with their menacing play up front last season, and over the past two weeks, they’ve certainly passed the eye test in finding that same aura once again.