After a dismal defensive showing in 2023, many fans of the Philadelphia Eagles are skeptical of that unit once again. And rightfully so.
However, one vital thing to realize is that the team is no longer built to win with their defense like they used to. That side of the ball is now secondary (pun intended)—offense is where the club lives and dies.
Eagles’ Reliance on Their Offense
The fact of the matter is that the 2023 Eagles allowed the third-most points in football and were still one of the best teams in the league record-wise (11-6). Despite all of their defensive hardships, winning 11 games is something they’ve only done 14 times in their 92-season history. And still, we can be confident that it won’t be that bad again when we consider their changes.
At their best, the Eagles have always dominated on the offensive side of the ball with their current core. Even when they went to the Super Bowl in 2022, your standout games came when the offense took charge—the defense was just an added bonus.
Philadelphia’s offense is so ridiculously talented that they made the playoffs, even with a defense that just couldn’t get stops consistently. Two of their six losses came when you guessed it, the offense made critical errors—scoring 31 combined points against Zach Wilson and Drew Lock-led offenses wasn’t enough. And in the final week of the season, a somewhat banged-up offense mustered 10 points against the New York Giants, albeit with backups in there for most of it.
Would an extra stop have gone a long way, especially in those first two games? Yes, absolutely. But at the end of the day, you run the risk of losing a majority of the time when the offense doesn’t show up. That is especially highlighted when we look at how much players are making.
Eagles’ Spending Habits Suggest This Was Intentional
Just looking at wide receivers, both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith signed extensions for at least $25 million per season in the last few months. Is that normal for most teams? No, of course not. That’s an unprecedented way to operate—but it works for the Eagles. Those two players are so important to the offense that they have to be kept. A one-two punch like this gives the team a Super Bowl upside.
With the right quarterback, who had the highest annual value on a contract in NFL history for a short period of time in 2023, a world-class running back, and an offensive line with Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and Lane Johnson each having an average value of $20 million or more, things get expensive. Like, really expensive.
And, again, that’s by design. The Eagles are intentionally built to win with their offense because of how talented it is. If they can get some elite defensive performances, that’s just the cherry on top.
This isn’t to excuse defensive ineptitude because that unit still has a job to do. The Eagles won’t win a championship if it’s a liability for the entire season. But the weight is not on their shoulders, and it should never be. The offense alone is good enough to make Philadelphia a contender.
And guess what? Said offense arguably got better in the offseason, adding Saquon Barkley but subtracting Jason Kelce from an offensive line that was already objectively the best in football.
Simply put, the Eagles will feast or famine depending on how the offense performs. All we can hope for is the objectively improved defense to come up clutch once in a while. If it can, you’re looking at one of the best teams in the world.
So, don’t be so hard on the defensive guys. General manager Howie Roseman would probably spend more money on them if he wanted to win that way. Be prepared for high-scoring football once again.
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