The Philadelphia Eagles are on a six-game winning streak. After their victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, the Birds sit atop the NFC East at 8-2 and will control their own destiny the rest of the way.
Now, many Eagles fans might have last season in their minds when considering this streak of excellence. After all, the team started 10-1 and was on a similar path to glory. But that fails to consider how Philadelphia was winning games.
In 2023, the Eagles were barely getting by. Through 12 weeks, they had a great offense but a subpar defense. The former has continued this season—for the most part, it’s been smooth sailing for the offense. But the defense? Right now, it’s one of the best in the NFL.
Eagles’ Defense by the Numbers
In the offseason, the Eagles didn’t exactly go out of their way to make their defense a top-of-the-line unit. They drafted a couple of rookie cornerbacks to have a decent role (far from risk-free) and were otherwise uneventful. While defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was a notable addition, they essentially ran back the same group.
But the few additions they did make have had a tremendous impact.
Corner Quinyon Mitchell is a sleeper Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate. Zack Baun, who you’d think would be a forgettable free-agent addition (one-year, $1.6 million contract), is one of the best linebackers the team has had in the last decade-plus. And Fangio has brought about a complete turnaround from last season’s lowly defensive performances.
Over the Eagles’ six-game winning streak, they’ve had their defense largely to thank. The numbers agree.
After their bye week in 2023, the Eagles were one of the worst defenses in football. They went from unbeatable to uncompetitive in a flash. This time, they have one of the best defenses following their Week 5 bye, both in expected points average (EPA) and success rate:
| Dropback EPA Allowed | Rushing EPA Allowed | EPA/Play Allowed | Success Rate Allowed | |
| 2023 (Post-Week 10) | +0.190 (28th) | +0.031 (31st) | +0.126 (29th) | 46.5% (27th) |
| 2024 (Post-Week 5) | -0.210 (2nd) | -0.283 (2nd) | -0.235 (1st) | 36.3% (1st) |
When the Eagles were winning last season, they were doing it with an average defense, more or less. When that regressed to the basement, their 1-5 end-of-season collapse ensued. That’s been flipped on its head. The team’s play right now is more reminiscent of their Super Bowl run in 2022 than where they were a year ago.
Can the Eagles Sustain This Run?
It’s valid to worry about whether or not the Eagles can sustain this level of play. After all, this defense hasn’t played this well since they won the Super Bowl in the 2017 season. In terms of EPA/Play, they’re on the second-best run in team history (since the stat was tracked in 2009) on the defensive side of the ball. So, yes, sustainability is worth discussing.
Over the past six weeks specifically, the Eagles won’t keep up their pace. It’s good to know they’re capable of completely shutting down opposing offenses, but it’s just not something we should expect moving forward. Inflating their numbers are quarterbacks like Deshaun Watson, Daniel Jones, and Cooper Rush, but they also played (and excelled against) no-joke competition like Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels.
From here on out, the Eagles will just need to make sure its offense is clicking when the defense isn’t, and vice versa. That way, they can give themselves a chance to win every game. If both units continue to shine, though? This team has as good of a chance as anyone to go the distance.
Sure, the Eagles offense has soared in recent weeks. Their defense, however, has been more interesting. Does Fangio have a superpower, or will the unit regress to the mean?
PHOTO: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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