The voters done goofed.
The Philadelphia Eagles had the NFL’s best defense in 2024.
That much is inarguable.
They allowed the fewest offensive points per game.
They allowed the fewest yards per game.
They ranked No. 1 by DVOA, Pro Football Focus grading, and success rate.
Despite these accomplishments, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his defense were snubbed at the NFL Honors on Thursday night.
Check out the AP Assistant Coach of the Year voting:
Voting for AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year:
Ben Johnson 29-12-4-1-0: 364
Brian Flores 3-13-12-4-4: 143
Aaron Glenn 6-3-7-4-6: 110
Vic Fangio 3-9-4-8-6: 109
Joe Brady…— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 7, 2025
And check out the AP Defensive Player of the Year voting:
AP Defensive Player of the Year voting:
Patrick Surtain II 26-11-2-4-1: 330
Trey Hendrickson 11-10-9-8-2: 205
Myles Garrett 5-11-12-8-5: 162
T.J. Watt 3-7-8-11-3: 114
Zack Baun 2-2-6-5-5: 63
Kerby…— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 7, 2025
So, the Eagles had the NFL’s best defense … without having a top two defensive coordinator or a top four defender.
Sure, that makes sense!
I’m not even saying Fangio or Baun had to win their category. But they both deserved more respect from the voters.
The assistant coach of the year voting is especially egregious. Fangio finishing behind Ben Johnson is reasonable. But Brian Flores and Aaron Glenn both being ahead of him? Why?
Not only did Fangio oversee the best defense in the NFL. He did it after inheriting a defense that allowed the third-most offensive points in 2023. And he did it despite the Eagles ranking 25th in defensive spending in 2024.
I’m confident that Fangio isn’t losing sleep over this. I’m sure he’s much more worried about coming up with a game plan to help the Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. He’ll sure get a lot of credit if/when he’s able to slow down Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
And it’ll make these voting results look even more silly.
On a more positive note, the Eagles did finish with two of the top four players in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Quinyon Mitchell got edged out by Eagles fan hater Jared Verse:
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting:
Jared Verse 37-10-2-0-1: 427
Quinyon Mitchell 9-23-10-1-2: 239
Braden Fiske 1-5-11-11-6: 96
Cooper DeJean 0-5-14-8-8: 91
Chop Robinson 0-4-6-16-5: 75
Edgerrin Cooper 0-1-3-4-8: 30
Tarheeb Still…— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 7, 2025