Vic Fangio: Offense helped Eagles’ defense pitch shutout
Hurts under center more? Wait and see.
From the Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/yrrah5t6
PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles’ defense has done the heavy lifting all season, pulling out wins and dragging a flimsy, discombobulated offense along as it searched for footing.
The ‘D’ is ninth in passing yards allowed (19.7 per game), sixth in points (19.4) and fourth in red zone touchdowns (48.7%). And the championship-level corps has frequently been on the field much longer than desired because the offense has failed to sustain drives.
On Sunday, the Birds blanked the Raiders 31-0, limiting them to a miniscule 75 total yards and seven first downs while delivering four sacks, nine QB hits and a turnover. Even though it was against lowly Las Vegas (2-12), it was a punishing defensive performance. But defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said his unit doesn’t deserve all the credit.
“Our offense played a big part in that, too,” Fangio said Wednesday at NovaCare Complex. “They moved the ball, got the run game going. Any time you have a game like that, usually the whole team contributes, but the (defensive) guys really played well.”
The offense was 10-of-13 on third down, dominated time of possession (39:25 to 20:35) and put up 183 rushing yards and 204 through the air.
“I think when you look at it, it’s just working through things over time,” offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said. “I think sometimes as things go from week to week from practicing different plays and eventually you say, ‘Okay, this thing’s ready for game action.’
“I think just working through different phases of under center or shotgun, how we’re marrying things, that’s part of it too.”
Patullo sometimes sounds like he’s still learning how pro offenses work. But having quarterback Jalen Hurts under center against the Raiders — and him running seven times instead of once or twice — clearly benefited both the passing and running game. It allowed Hurts to better diagnose coverages while opening up multiple running variations and keeping the Vegas defense honest.
“When you stay efficient on first and second down and get to a manageable third down, that obviously helps,” Patullo said. “That’s really the key. Some of the issues we’ve had before came from a first-down penalty or a second-and-long, and all of a sudden, it’s third-and-long and you’re off track. Staying on track is critical, and that paid dividends Sunday.”
Running back Saquon Barkley mentioned postgame that the Eagles didn’t allow the Raiders’ defense to dictate what the offense does. Patullo hedged a bit Wednesday when asked about Hurts being under center more often going forward, but perhaps he was just keeping things close to the vest.
“You formulate the plan each week,” Patullo said. “Basically, you look at, ‘OK, what do they do? Is there something different they (defenses) do, whether under center or gun? Is there something that we did last week that we want to try to do again or build on?’ You kind of go from there. So, each game can look a little bit different as far as shotgun and under center.”
So who’s dictating to whom?
“Really, it starts with the run game,” Patullo said. “Once you go from the run game, you can build the pass game off it, and then you streamline it throughout the week. Then, during the game, if you stay on track, obviously, certain things can happen where the under center can go even more or less, depending on what they’re doing.
“So it really completes the game plan when you have plays off of plays, and the under center kind of marries up with each other and the shotgun.”
A sideline moment
Cameras and boom mics from NFL Films for HBO’s “Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East” are frequently around the facility and on the sidelines. In the fourth quarter against the Raiders, they captured a celebratory interaction between Hurts and Nick Sirianni — jumping and hugging and smacking each other’s chests — after the QB connected with A.J. Brown for a 27-yard touchdown over the middle.
Hurts: “I got you, baby!”
Sirianni: “You better say great (expletive) design!”
Hurts: “Great (expletive) design! … I put it up the seam!”
Sirianni: “I know you did!”
The head coach has been adding some extra input with Patullo’s game planning. Sirianni later discussed Hurts’ emotion, which the QB doesn’t often reveal publicly:
“I want everybody to be who they are and show the personality that they have,” Sirianni said. “This world is great because not everybody’s exactly the same. That would be a boring world if everybody was exactly the same or if Jalen was telling me not to get as excited as I get, right?
“Same thing, I see emotion from him. I see emotion from him a lot when he makes a play or he is pumped up about a play. Everybody has their own way of celebrating things. I love when he shows emotion and I love when he goes to the sideline and plays the next play. I am good. Show your personality, show who you are, and that goes for everybody on our team, within the rules of the game.”
Who to root for
Chicago (10-4) and Green Bay (9-4-1) play Saturday at 8 p.m. (after the Birds/Commanders at 5 p.m.) The winner takes the second seed in the NFC playoffs (as of Week 16) while the loser drops to No. 7.
The Eagles (9-5) own the tiebreaker with the Packers, so Philly fans should root for them (despite all the bad blood, their leading the charge to ban the tush push, etc.). A win in Washington plus a Packers win over the Bears would help the Eagles move closer to the No. 2 seed, which guarantees two home playoff games instead of one at No. 3, though the Birds would still be a half-game behind. If the Cowboys had beaten the Packers early in the season instead of tying them, it would have helped.
Crosby’s love affair with Philly
Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, was awed by the passionate atmosphere during his first trip playing in Philadelphia.
“Going to Philly, you could feel that energy when you go there,” Crosby, 28, said on his podcast, adding that he snapped some pictures. “There were people everywhere downtown. We stayed right downtown, in the thick of it. … There were trees in all white (snow) and just fans everywhere in the tailgate, and you could see the stadium behind.
“If you love football, that’s what you dream of as a kid, playing in Philadelphia in December in a grinding (expletive) environment. That’s exactly what you dream for.”
This isn’t the first time Crosby has praised Philadelphia. He openly complimented the Eagles organization on social media in 2024, including posting an Eagle emoji amid trade rumors. But he signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension with Vegas in March after coach Pete Carroll & Co. took over.
Injury report
The Eagles practiced at the Linc Wednesday because their field at NovaCare was mushy and uneven with melting snow and ice.
Practice report: DNP – DT Jalen Carter (shoulders), LG Landon Dickerson (calf/rest), T Fred Johnson (ankle), RT Lane Johnson (foot). LIMITED – TE Cameron Latu (stinger). FULL – RB Saquon Barkley (stinger), LB Zack Baun (hand), RB Tank Bigsby (illness), OLB Jaelan Phillips (knee), T Cameron Williams (shoulder).
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