Week 7 marked the Philadelphia Eagles‘ lowest point in their loss to the Dallas Cowboys and their worst defensive performance in the Vic Fangio era.
The Eagles allowed 416 yards from the Cowboys’ offense, including 204 on the ground. They couldn’t create any turnovers, but Philly also didn’t get a tackle for loss, sack, or quarterback hit. That’s the first time the team has done that in over a decade.
Everyone is trying to figure out what happened, with many saying the players didn’t put in the effort. Fangio believes there’s another reason for the problems.
Vic Fangio Talks Philadelphia Eagles’ Defensive Struggles in Week 7 Loss
Fangio had a chance to speak with the media on Wednesday to address the defensive problems. He blamed himself and the coaching staff.
“I didn’t do a good enough job coaching,” Fangio said via The Athletic’s Zach Berman. “We didn’t play the run, obviously, well enough. When you do that, it kind of affects everything. I didn’t have them ready to do that the way we need to.”
The Eagles’ defense is ranked 27th in total defense, allowing 371.3 yards per game. They are also ranked 26th in pass defense (239.9 yards allowed per game), 27th in run defense (131.4 yards allowed per game), and 21st in points allowed per game with 25.
What Went Horribly Wrong for the Eagles’ Defense vs. the Cowboys?
Berman continued in his recent article about the Eagles’ defensive struggles and what he said. He shared two key observations about what went wrong.
“1. The lack of negative plays. It was the Eagles’ first time without a sack, a takeaway and a tackle for a loss since 2012 — and the second time in the Fangio era with no sacks or takeaways. (The only other time that happened was Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, when the five-game losing streak started.)
2. The way the defensive front couldn’t even get to the ball carrier in the running game. Dallas had 95 yards before contact — 2.5 yards before contact per rush. No game had been worse than 1.08 yards before contact per rush this season.”
Philly doesn’t have much time to dwell on its defensive issues with a Week 8 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Washington Commanders. It’s an important one for the 2-5 Eagles, as they try to save their season.
The good news is that the Commanders are 1-4-1 themselves, so they have had their own struggles. They are coming off a bye week, though, so they have had plenty of time to prepare for the Eagles.
Fangio has a lot of work to do with this defense to get the pass rush going and the secondary playing better. If they lose a sixth straight game, it could be game over for Philly’s 2026 season.
Vic Fangio Bluntly Assigns Blame for Eagles’ Defensive Downfall in Week 7