This was one of the most dominant defensive performances of the Philadelphia Eagles 2025 season. The Green Bay Packers managed only one scoring drive, seven total points, and rarely looked comfortable. The pass rush was alive again, the coverage was sharp, and the minor schematic tweaks to fit the personnel were outstanding. The defense looked great from start to finish. It was a complete performance.
Jalen Carter looked refreshed coming off the bye week. This was the closest thing weve seen all season to his 2024 form. He looked explosive, quick, and violent. Hes still playing too many snaps to dominate every play, but the flashes were freakish again. This team will only get better as Jalen Carter continues to improve.
Welcome to Philadelphia, Jaelan Phillips. Wow! What a debut. He played 53 snaps and looked like hed been in this system for months. His power off the edge was immediately noticeable. He bullied Zach Tom (a very good right tackle) straight into Loves lap, setting up Jalyx Hunt for an easy cleanup sack. Fangio clearly sees Phillips as his new centerpiece, and you can tell why. He was used in so many different ways in this game. He excelled in nearly all of them. As good as the performance was, it was the way he was used that was the most impressive. Fangio must rate him extremely highly. If he stays healthy, hes going to have a hell of a season.
Carter and Phillips set the tone, but the entire front played smart, disciplined football. Carters awareness showed again when he recognized a double team, stopped trying to win through it, and instead timed his jump to bat the throw.
I really struggle to watch Jihaad Campbell at EDGE. Hes not very good there right now, and Im not sure it will help his development very much. Ill get into Nakobe Dean later, but I think I would rather have Campbell play fewer snaps at off-ball linebacker than play at both EDGE and off-ball. Its not working with him there.
Fangio leaned heavily on Cover 8 in this one, which is unusual for this defense. It was a very clever decision. Cover 8 is where you play halves to the passing strength and quarters opposite (Cover 6 is the opposite). Focus on the top-right image below. We saw this look a lot!
This is a split-field coverage the Eagles rarely run, but it worked beautifully in this game. Quinyon Mitchell was sensational. The game plan basically let him lock down one half of the field, freeing the defense to overload toward the strong side to help Adoree Jackson. As a consequence, Jackson also looked better in this game. Mitchell was sticky in man and had that dont test me aura to his game. You cant run Cover 8 and allow the deep 1/4 safety to help out the strong side without having a cornerback that you can trust to erase any matchup on his side of the field. Even better, Quinyon could do this on either side of the field!
Phillips continued to flash everywhere. His impact wasnt just in sacks or pressure. He played tough, ran through blocks, and anchored against the run, which is something the Eagles edges have struggled with all year. Getting Phillips, Nolan Smith, and Brandon Graham back all at once completely changed the tone up front. The Eagles defense finally looked like a group that could bully again.
Mitchells coverage on the weak side was ridiculous all game. He was so so good! He was playing with the same swagger he showed against Tampa Bay earlier this year. It was like every throw was a personal insult to him. His balance, patience, and eyes were perfect. He played the ball excellently at the catch point, too. He gave up nothing easy, and when the ball came his way, he was on it instantly. Hes a top 5 corner in this league right now. Hes entered the elite category. Without a doubt!
Nakobe Dean continues to make me look stupid. I wasnt sure hed earn his job back, but hes been fantastic since returning. I forgot how good he was last year. His processing and timing as a blitzer are elite, and he adds an energy that has taken this defense to a new level. I wanted Campbell to keep his starting job, but I was wrong. Here, he blitzed straight through the A-gap, rocked Josh Jacobs in protection, and forced Love into a panicked throw that became a turnover. His timing, speed, and aggression as a blitzer are unmatched on this roster.
Heres Quinyon covering an in-breaker from a condensed split with no help from any linebackers underneath. Phew. Thats one of the hardest assignments a corner can get, and he made it look effortless. This was as complete a cornerback performance as youll see all season.
Phillips didnt just rush and tackle well; Fangio trusted him as a spy on Jordan Love, too. He even dropped into coverage successfully on another play! On this play, the front featured Carter lined up wide and Phillips hovering in the B-gap, an alignment Fangio has used for years to mess with protections. Phillips has been exceptional rushing from the inside this year, as I highlighted in my review. However, here Phillips is playing the spy, waiting for Love to step up, then triggering perfectly to force the incompletion. He has rare instincts for an edge player. I cant believe how much they trusted him to do in his first game.
Lets end here. This was awesome to see. Heres Phillips destroying the tight end in the run game. The Eagles EDGE defenders normally set the edge by playing quite passively, but here he blew up the tight end entirely and still made the tackle when the back tried to bounce outside. I almost wonder if he has the freedom to get upfield quickly (and leave the edge to someone else) but he still manages to stop the outside run. Thats elite strength and awareness. For a guy who just arrived, he looks like hes been part of this group forever. His debut could have only gotten better if he had ended up with a sack! But he had 8 pressures and was a dominant force.
The defense as a whole was really good in this game. Love never looked comfortable, and whenever he tried to extend plays, the rush closed fast. The Dean/Campbell dynamic is fascinating; its a luxury problem to have two good players with overlapping roles. The defensive front depth finally looks good again. Carter, Ojomo, and Phillips were excellent. The new additions allowed them to play Jordan Davis less and not use him on 3rd down anymore, which is great. And, of course, Quinyon Mitchell is playing out of his mind.
This was a statement game. The defense carried the offense once again. Thank goodness for Vic Fangio. Im enjoying the defense A LOT more than the offense this year!
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