Hogs Haven
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The last time Eagles coach Nick Sirianni strolled the sidelines at Lincoln Financial Field, “Fire Nick” chants were raining down on him.
The offense was sputtering against the Cleveland Browns and the Eagles were coming off a lopsided loss to the Tampa Bay Bucs and, after enduring an epic collapse the season before, the fan base had no patience for any of it. The chirping eventually got to Sirianni, who turned towards the stands as the final seconds ticked off the clock of a 20-16 win and yelled at a group of patrons behind the bench, setting off a firestorm in the city that drowned out the results on the field.
That was less than three weeks ago. In some ways, it feels like a different place and time. The Eagles have since strung together a three-game win streak to improve to 5-2. Both sides of the ball have rounded into form. Talk-show hosts are now debating if this is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and some are openly wondering if they had gone too far in their criticisms of the head coach.
“Having coached in four major cities in the NFL...Philadelphia is as passionate or more passionate than any of the cities and a little more intense,” said legendary coach Dick Vermeil, who transformed the Eagles from a losing franchise to Super Bowl contenders during his stint from 1976-82. “And I think the Philadelphia fan takes it a little more personal. Once you get established in Philadelphia you become part of their family. They get mad at you just like they get mad at their own kids. They love you and they’re going to spank you.”
Question 4: How has the Vic Fangio experiment progressed this season, and what’s the best way to exploit his defense?
There were some ups (such as limiting the New Orleans Saints’ red-hot offense to just 12 points) and some downs (getting destroyed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) prior to the Week 5 bye. Since then, however, Fangio’s defense has been pretty good. The Eagles have allowed just two touchdowns over their last three games. Playing against Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones has definitely helped. But the Eagles also held Joe Burrow to his lowest passer rating this season.
Here’s how Fangio’s defense ranks in a number of key categories:
When it comes to exploitation, the Eagles’ defense never looked worse than when the Buccaneers were able to have a lot of success getting rid of the ball lighting-quick. I’m guessing the Jags will be trying to attack the Eagles with their quick game, especially since Jacksonville could be without multiple starting offensive linemen. Trevor Lawrence holding onto the ball does...
