The Philadelphia Eagles have an elite defense, and it's time we really appreciate just how elite they are.
The culture of the Philadelphia Eagles has always been a defensive one, with some of the franchise's most popular teams centered on dominant defenses. They're the kind of team the fanbase can identify with and rally behind.
While the star players on offense and the offensive line of this era of Eagles football get a lot of the attention, and rightfully so, it's time to give the defense some more much-deserved love.
This Eagles defense is more elite than the numbers will tell you
While other defenses like the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are getting most of the love, the champs are right there. We all know that in 2022, the Eagles almost broke the sack record. In 2024, with the arrival of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the defense took another leap forward, putting the Kansas City Chiefs in a torture chamber and seemingly ending their reign of terror.
In 2025, the Eagles defense may be even better.
The core of this defense is another year older and wiser, with another year of experience. The most prominent example is the improvement of defensive tackle Jordan Davis in his expanded role, who has been arguably the Eagles' best player in 2025.
Nonetheless, all of this, they've been asked to carry this team beyond their years, given the struggles of the offense. At times, it almost felt that they didn't deserve this defense, given that they seemed to keep the team afloat and in games. Now that the offense looks like it might be catching up, the Eagles are the team nobody wants to face.
During the Eagles' 31-0 shutout win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Eagles' defense held the Kenny Pickett-led Raiders to 75 total yards of offense.
75 yards.
While some will be quick to put down that accomplishment, given the opponent and quarterback, they are still an NFL offense, and being held to under 100 yards for an entire game is an impressive accomplishment nonetheless. Next, the Eagles have a chance to build on this momentum against the Washington Commanders and clinch the division.
Then comes a real test with the Buffalo Bills (Super Bowl preview?); however, there's a chance the Eagles will have the division wrapped up, with a low-risk/high-reward test to see just how good they really can be, as if any additional proof was needed anyway.
Read more: Eagles fans won't buy into Nick Sirianni's verdict on Jalen Hurts under center
The point is this: while the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles have been FAR from perfect, they will always have a chance with not only their experience, but their elite defense, and it's time to give them some flowers before things get even more hyper-serious.