Lincoln Financial Field was an ugly scene for the Philadelphia Eagles' defense after taking a licking from the Chicago Bears in a 24-15 loss in Week 13 on Black Friday.
The Eagles got steamrolled, a way they haven't all season, as the Bears ran for 281 yards. One thing fans noticed was that they had a question on why rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell had zero defensive snaps in the loss.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio answered that question during his press conference, explaining the reasoning. Despite that, though, in a rare incident, Fangio also accepted that he made a mistake with that decision.
“Probably should have gotten him in there for a few. That'd be my fault there. But, obviously, with the run game, the way it was happening, that's been a strength of the Nakobe’s. We wanted to leave him in there.”
Rare moment of realization for Fangio shouldn't happen again in the future
This was a telling sign that Fangio loves Dean and trusted him more than Campbell. It's not a 100% knock on Campbell, as he has been great rushing the passer and dropping back into coverage, but there are aspects of his game he needs to improve.
Everyone has gotten caught up in the Dean excitement after playing so well since returning from his injury. The Bears game, though, was a moment when Dean did not have a great game, nor did the other Eagles linebackers.
Campbell was great at the start of the season, but since Dean's return, his playing time and production have declined, with only three tackles in the last three games, including zero against Chicago. For the season, Campbell had racked up 53 tackles, two pass deflections, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit, one interception, and one forced fumble in 12 games with eight starts.
The lack of playing time over the last few weeks has more than likely knocked Campbell out of any conversation of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, unless he has a stellar final five games of the regular season. Fangio is going to continue his rotation of linebackers, but might include Campbell a little more after the disaster in Philly against the Bears.
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At least, Eagles fans can only hope their top rookie can get back on the field against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 and make an impact.