NFL analyst blasts Vic Fangio for masterminding “atrocious” defense on $5,000,000 Eagles paycheck
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and head coach Nick Sirianni took a lot of heat for the Philadelphia Eagles' 22-21 defeat by the Atlanta Falcons on Monday. What made the defeat even harder to swallow for Philly fans was the fact that it came on home turf. The Eagles have now lost three of their last four games.
The loss seemed anti-climactic after the pregame hype, the tailgates and Jason Kelce's dance outside Lincoln Financial Field that went viral on Monday.
On his podcast "3 and Out," NFL analyst John Middlekauff broke down what went wrong for the Eagles. According to him, most of the blame was to be laid on Fangio, who arrived from the Dolphins on a $5,000,000 deal.
"I don't put the defense situation and the play calls on Sirianni, because ultimately, they're paying Vic Fangio five million. Sirianni has nothing to do with that. Vic Fangio, that's atrocious. That has to be better. You can't call these soft coverages when your defensive line has been horrendous."
It was a close game that was decided in the final few minutes. With the Eagles leading by six, Fangio decided to play soft coverage. This allowed the Falcons to gain 70 yards with one minute left on the clock. Drake London's touchdown and Younghoe Koo's extra point enabled Atlanta to clinch a one-point victory.
Another crucial moment was when Saquon Barkley, who came from the New York Giants, failed to make a catch with just two minutes left on the clock. The Eagles led by three at the time and had to settle for a field goal.
Speaking about the missed catch, he later said:
"I let my team down today. I shouldn't have put the defense in that position. If I make the catch, the game is over."
Major mistake by Vic Fangio cost the Eagles the game
Fangio seemingly deployed the same soft coverage in Week 14 of the 2023 season, when the Miami Dolphins fell to the Tennessee Titans. The Titans drove 64 yards in under 30 seconds to hand the Dolphins a 28-27 loss.
Vic Fangio, who joined the Eagles from the Miami Dolphins this year, was aggressive and frequently used blitzes during training camp and preseason.
But none of that happened on Monday night.