Unprepared Eagles defense drops Nolan Smith in pass coverage against Chris Godwin

If there was a play that encapsulated the Philadelphia Eagles‘ embarrassing preparation and effort against the Buccaneers, it was the moment defensive coordinator Vic Fangio decided to drop pass rusher Nolan Smith into coverage against Chris Godwin.

That move raised eyebrows and set the tone for a disastrous Sunday afternoon.

The first half was a complete nightmare for the Eagles, who quickly found themselves in a 24-0 hole. They managed to salvage a touchdown just before halftime, heading into the break down 24-7, but it was clear that this team was in disarray.

It wasn’t just one issue, it was a total team breakdown. Baker Mayfield came out on fire, completing 12 of his first 13 passes for 138 yards, leading the Bucs to an early 14-0 lead. Things went from bad to worse when, after a surprising defensive stop, Cooper DeJean muffed a punt (which wasn’t entirely his fault), handing the Buccaneers prime field position for another touchdown.

While the offense certainly deserves its share of the blame, the defense set the tone with its soft coverage and complete inability to generate pressure. It was as if nobody could cover their assignments, and the Eagles’ struggles were laid bare for everyone to see.

Eagles Defense came un-prepared to say the least

The Eagles just had Nolan Smith in man coverage 1 on 1 on Chris Godwin.

This is an unserious team right now. pic.twitter.com/ctHJrl2Cs7

— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) September 29, 2024

It’s hard not to point fingers at Vic Fangio after the Eagles’ underwhelming performance against the Buccaneers. Coming off an inspiring showing last week against the Saints, it felt like a completely different team took the field in Tampa. Fangio’s zone-heavy scheme left wide-open spaces for Tampa’s receivers, and the lack of in-game adjustments was glaring.

This begs the question: is Fangio truly the right fit as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator? The offseason hype painted him as a game-changer, but after four weeks, it’s hard to see much improvement. Sure, there are areas where talent is lacking, but at some point, the scheme and coaching have to be held accountable. Right now, it feels like the Eagles’ defense hasn’t taken the step forward fans were promised.

Even after the Eagles showed some life with 14 unanswered points, they just couldn’t capitalize. Jalen Hurts’ strip-sack fumble sucked the wind out of any potential comeback, and Tampa seized control for the rest of the game.

Overall, this was one of the more embarrassing games I’ve seen as an Eagles fan. The bye week couldn’t come soon enough. The team needs a hard reset.

In the meantime, we can shift our focus to the Philadelphia Phillies, who are gearing up for what we hope will be a long postseason run starting Saturday. Maybe they’ll give us something to cheer for while the Eagles figure things out.

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