PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles expected criticism after their stunning Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears, but few anticipated that the sharpest, most unfiltered condemnation would arrive from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith — and even fewer expected the brunt of his fury to target the defense rather than the much-maligned offense. In a viral monologue that ricocheted across social media within minutes, Smith argued that the Eagles’ most urgent crisis is not Kevin Patullo’s play-calling or the offensive stagnation, but a defensive collapse unfolding at the worst possible time.
Smith, known for theatrical emphasis but also for his ability to capture a fanbase’s emotional pulse, opened his critique with hard numbers: 898 yards allowed across consecutive losses to the Cowboys and Bears. “This is supposed to be a Vic Fangio defense,” Smith said, raising his voice with disbelief. “And you mean to tell me they followed up giving up 500 yards to Dallas by letting the Chicago Bears — the Bears — run for almost 300 yards on them? This team is coming apart at the seams.” For a Philadelphia roster built on balance and complementary football, Smith’s words hit directly at the foundation of the franchise’s identity.
What made Smith’s comments so striking — and so unsettling for Eagles fans — was the specificity of his criticism. He highlighted the schematic and structural failures that have plagued the team for weeks. Against Dallas, the secondary was shredded for 354 passing yards, leaving untimely cushions and blown coverages that made Dak Prescott look comfortably in command for most of the night. Days later, the Bears presented an entirely different challenge, and yet the defense somehow fared worse. Chicago ran for 281 yards, including several punishing bursts from former Eagle D’Andre Swift, whose return to Philadelphia became a nationally televised showcase of the Eagles’ inability to set edges, fill gaps, or tackle with consistency.
Fangio, hired in large part to fix the defensive inconsistencies that derailed the Eagles late in 2023, now finds himself under a microscope. His scheme — defined by spacing, discipline, and pattern-match rules — is built to contain explosive plays, not surrender them in bunches. Yet the film from recent weeks shows soft zones, slow rotations, and misaligned fits that opponents have exploited with startling ease. Injuries have contributed, but Smith rejected the idea that absences alone explain the decline. “Every team is hurt. Every team has rookies. Every team has guys banged up,” he said. “But not every team gives up almost 900 yards in two games.”
Personnel questions have only deepened the scrutiny. Veteran safety Andrew Mukuba’s absence has been more destabilizing than expected, leaving Fangio to rely on emergency rotations that have struggled in communication-heavy coverages. Meanwhile, the reduced role of rookie Jihaad Campbell — one of the Eagles’ most productive defenders earlier in the season — has baffled fans and analysts alike. Campbell’s speed and instincts were supposed to be core traits in Fangio’s system, yet his recent snap counts suggest hesitancy from the coaching staff, or at minimum, growing internal tension over defensive alignment.
Compounding the situation is a sudden, dramatic decline in the Eagles’ pass rush. After punishing Green Bay and Detroit earlier in the month with a combined five sacks and 15 quarterback hits, the unit has produced just three sacks in two games, often failing to generate pressure even with four-man rushes designed to free up disguised coverage shells. Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, once among the NFL’s most feared edge duos, have struggled to win consistent matchups, leaving opposing quarterbacks comfortable and rhythmically operating against defenders playing on their heels.
The timing of this regression could not be more destructive. With the NFC playoff field tightening and the Eagles slipping into an 8-4 record that no longer guarantees postseason security, defensive instability threatens to unravel everything the offense is trying to salvage. Even A.J. Brown’s brilliant 132-yard, two-touchdown performance against Chicago felt overshadowed by the defensive meltdown that allowed the Bears to dictate the game from start to finish.
Smith’s rant, dramatic though it was, tapped into a growing sentiment in Philadelphia: accountability must extend beyond the offense. While Patullo and Jalen Hurts have absorbed relentless scrutiny — some fair, some exaggerated — the defense has quietly drifted from reliable to exploitable. And in a conference with high-powered offenses like Dallas, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and even suddenly resurgent Chicago, defensive breakdowns of this magnitude are unsustainable.
The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2024 by playing complementary football — a sharp, physical, integrated style. That identity has eroded. Whether Fangio can restore cohesion quickly will decide not just the fate of the next month, but potentially the viability of Philadelphia’s championship window. As Smith concluded, “If the Eagles want to be taken seriously again, the defense can’t just improve. It has to grow up. Right now.”
Whether harsh or simply honest, the message has landed. The question now is whether Philadelphia can respond.
