The Thing That Has To Change For Eagles Defense Without Pressing

The thing that has to change for Eagles defense without pressing originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio earlier this week summed up one of the biggest issues with the 2026 Eagles defense so far with just two words.

“We’re due,” Fangio said.

They don’t have a single takeaway yet.

It might not sound like a big deal because it has only been two games. But the Eagles are one of just three teams in the NFL without a takeaway through two weeks and the others — the Texans and Commanders — are both 0-2.

The Eagles are 2-0 and it’s hard to get there without forcing a turnover. In fact, the Eagles are just the fifth team in NFL history to begin a season with a 2-0 record despite not having a takeaway, joining the 1984 49ers, 1998 Broncos, 2016 Giants and 2025 Buccaneers.

So the Eagles need to start getting some takeaways. But they have to do it within the flow of the game. They can’t force it.

“We have to tackle and not miss tackles because we’re trying to go for the ball,” Fangio said. “That bugs me.”

“Sometimes those come in bunches,” said head coach Nick Sirianni, who has always stressed the importance of turnover differential. “We work like crazy on it. I wouldn’t say that we’ve had a ball that I felt like we dropped as far as an interception goes. We’ve had a couple scrambles against quarterbacks that are good at getting out of the pocket with our first two opponents. You haven’t had a couple of those strip-sack fumbles that you get sometimes in those scenarios.

“You get more tackling attempts than you do takeaway attempts in a game. So, your tackling fundamentals come first, always. You don’t want to put the tackle at risk by going after a strip-attempt. We chart this every week: ‘Hey, here’s how many strip attempt opportunities there were. Here’s how many times we took an attempt at it.’ You can’t score points unless you shoot the ball. Those are judged by us as far as when we tell them to take these strip attempts, but you never sacrifice the tackle in any case.”

That’s a fine line to walk. The Eagles want to make the most of their opportunities but don’t want to force it. Because there’s a difference between being aggressive and being reckless.

“If you want to do too much,” Jordan Davis said, “then you probably end up doing nothing.”

Sirianni on Thursday gave credit to the Commanders and Titans for having good ball security.

And, for the most part, the Eagles haven’t really had many chances to take the ball away. It’s not like they have been dropping interceptions or missing loose balls. There have been just a handful of opportunities through two games.

In Week 1, Jalen Carter punched out a ball in the fourth quarter that was recovered by the Commanders. In Week 2, Jihaad Campbell forced a fumble that went out of bounds and Riq Woolen had one ball that was fired just behind him that he couldn’t corral for a pick.

Woolen, 27, had 12 interceptions in his first four NFL seasons, so he’s known for his ballhawk ability. Woolen said it’s part effort and part skill. He admitted this week it can get “a little bit” frustrating when those takeaways aren’t coming.

“But at the same time,we keep getting turnovers on downs, so that’s good,” Woolen said. “But being able to get a takeaway, it electrifies the team and it boosts confidence throughout the team. It’s going to come. It’s going to come with the playing style. All of us play hard. If we play one snap at a time, one of those snaps is going to be a takeaway. And when it happens, we’re going to be celebrating.”

The Eagles last season were slightly above average in takeaways. They had 21 in 17 games, which ranked tied for 10th in the NFL. In 2025, the Eagles had just three games without a takeaway and they were 1-2 in those games. 

Through two games, the Eagles’ defense hasn’t been elite but it still has that potential. And a few takeaways would go a long way to helping them get there.

It’s always going to be a focus.

“We drill it unlike anybody at the end of the day, and we talk about it,” Sirianni said. “We’ve just got to stick to the process, and I think that’s such a key. Can you stick to the process when you’re not producing results? Can you stick to what you know is going to get the ball out when the results aren’t there yet? That’s a key in not just takeaways, but everything. Can you stick to that thing knowing that the work’s going to be what gets the ball out when you have those opportunities in the game?”