The Eagles have gone three games without a takeaway, and that drought is starting to define the early part of their season.
Philadelphia has not intercepted a pass in 265 days. It has been 279 days since the defense recovered a fumble or got two sacks in a game from its edge rushers. For a unit that was supposed to make noise with playmaking talent all over the field, the lack of impact snaps has been striking.
The numbers are ugly. The Eagles are the only NFL team without a takeaway through three games, making them just the 15th team in league history to open a season that way. Only two of the previous 14 teams reached the playoffs: the 1979 Broncos and the 2004 Rams.
They are also tied for 28th in sacks with just three, alongside the Rams. Only the Cowboys, Giants and Dolphins have fewer.
In terms of total impact defensive plays - interceptions, forced fumbles and sacks - the Eagles’ three are tied with the Dolphins for the fewest in the league. It is the fewest in franchise history through three games and half of the previous low.
Still, the defense has managed to stay afloat in the standings of sorts. Philadelphia is 13th in yards allowed and 16th in points allowed, a sign that the group has been functional even without the splash plays that usually swing games.
Cooper DeJean said the big moments should eventually arrive.
“Obviously, you want to get those big plays,” Cooper DeJean said. “But I think over time, those things will come.
I mean, we're three games into the season. I think once one comes, they’ll come in bunches.”
Vic Fangio pointed to the quick passing game as part of the reason the pass rush has not piled up more numbers, but he did not sound alarmed by the effort.
“We definitely need to get some takeaways to help our offense and to get some stops,” Vic Fangio said. “The sacks, a little different there, but yeah, I think we'll get some eventually.
I haven't felt like our rush has been poor. I mean, they're throwing it rather quickly a lot of times is part of it.”
The strange part is that this is a defense built to create chaos. The Eagles have three defensive backs and a linebacker who have made a Pro Bowl, and the front was expected to be a force with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Moro Ojomo and Andrew Greenard, who made his Eagles debut on Monday night.
Nakobe Dean’s absence has also been felt. He already has three forced fumbles, 1 ½ sacks, three quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and 22 tackles for the undefeated Raiders.
Even so, the roster still includes players with a track record of making things happen. Quinyon Mitchell has four interceptions in five playoff games.
DeJean has the most famous interception return in Eagles history and forced four turnovers last year. Riq Woolen led the NFL in interceptions in 2023.
Nolan Smith had 10 sacks over his last 15 games of 2024. Jalyx Hunt and Moro Ojomo each had six sacks last year, and Jordan Davis had four.
Zach Baun has been one of the biggest playmakers on the roster in recent seasons, with seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and five interceptions in his first two years as an Eagle. Through three games this season, he has none of those numbers, and he will not play Sunday because of a concussion.
The lack of takeaways has also made the defense’s streak a little more notable. The Eagles have now gone three straight games without one, tied for the second-longest stretch in franchise history behind a five-game run in 2012.
Nick Sirianni said the results are coming, even if they have not shown up yet.
“I think those have a tendency to come in waves,” Nick Sirianni said. “We've been disruptive, particularly up front, but those things tend to come in waves and it goes back to, are you willing to continue to put the work in and go through the process even when you're not seeing the results?
“Eventually, that tide turns, and it all goes back to the way we go about our business and the way we go about our process. It's still a small sample size, but would we like to have those things? Of course.”
The Eagles’ last game without a sack or takeaway came Monday night in Chicago, and that was costly in a broader historical sense. Philadelphia is 1-9 in its last 10 games without a sack or takeaway, and 8-40 all-time when it finishes a game without either one.
The team has had some pass-rush moments already. Jihaad Campbell had a one-yard sack in the opener, and Smith and Carter recorded sacks against the Titans. But on third down, the defense has not been able to finish enough plays, allowing 12 completions on 24 passes for 134 yards, three touchdowns and nine first downs without a sack.
For Sirianni, the message is the same: keep working, keep grinding, and trust the process.
“We've just got to keep chipping away at it and controlling the things that we can control," Sirianni said. "We've got to be committed to what we're doing Monday through Saturday to be ready to play on Sunday."
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