Vic Fangio didn’t walk away from the Eagles’ season-opening win feeling especially encouraged by what he saw from the edge of his defense.
Philadelphia escaped Washington with a 24-22 victory, but the veteran defensive coordinator said Tuesday that the group charged with chasing down Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was not sharp enough without Jonathan Greenard on the field.
“I thought our pass rush overall, with our guys that mainly rushed the passer, was inconsistent and really wasn’t good enough,” Fangio admitted at his weekly press conference.
Greenard, the offseason trade addition expected to anchor the edge, was inactive in Week 1 while continuing to recover from a pectoral injury suffered before training camp. That pushed Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Ebiketie and A.J. Epenesa into larger roles against Daniels and Washington.
Hunt was one of the more active rushers in the league last week, finishing with seven pressures. Smith added four. Even so, the Eagles came away with just one sack, credited to linebacker Jihaad Campbell, and the edge group didn’t record a quarterback hit.
Daniels still managed to complete 18 of 34 passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and his mobility repeatedly helped Washington keep plays alive.
Fangio said there was no single explanation for the lack of production up front.
“There’s a lot of reasons here and there,” the DC said. “Mobile quarterback plays into that. We just didn’t win enough of our one-on-ones across the board.”
What bothered him even more was how Washington pieced together its scoring drives. The Commanders put up 22 points after an opening field goal and a late surge that included both a rushing touchdown and a passing score.
“Disappointed in their three scoring drives,” Fangio said. “There are some scoring drives you give up where the other team just beat you.
You know? They got good players and good coaches too, but I think we could’ve played a little better in some of those instances from just overall play.
Even with the concerns along the edge, the Eagles’ defense still held Washington to 295 total yards and forced a string of punts after that first series. The interior also did its part, with Jalen Carter and Moro Ojomo generating pressure, and linebacker Zack Baun turning in a standout performance.
For Fangio, though, the standard is clear: the edge rush has to win more individual battles, and the defense has to keep those scoring drives from forming in the first place.
Greenard remains day-to-day as he works back toward a full workload. Until then, Fangio said the Eagles will keep leaning on Hunt, Smith and the rest of the depth chart.
Ebiketie played 28 snaps, well ahead of Epenesa’s 12, though Fangio said that was affected by Epenesa getting banged up during the game.
“A.J. got a little dinged during the game I think a little bit which played a part in that.”
The Eagles are 1-0 despite the pass-rush issues, and they’ll head to Nashville on Sunday to face the Titans in what is expected to be a steamy matchup, with temperatures projected to reach the mid-90s.
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