Relentless Defense Wins Big Game

Posted December 28th, 2025

Winning in Buffalo isn’t easy. It is even harder when your offense gains 16 yards in the second half. But the Eagles did win. Vic Fangio’s defense played a great game that allowed the Eagles to escape with a 13-12 victory. I sure did not see that coming.

The Bills came into the game as the #1 running offense and #3 scoring offense. The Eagles held them to a season low in points. You have to go back to September of 2024 to find a lower total when the Ravens held them to 10 points. The Eagles sacked Josh Allen 5 times, came up with a takeaway, had a goal line stand and limited the Buffalo ground game.

Nick Sirianni praised the defense for their "relentless effort” after the game. They chased Allen all over the field. They flew to the ball and tackled well. They made Buffalo earn every single yard. This wasn’t one guy. The whole unit played lights out. Jalen Carter had a sack, a pass deflection and a crucial blocked extra point in his return to action. You can see what a special player he is.

Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell combined for 13 tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery. Those guys were all over the field, making plays in coverage and against the run. They were a big reason Allen was held to 7-27 on the ground. Baun tripped up Allen just shy of the goal line on the series where they held the Bills out. Marcus Epps might have played his best NFL game. He led the team with 9 tackles and had a TFL near the goal line.

Weather was a factor for both teams. It rained for most of the game. This wasn’t misting. It was a legitimate downpour. Tom Brady said during the broadcast that he felt the receivers for both teams were wearing the wrong set of gloves (plastic vs leather).

The Eagles offense put up 174 yards and 13 points in the first half. Jalen Hurts made some really impressive throws. Saquon Barkley had room to run and the offense was very promising. Then halftime came. And the offense disappeared.

They went 5 & out on the first drive. The next four drives were all 3 & outs. The offense ran 18 plays for 16 yards in the second half. That does include a kneel-down, but you still get the point. That’s awful. The offense went run heavy.

That makes total sense when you have Saquon Barkley and the other team is 29th in run defense. But give the Bills credit. They were very aggressive in the second half and shut down the run. Once it got to third down they blitzed and the Eagles stalled. The play-calling needs to be better. When the run isn’t working, you have to adjust.

Execution wasn’t great in the run game or pass game. The Eagles also had bad field position. One drive started at their own 16. Another started at the half-yard line. Not ideal.

I know some people will talk about officiating. Buffalo got away with a clear PI that would have put the Eagles inside the 10-yard line in the first half. The officials overturned a catch by DeVonta in the second half that made no sense. There was nothing clear or obvious about that. The Eagles offense must be able to overcome tough circumstances if they are going to get back to the Super Bowl. Things don’t go smoothly in January.

At least the team knows the defense is playing at an elite level. That should give them a chance in every game. The win keeps the team in the hunt for the second seed in the NFC. As much as you may hate it, pull for SF to beat the Bears.

The Eagles won a tough game in a tough place. That is to be celebrated, even if the offense opened up a bunch of frustrating questions. The Eagles are 11-5, NFC East champs and overall pretty healthy. Life is pretty good.

https://igglesblitz.com/2025/12/relentless-defense-wins/

Absolutely fantastic performance by the defense!! If ONLY we had a coordinator on offense that could get the most out of the talent we have so that the unit could function at a level similar to the defense.

The eagles offense has as much talent as the defense.......so why the performance discrepancy?

The offense produced under Steichen and Kellen Moore and went to 2 Super Bowls. They didn't under Johnson and Patullo.

I'm sort of surprised that Roseman and Lurie haven't gotten involved in what's going on.....16 games into the season and Sirianni and Patullo can't figure out the problem. Heading into the playoffs, the defense will keep them in games.....but like the buffalo game, they will wear down......and when they're getting very little help from the offense in terms of time of possession, field position and scoring TD's instead of FGs, the defense's margin for error is almost nil.

One missed assignment, one bad call, one critical injury or one opponent's spectacular play can put the defense's backs to the wall. And I'm sure the defense has lost confidence in the offense and they feel they have to do more to win the game. And with that pressure and playoff pressure, the defense is going to be walking a fine line.

Fangio and the defense may be up to the task. But at this point in the season, there is NO EXCUSE for the offense to be performing like this.......