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With the Philadelphia Eagles preparing for one of the more unique Week 1 games fans will ever see, with the Birds heading to Brazil for a bicontinental throwdown against the Packers, fans around the world have been wondering how the team's new defense will fare against Jordan Love and the Green Bay's offense, who collectively looked pretty darn good in 2023.
One such spectator? Well, that would be none other than defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who will be coaching his first-ever game as the Eagles defensive play-caller after having a cup of coffee working for the team in 2022 and then joining the Miami Dolphins in 2023.
Asked for comment on Love and company ahead of the team's rare Friday night Week 1 showdown, Fangio noted that the Packers' offense is nothing to sneeze at, as they have enough talent to make a defensive coordinator's night incredibly laborious indeed.
“Yeah, the biggest problem in defending their offense is they run it just as good as they throw it, so they have a really good mix on first and second down, running play-action, and it makes it hard to defend,” Fangio told reporters. “Then you throw in what you alluded to of a scrambling mobile quarterback; it adds another dimension to it. They're really tough to defend. They run it and throw it equally well, and you throw in an athletic quarterback, and it'll be an all-day sucker.”
To Fangio's credit, he is correct; in 2023, the Packers' offense was incredibly effective across the board, with Love throwing for over 4,000 yards plus 31 touchdowns in his first full season as a starting quarterback. Factor in the addition of Josh Jacobs, who is a dominant rusher in his own right – having never rushed for less than 800 yards as a pro – and the Eagles have one heck of a measuring stick from which to judge their 2024 ceiling right out of the gate.
Vic Fangio's defense has never played against Jordan Love
While Fangio has accomplished a lot as a defensive coordinator and head coach, what with having effectively laid out the blueprint for what an NFL defense looks like in 2024 with his two-safety shell, light interior box approach to pre-snap deception, he has never actually faced off against Love, giving both men a new foe to face off against in Week 1.
Surprising? Sure, but it's true; while Fangio has coached two different teams during Love's professional tenure – three if you count his little run with the Eagles in 2022 – he has only faced the Packers with Aaron Rodgers or Brett Farve under center. While he has faced off against the Packers with Matt LaFleur on the opposite sideline, for Fangio, Love presents a unique challenge indeed, which should make for a very interesting matchup for fans to enjoy.
