The Eagles entered the 2022 season opener with growing expectations, and much of the hype centered around a retooled defense and a coordinator with a rising profile in NFL coaching circles.
After Sunday’s Week 1 debacle at Detroit, the hype could cool on Jonathan Gannon, Philadelphia’s much-maligned defensive coordinator.
The Eagles have a top-10 defense on paper, but Gannon’s reluctance to unleash his weapons is now causing some concern around the franchise after the Birds surrendered 181-yards on the ground.
Philadelphia gave up 35 points and allowed 386 yards to a Lions team that was embarrassed on Halloween night by a less talented defense one year ago. During his weekly appearance on 94WIP’s Morning Show with Angelo Cataldi, Sirianni clarified that things will get cleaned up.
“We’re gonna get a lead and you’re gonna play with a lead the rest of the way.’ And that’s precisely what happened. The defense allowed us to get that lead. Now, we didn’t finish good as we all know. We’ve got to clean up a lot of things on defense, as far as the run game and some of the things like that, but we’ll get those things corrected. It’s always better to fix them after a win than after a loss.”
It is only week one, and the Eagles starters played one series together during the preseason. Still, with the Vikings’ explosive offense heading to Philly for a Monday night showdown, adjustments must be made regarding scheme and versatility.
A team shouldn’t run the ball down your throat if you have Jordan Davis on your roster, and the Eagles must play five down linemen on apparent running formations.
