Why this mind-blowing number stands out in Eagles’ defensive effort

Here’s one of the most impressive Eagles feathers in Vic Fangio’s cap. The average age of the starting lineup he used to cripple the league’s No. 1 offense and blast Lamar Jackson’s MVP candidacy in a 24-19 win at Baltimore on Sunday was just over 25 years old.

And since Mike Greenberg and others now believe the Eagles (10-2) are the best team in the National Football League, has the time come to compare Fangio’s defense to some of the best of all-time? Philadelphia certainly laid the foundation for that discussion.

“The effort, the run to the football, the tackling in space, this is not hyperbolic. I think this is the best tackling defense in the NFL,” said ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky Monday morning on Get Up. “You have to credit Nick Sirianni and you have to credit Vic Fangio.”

Flying high on an eight-game winning streak, the Eagles and their high-powered offense have their own MVP candidate, Saquon Barkley. But Fangio’s unit proved on Sunday, playing without Darius Slay and Brandon Graham, that the the real key to the team’s success is the Philadelphia defense.

The defensive chemistry of not only the starting group but the second- and third-string players as well, speaks volumes to how connected the team is, not to mention the stellar job Fangio has done with the unit.

The Eagles dominated where they needed to dominate: Inside the trenches. With young Georgia Bulldogs in Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter causing havoc on the interior, and Nolan Smith and Josh Sweat containing on the edges, Jackson and Derrick Henry rarely got behind them. And when they did, linebackers Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun filled rushing lanes.

Philadelphia registered at least three sacks in a fourth straight game straight game. The Eagles’ 14 sacks over that span ranks second in the NFL. But perhaps most encouraging is to compare the defense now to where it was last December, when the Eagles looked disconnected and disinterested. Former head coach Rex Ryan pointed to two simple differences on Monday morning.

“To me, you talk about the two differences this year, it is Saquon Barkley and Vic Fangio,” Ryan said.

The Eagles remain atop the NFC East as they prepare to host Carolina (3-9) next week at Lincoln Financial Field.

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