Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio worked with the team’s upcoming opponent, the Philadelphia Eagles, last season, but he said that relationship might benefit the Eagles more than himself on Sunday.
Dolphins DC Vic Fangio says he was giving Philly more information than the Eagles were giving him in his time with the Eagles last season.
"If there's any advantage to me being there, it would be in their favor."
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) October 19, 2023
Fangio is in his first season with the Dolphins as part of a heralded career that included time as a consultant for the Eagles in the 2022 campaign. That came after he spent three seasons with the Denver Broncos as their head coach.
His familiarity with the Broncos may have paid off earlier in the season when the Dolphins defeated them 70-20 in Week 3. But Fangio is intimating that may not be the case for the highly anticipated game this Sunday after he spent just one season with Philadelphia in a lesser role, even though he helped the Eagles reach the Super Bowl.
For whatever reason, Fangio’s unit has yet to make its mark this season with the team off to a 5-1 start fueled primarily by its high-powered offense.
Entering Week 7, the Miami defense has allowed 343.7 total yards per game, which ranks 20th. The unit also ranks poorly from a rushing and passing standpoint in terms of yards allowed per game. It is tied for third in total sacks this season, however.
The rankings, of course, could be related to the fact Miami has been outscoring opponents at such a prolific rate, therefore causing the defense to play differently than it might in closer games.
The unit also could be improving in the near future. Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey will not play this week because of a knee injury suffered in training camp but is seemingly trending in the right direction.
For its part, the Eagles offense hasn’t been flawless this season and did not score in the second half of a 20-14 loss to the New York Jets last week, the team’s first defeat of the season. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has seven interceptions to go with seven touchdown passes and sports a quarterback rating of 84.7 this season. He had just six interceptions all of last season, and his rating was 101.5.
With much of the NFL world expected to be watching the prime time matchup, it will be interesting to see if what the Eagles know about Fangio will help them get back on track or if the Dolphins having the coordinator on their side will help their defense thrive.
