Eagles Opposing Player To Stop, Week 4 Edition

The Eagles defensively were a mess on Monday night in their 27-7 loss to the Chicago Bears, who were playing without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, replaced by 38-year-old Case “Montana” Keenum. The Eagles struggled to barely get by the No. 19 (Washington) and No. 31 (Tennessee) offenses in the NFL. They will now host the No. 1 offense in the league, and future Hall of Famer Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday at 1 p.m.

There were some glaring problems in the Eagles’ first two victories this season, magnified in the Bears’ loss. For one, the Eagles are getting no push up front, with three sacks in three games, tied for 29th overall in the NFL with, ironically, their visitors this Sunday, the Rams.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio does not have his defensive backs covering tight, giving way too much cushion to opposing receivers, and missed assignments abound. On the third-quarter, 41-yard TD dagger against the Bears on Monday night, corners Cooper DeJean or Riq Woolen did not know whether to cover motion man Luther Burden or slot Kalif Raymond. DeJean stayed with Burden as he motioned left to right, and should have picked up the inside receiver Raymond, since DeJean was the inside defender. Instead, DeJean and Woolen both stayed with the motioning outside receiver Burden, leaving Raymond uncovered down the middle of the field.

It is a blown coverage elite quarterbacks like Stafford salivate over.

“Yeah, they’re really good,” replied Fangio when asked this week about the Rams’ extensive offensive arsenal. “Not counting their San Francisco game in Australia, their last three games going back to the NFC championship game, they’ve gotten 500 yards in all three games against Seattle, the Giants and Denver. Three good defenses. That in and of itself explains to you what the chore is we have. They run it very well. They stay committed to the run and they’ve got a really good play action game off of it that they marry very well to the run game. You’ve got [Rams QB Matthew] Stafford at quarterback, guy’s going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. Got the weapons and the tight ends that they have and they’re probably having the [Rams WR Puka] Nacua back this week.

“So yeah, it’s a tough assignment because they’re balanced and they run and throw it very effectively.”

Complicating the Eagles’ problems on Sunday is the strong possibility middle linebacker Zack Baun will be out due to concussion protocol. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a more than capable backup, but the Eagles may have a huge problem moving forward—Jihaad Campbell. According to a couple of Bears’ sources who were on the field against Campbell on Monday, they felt Campbell was a great athlete with a great future ahead of him though was also someone right now who “doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

It may partially explain why the Bears had so freedom down the middle of the field Monday night. That could be a major issue against the three tight end sets Rams coach Sean McVay likes to run.Tyler Higbee, Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen have a combined 21 receptions for four touchdowns and 176 yards.

“Yeah, their tight ends are versatile,” Fangio said. “They’re pretty good receivers, and obviously the blocking and they create extra gaps in there. They’re committed to it and they’re good at it.”

With DeVonta Smith questionable with a hamstring, and Baun possibly out with a concussion, the Eagles’ four-game winning streak against McVay, who has never beaten Nick Sirianni, may be in serious jeopardy this Sunday. McVay is 1-6 against the Eagles. Stafford is 4-4 in eight starts against the Eagles, though has thrown 16 TDs and been intercepted twice. Three games into the season, the Eagles have no takeaways for the first time in franchise history, while turning the ball over five times. Their minus-5 turnover differential is among the worst in the league, only one better than the bottom, where the Atlanta Falcons sit.

The Eagles are the only team in the NFL without a takeaway this season. The recipe smells like this could be uglier than the Eagles’ game against the Bears. The Rams are 1-2, a desperate team in great need to make a point, while the Eagles already look exhausted three games into the 2026 season, just getting by teams that they were supposed to pummel, and losing games to Case Keenum.