Winning the Super Bowl was apparently not enough for Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Philly completely dominated the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month to win Super Bowl 59 at Caesars Super Dome in New Orleans, La. The Eagles’ defense held the Chiefs scoreless in the first half as the team cruised to a 40-22 victory.
During a recent interview, Eagles rookie edge rusher Jaylx Hunt revealed that Fangio still laid into the team’s defense for letting up in the second half. Hunt told YouTuber “Pete Takes” that Fangio called the defense out in a meeting held a day before the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade.
“[Fangio] goes to just the first half stats,” said Hunt. “‘Good. We stopped them here. They got -55 yards, -11 in the first half.'”
But Fangio changed his tune when it came to assessing the second half.
“‘This is unacceptable,'” Hunt recalled the Eagles DC saying. “Circles the second half. ‘Unacceptable. 22 points.’ We won. They didn’t score in the first half. We’re having a meeting after the Super Bowl. He wants perfection.”
The game’s final score made it seem closer than it actually was. The Chiefs scored all 22 of their points in the final 18 minutes when the game was all but decided.
The Eagles defense’s dip in play may arguably have been an act of mercy as the team led 34-0 with minutes to go in the third quarter. Philly also put in their backups late in the contest, which is when Patrick Mahomes got a couple of garbage-time touchdowns.
Fangio may have been trying to send a message to his players ahead of Philadelphia’s title defense next season. Philly may need it if the NFL does decide to ban the Eagles’ most infamous play.
