Eagles going 1st to worst in key metric during Wild Card win proves stats can lie

The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2024-25 regular season with 14 wins. They impressed many with a defense that finished first vs. the pass and in total defense. Vic Fangio's unit was equally impressive in Philly's Wild Card Game, spearheading the Birds to a win and a trip to the Divisional Round.

The next step in the postseason journey is a date with a surging Los Angeles Rams team. Lincoln Financial Field will again provide the backdrop. Expect naughty behavior.

The winner of the Vince Lombardi might be the squad that can stall the opposition's drives most consistently in a playoff field displaying several teams with elite offenses. Most believe the Birds are home to a squad capable, but if we ranked every surviving Wild Card team based on the total defense metric, Philly would have finished last, which can only mean one thing.

Stats aren't everything.

Every remaining Wild Card team ranked by total defense before Divisional Round begins

You've heard me say this before. I was a writer. I wrote A papers. I sucked at match, except for calculus, geometry, and trigonometry. Maybe my mind is better wired for memorization and formulas.

I have learned something over time though. I love numbers. I'm addicted to statistics.

Pro Football Focus might be the only subscription I actually pay for and care about. I have notifications turned on for Next Gen Stats. Yes, this is an obsession.

I said all of that to say this. If the best defense should be the highest-ranked, how does one explain this?

Buffalo - 224 yards allowed
Texans - 261 yards allowed
Rams - 269 yards allowed
Ravens - 280 yards allowed
Commanders - 284 yards allowed
Eagles - 302 yards allowed

You're eyes aren't deceiving you. We ranked each of the six remaining Wild Card teams based on Wild Card Round numbers. The top-seeded, NFC and AFC-leading Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs aren't mentioned because they were idle during the postseason's first round.

Philly, the team we have called the best defense gave up the most yardage, but there are a few things we should mention. Philly played Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers. Buffalo drew the Denver Broncos and Bo Nix. Do you see where we're coming from?

The L.A. Rams played Sam Darnold and a Minnesota Vikings team that forgot what direction the end zone was in. The Houston Texans had to defend a criminally overrated Justin Herbert.

One could argue Love is overhyped too, that he crumbles when pressured of hurried. There's a point there, but despite Philly's tendency to bend, they didn't break. They gave up ten points.

Next up for Philly is the Rams in the Divisional Round. They bested them by a 37-20 margin in Week 12. Philly has also already played Baltimore and the Commanders. They held the former to 19 points and the latter to 18 (in the first meeting anyway).

Our point is this. Versus some high-powered teams, Philly has proven they can shut the elite down. If they find their offense, one must feel very good about their chances.

Worth mentioning: If you are interested, the Chiefs and Lions finished the regular season ranked ninth and 20th respectively in total defense. That won't have much to do with how things shake out in the postseason, but it is an interesting nugget worth noting.

We're convinced. Philly is STILL home to the NFL's best defense.