Vic Fangio took the blame for Eagles defensive performance and said the safety rotation will continue

Vic Fangio didn’t want to point a finger at any one player for the third-quarter Chicago Bears touchdown Monday night that put the Eagles in a two-score hole during their eventual 27-7 defeat, but he did take the blame for the overall effort.

“I thought our guys were ready to play mentally and physically,” Fangio said Wednesday. “Our details were off a little bit, especially when they were throwing it quick, so that’s on me. Didn’t have them ready to execute better.”

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The Eagles weren’t beat up on the ground the way they were vs. Chicago in Week 13 last season, but they didn’t have enough answers to limit 38-year-old third-string quarterback Case Keenum from causing damage in the passing game. The Bears dialed up quick throws and used play action to their advantage, as Keenum threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns while running in for another.

Keenum’s 41-yard touchdown throw to Kalif Raymond was a backbreaker. Raymond was open in the middle of the field with no Eagles defender within 10 yards of him. Cooper DeJean followed Luther Burden III, who motioned to Raymond’s side of the field where Riq Woolen was also lined up. DeJean stayed with Burden and Woolen did not cover Raymond.

“It was between Cooper and Riq, had a miscommunication on that,” Fangio said.

The coordinator said the fix is correcting it and to “make sure they understand it, which we thought they did,” he said. “That wasn’t an uncommon motion from that team.” Asked what was supposed to happen on the play, Fangio said: “Well, those two guys have to sort it out. I’m not going to point blame.”

DeJean and Zack Baun both mentioned communication being an issue in the locker room after Monday’s game. Asked if there were overarching issues there, Fangio said he thought the players were just talking about that specific play.

But shortly after Fangio spoke in the auditorium at the Jefferson Health Training Complex, DeJean talked to reporters at his locker stall and elaborated a bit.

“I would say our biggest thing right now is there’s not enough talking on the field — between everybody, myself included,” DeJean said. “To the corners, to the safeties, linebackers, everybody just needs to communicate a little bit more so we’re all on the same page. We made too many mistakes that were unforced that shouldn’t happen, that are easy things that we’ve repped many times.

“In this defense, communication is key. There’s a lot of moving parts.”

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The Eagles will continue the rotation they used at safety on Monday night, Fangio said Wednesday.

Marcus Epps started the game at safety in the non-base packages next to Andrew Mukuba, but he appeared to be benched after the first Chicago drive for Michael Carter II. Fangio said the plan was to rotate the players, which they did in practice last week.

“Those two guys are still going to man it,” Fangio said.

Is there any rhyme or reason to who is out there and when?

“We’re just kind of rotating them,” Fangio said. “It’s not so much situationally as it is rotating them.”

The goal, Fangio said, would be for one player to emerge as the obvious starter.

There’s a new body in the defensive backfield in Kenny Moore II, who was signed to the active roster from the practice squad on Tuesday. Moore has primarily been a nickel corner throughout his long NFL career, but the Eagles could try him at safety.

“He’s a down the line possibility maybe,” Fangio said. “He’s really never played safety in his career so that’ll be some heavy lifting for him.”

Fangio did reiterate that there’s no current plan to move DeJean to safety full time.

The first injury report of the week had a bit of news Wednesday night.

The Eagles held a walkthrough on Wednesday that was not open to media. Had they held a regular practice, Baun would have missed it because he is in the concussion protocol. Baun was not on the field for the final Bears drive, but spoke in the locker room after the game.

The full injury report from Wednesday is below:

Did not participate

Limited participant

Full participant

Carter’s wrist injury is a hairline fracture, sources told The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. Carter has been able to play through the injury with a cast on his right hand, but the injury and having to wear the cast may be limiting his effectiveness.

“Well, it’s a negative,” Fangio said. “There’s no way it can’t be, but to be honest with you, he’s done better than I thought he would with it.”