The Philadelphia Eagles demoted their defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, and entrusted the play-calling responsibilities to Matt Patricia, hoping he would revive the Eagles’ defense. He must account for the rookie QB, Tommy DeVito, ahead of the Christmas showdown against the New York Giants. He has thrown seven touchdowns in the last five games and has already surpassed the 1,000-passing-yard mark.

Even though the Eagles lost the Seattle Seahawks game, the defense showed signs of being more aggressive, and because the Giants have one of the worst-performing offenses, can they strike gold on Christmas?

How Matt Patricia’s schemes have improved the Eagles’ defense

Last Sunday, the three safety formations that the Eagles had played showed an uptick. Safety Sydney Brown played 79% of the defensive snaps even though all the other Eagles starters were healthy. The Giants’ offense, however, ranks second from the bottom. Even though DeVito was in form and led the Giants to three straight victories, the streak ended after the New Orleans Saints game. He was also sacked seven times in that game.

The Eagles’ defensive line remains its chief strength compared to its aging secondary. This season, their 224 pressures are ranked fourth in the entire league. Stopping DeVito, who has 35 sacks in the last seven games, will ensure their victory. Speaking about the game, Patricia had said, “I think you do have to evolve and do things that fit the players that you have that particular week, but certainly, you want to keep the foundation of what you spend a lot of time on.”

And it helps that he will go up against his former colleague, Brian Daboll.

Matt Patricia and Brian Daboll know each other’s playbooks

Both coaches had worked together with the New England Patriots, and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said he sees many similarities in the two coaches’ play calling. He said that the team has been studying the film and trying to gather as much information as possible from the Eagles vs. Seahawks game. He agreed that there would be a lot of variables, but “that’s okay, but we prepare our guys the best we can.”

If the Eagles win the Giants game, they can finally snap their three-game losing streak. Since the Giants are their divisional rivals, they will also use the Christmas game to fine-tune their strategy when they take them on again on January 7 for their last game of the regular season. The Eagles will take on the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field on December 25 at 4:30 p.m. ET.