Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday that he would find out how good his defense can be this season based on their play against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1.

During the Eagles’ 34-29 win over the Packers last Friday at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil, Fangio’s defense showed a lot of potential, despite giving up 414 total yards and a lot of points.

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During the first quarter, the Eagles’ defense got going, giving up just two field goals after the offense lost the ball inside the 20 twice. They trailed only 6-0 at the end of the first quarter instead of 14-0.

“The slow start was on offense. The defense played their a** off to start that game,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni told reporters after Friday’s game. “To play as bad as we did offensively and be down 6-0 to start the game is pretty awesome. And hats off to the defense.”

The Eagles gave up only 10 points in the second half.

Safety Reed Blankenship intercepted a pass at the Green Bay 25-yard line in the third quarter. Four plays later, running back Saquon Barkley rushed for a two-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 31-26 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Green Bay went on a 10-play drive that lasted more than five minutes, but was stopped at the Eagles’ eight-yard line. The Packers settled for a 26-yard field goal, making it a two-point game (31-29) with less than eight minutes left on the clock.

The next time Green Bay received the ball, they trailed 34-29 with 22 seconds left and had to travel 84 yards for a touchdown. Philadelphia’s defense made a few more stops to end the game.

The Eagles have good defensive potential, but there are still a few things they need to improve on, such as stopping explosive plays and putting more pressure on the quarterback.

Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed scored a 33-yard touchdown and a 70-yard touchdown during the second quarter. In the final quarter, Reed caught a pass at Philadelphia’s 40-yard line, ran upfield and made a move on Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to get loose for a touchdown.

Aside from Reed’s two big plays, the Eagles did a good job of containing Green Bay’s passing offense.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who left the game with a leg injury on the final drive, completed just 17 of 34 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

The Eagles tackled Love just twice as edge rushers Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith failed to apply enough pressure.

Green Bay also developed a successful run game, with 7.8 yards per attempt and a total of 163 yards.

In the coming weeks, the Eagles will need to do a better job of stopping the run, racking up more sacks and knocking down explosive plays to convert their potential into consistent success.

Eagles linebacker Zack Baun, who signed a one-year deal with the team this offseason, finished with a team-high 15 tackles and two sacks. If he continues to play, it could raise the defense’s ceiling.

Quinyon Mitchell, a first-round rookie cornerback, had two interceptions and was a tough cover man.

“The moment is never too big for Q,” Sirianni said of Mitchell. “I’ve seen that from Q from the beginning. … He’s not fazed. Like he’s going up against AJ Brown and Devonta Smith (in practice), two of the best wide receivers in the NFL. And that’s pretty awesome, right? Iron sharpens iron.”

When the Eagles play the Atlanta Falcons at home next Monday, Fangio can learn a little more about how good his defense is. They’ll need to stop Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​and running back Bijan Robinson, among others, to win that game.

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Cayden Steele can be reached at [email protected]