As the Philadelphia Eagles attempt to recapture their Super Bowl form, let’s compare the team’s 2019 defense to that of their 2017 counterparts.

2017 may very well go down as the best year in Philadelphia Eagles history; the year the team won it all for the very first time.

In the previous edition of this comparison piece, the offensive side of the ball was highlighted, but this time let’s focus on how the 2019 Eagles’ defense compares to the championship-winning defensive unit from 2017.

Not only did many of the team’s players earn their first ring in 2017, but they also made dreams come true for every single Eagles fan who was waiting to see their Birds bring that elusive Lombardi trophy to the City of Brotherly Love. In a year and postseason full of doubt – making the team sport dog masks while embracing the underdog role – the team stepped up to the challenge and proved every doubter wrong.

A key component to the Eagles winning it all was their dominate defense, a defense that ranked fourth in yards allowed. A winning season behind a strapping defense and a Brandon Graham strip-sack on Tom Brady with two minutes and twelve seconds in the Super Bowl helped prove the old motto “Defense wins championships” true. Although their defense did let up 505 passing yards and 33 points, the Eagles stepped up in clutch moments and played with the utmost tenacity on the grandest stage of them all.

While 2017 saw a top-rated defense with younger and older players stepping up in huge moments, 2018 was plagued with injuries especially on the defensive side of the ball.

That being the case, fans are looking forward to seeing a healthy defense again in 2019, as well as seeing what some new additions provide to the team. But how does this season’s squad match up to their 2017 counterparts? Let’s look at each position group and find out!