The 2025 Detroit Lions fell short of their Super Bowl aspirations, missing the playoffs despite having an extremely talented roster. General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell entered the offseason knowing they needed to make changes, and they did exactly that, hiring Drew Petzing as their offensive coordinator and Mike Kafka in a high-ranking offensive role.
Still, the Lions have more work to do if they’re to return to the top of the NFC, but fans can’t help but feel ecstatic with the team’s early additions. However, the good vibes died down a bit on Wednesday night, as The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane reported that the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, announced he’ll be returning for the 2026 season.
Although there was speculation that Fangio would retire after the team’s first-round exit to the San Francisco 49ers, the 67-year-old ultimately decided to return for another season. While the Eagles aren’t a divisional rival, they aggravate Lions fans as much as any team in Detroit's path to a Super Bowl championship.
Given that the Eagles are retaining a key piece to their 2024 Super Bowl team, this is bad news for Lions fans.
Fangio’s Return Makes Lions’ Path to the Top Much More Difficult
At every stop in Fangio's coaching career, his team’s defense instantly turns into one of the league’s best. This has remained the same with the Eagles. In his two years with the Eagles, Fangio’s defense finished in the top-5 in points allowed, while ranking in the top-10 in takeaways and against the pass.
Despite the Eagles' horrendous offense and the defense losing valuable players in the offseason, Fangio’s unit kept Philadelphia in games, arguably serving as the reason they made the playoffs. He displayed his defensive masterclass all season, especially against the Lions, as his defense allowed just nine points and held them to 0-to-5 on fourth-down conversions.
That game was the turning point in the Lions’ season, as the team would win just three of their next seven games and ultimately miss the playoffs. While Campbell had taken control of play-calling duties at that point, it was another clear indication that the Lions had work to do on offense.
While the Lions are hopeful that the additions of Petzing and Kafka will spark the Lions’ offensive dominance from years past, they face a tough uphill battle back to the top of the conference. Fangio’s decision to return, however, makes it much steeper. Even though the Lions and Eagles aren’t scheduled to meet in 2026, the two franchises will be battling for playoff positioning.
With the NFC crowded with elite coaching and talented rosters, the pressure is on Holmes and Campbell to come back with a much stronger team in 2026.