The season has been saved and the Eagles have their defense to thank for it.
That used to be said and written all the time when Buddy Ryan's bullies beat up Eagles opponents in the late '80s and early '90s. It was still true after Ryan was fired by Norman Braman, a.k.a. "the guy in France," and Bud Carson became the team's defensive coordinator. The early success of the Andy Reid era was much more about Brian Dawkins, Jim Johnson and the defense than Donovan McNabb and the offense, too.
Given Chip Kelly's devotion to the offensive side of the football and the way things went in his first two seasons as the head coach, it seemed unlikely that the defense would ever be the primary reason for the Eagles' success.