Why Vic Fangio Being 0-8 Vs Patrick Mahomes Is Misleading
By now, you have likely seen a graphic that says Eagles DC Vic Fangio is 0-8 against Patrick Mahomes in his career. It is factually true. Fangio has never beaten Mahomes as either a defensive coordinator or a Head Coach. And given Fangio was a head coach in the same division as Mahomes, the 2 have crossed paths a fair amount.
The problem with the stat is that like many stats it lacks context. How did his defense play against Patrick Mahomes? What kind of numbers did Patrick Mahomes put up against Vic Fangio? Let’s break down the matchup by more than just the win-loss record.
Vic Fangio vs Patrick Mahomes
| Date Of Game | Final Score | Completion | Yards | TDs | INT | Sacks |
| 10/17/2019 * | 30-6 | 10–11 | 117 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/15/2019 | 23-15 | 27-34 | 330 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 10/25/2020 | 43-24 | 15-23 | 200 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 12/6/2020 | 22-16 | 25-40 | 318 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12/5/2021 | 22-9 | 15-29 | 184 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1/8/2022 | 28-24 | 27-44 | 270 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 11/5/2023** | 21-14 | 20-30 | 185 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 1/13/2024** | 26-7 | 23-41 | 262 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 193-115 | 162-252 | 1866 | 10 | 2 | 11 |
| Average | 24.1-14.4 | 64.3 | 233.25 | 1.25 | 0.25 | 1.37 |
- * Patrick Mahomes left the game with an injury
- ** As a Defensive Coordinator
So yes Mahomes beat him every time. But he also held Mahomes to 24.1 points per game. The Chiefs actually average 28.3 points per game over Patrick Mahomes’ career. So on average, Fangio does actually do better vs Mahomes than your average Defensive Coordinator. He has only given up 30 points or more twice, and in one of those games, Mahomes left the game early.
The bigger issue has been what the Broncos or Dolphins offense did in those games. They have topped 20 points only twice and were held under 10 3 times. Luckily Vic Fangio does not have to coach the Eagles offense in this upcoming game. He doesn’t have to be the head coach.
Fangio has also never had a defense this good. This is the first time he ever had a defense ranked 1st in yards allowed per game, and the first time his passing defense was ever ranked 1st. The Eagles defense ranked 2nd in points per game, also higher than it ever was with the Broncos or Dolphins.
The 2021 Broncos defense ranked 3rd, and in that season Fangio gave up 25 points per game to the Chiefs. But usually, it fell just inside, or just outside, the top 10 in both of those stats. This Eagles defense is the best defense Fangio has ever been in charge of.
If Fangio’s defense held the Chiefs to 24 points, as his average and median performance suggests, that would be considered a win, given on average the Chiefs score over 28 points per game in the Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes is a tough test for any coach. He is the winningest QB of his era and is on the verge of a 4th Super Bowl, and his 3rd straight. There are some who already consider him the GOAT. Stopping him is going to be a great test. But the 0-8 stat for Vic Fangio is incredibly misleading. It suggests Mahomes has the number of Fangio, which the actual stats just do not reflect.
If you just look at what Fangio’s defenses have done vs Mahokmes, his defenses actually hold up much better than most do. Does that mean they will do so again on Super Bowl Sunday? No. But neither does his career record suggest that it will go poorly.
Patrick Mahomes has never faced this Eagles defense, so in reality, we should just throw all the past stats out the window, including the record.
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