Coaching in the NFL is a stressful job. Even more so when it’s crunch time at the business end of the season. Philadelphia Eagles DC Vic Fangio appears to be managing that pressure well. His groundwork and play calls helped them tie down the Packers‘ offense to just 10 points and soar through to the divisional round. But what helped the DC in his job? Well, the answer is out now.

In the first quarter, the Eagles’ defense was out on the field protecting an early 7-0 lead. The camera panned to Vic Fangio in the booth. Some eagle-eyed viewers spotted an unsuspecting container sitting next to him. Closer inspection revealed that it was a box of Zyn – a nicotine pouch product that’s advertised as an aid for quitting smoking. This led to a popular NFL coverage account on X, @NFL_DovKleiman, putting 2 and 2 together. “Vic Fangio loves ZYNS 👀,” he tweeted. 

The pic only had a small pouch lying beside Fangio. It can’t be said with certainty that it was his. Naturally, there wasn’t any word from his side accepting or denying it either. Interestingly, Zyn and other similar products do not have FDA approval to be sold in the US. What’s more, the American Lung Association claims that consuming 8-12 6mg pouches of Zyn would be equivalent to ‘smoking approximately 3 packs of cigarettes.’ If that box in the booth indeed belongs to Fangio, he might have fans worrying over his health now.

Whether he’s taking them or not, one thing is clear: the Iggles are in the Divisional round now. At the same time, he and Eagles HC Nick Sirianni will be sweating over the health status of a crucial component of his D-line. An injury to prominent linebacker Nakobe Dean was a wet spot on the night’s result. 

Vic Fangio chews on Nakobe Dean’s status

The 2022 draft recruit has been having a breakthrough season in Philly. Nakobe Dean’s 80 solo tackles in the regular season were the tied 12th-best in the league. He brought that form into the wild card game as well. A bright start saw him rack up 6 tackles (3 solo) before suffering a knock late in the first half. A crunching knee injury saw him carted off the field and ruled out for the remainder of the game soon after.

This especially concerns us for a few reasons. One is that the young LB has already suffered one injury-induced shortened season. Dean only made 5 appearances in the 2023 season for the Eagles with a foot injury. Another is the missing output from a cornerstone of their defense this year. Given he was spotted leaving the stadium with a full brace on his left leg, Vic Fangio may well be forced to work out a temporary solution for the upcoming game.

The Eagles made light work of the Packers, so at least Vic may have less of an urge to turn to his apparent drug of choice tonight. The developing story of Nakobe’s injury might, however, be a different story.