A.J. Brown said Friday at his locker that the Eagles cannot hang their hats on last season. This season, the team cannot hang their hats on anything and it’s Week 14 of the regular season.
The Eagles struggle to run the ball. They struggle to pass the ball. They struggle making mental mistakes and, over the last two weeks, they have struggled to stop opposing offenses. All making for a bad recipe for a team who has one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and aspirations to repeat as Super Bowl Champions.
The 2025 Eagles simply do not have an identity.
That was on full display once again when the Eagles were dominated by the Chicago Bears at home Friday. Do not let the 24-15 score mislead you.
The offense mustered just two first downs to the Bears’ 16 in the first half. Jalen Hurts had 57 passing yards in the first two quarters. Saquon Barkley had only 23 yards on six carries against one of the worst ranked rush defenses in the NFL.
Ultimately, the Eagles were outgained for 425-317 while the Bears went 10-for-17 on third downs and the Eagles were 4-for-12. The defense surrendered 281 rushing yards, the most by an Eagles’ defense since 2015 and allowed 177 rushing yards after contact per NFL NextGen Stats.
Chicago beat the Eagles with the identity that led Philadelphia to its second championship last season. A ground and pound offense with well-timed passes.
Hurts used the word identity four different times after the game.
“I have a lot of confidence when we have an identity, so I think that’s the first thing that we have to establish that we’ve talked about,” the quarterback said.
If the Eagles do not establish an identity soon, their season, that had so much hope and promise will end in demising fashion.
The Eagles rank 24th in total yards, 19th in points per game, 23rd in passing yards, 22nd in rushing yards and 28th in offensive success rate, which is the worst for any Eagles team through Week 13 in the last two decades.
They are below league average in nearly every key offensive statistic.
Since the bye week, the Eagles are averaging just 15.5 points over their four games and are 2-2 during that stretch. The only teams averaging less points during that stretch are the Browns, Steelers, Saints, Raiders and Titans who have a combined 18-54 record.
The offense has scored seven points or less in nine halves this season.
“I think we just gotta continue to bounce ideas off each other and find something that sticks and go out there and make plays,” Saquon Barkley said.
Perhaps that was happening after the game when Barkley was sitting at his seat in front of his locker leaning towards Brown, who was in the middle, and DeVonta Smith on Brown’s left with all three quietly having a discussion.
Or what the conversation that Kevin Patullo and Hurts were having in the corner of the locker room that the quarterback wouldn’t share what was said.
“No. We’re pressing forward trying to improve and make the most of the opportunity we have,” Hurts said.
For the most part, it was the same song and dance Friday night that has taken place for the majority of the season. The offense looks poor, players are asked the same questions and the players give the same answers.
“Lack of execution”, or an iteration of that phrase, stated numerous times once again by the players describing why the offense still can’t get out of its own way. Players also reiterated their belief that the offense can somehow turn it around and get one of the highest paid offensive units in the league on track for the final five weeks of the regular season.
“Yeah, I have confidence in him [Kevin Patullo]. I have confidence in this team. I have confidence in us when we’re collaborative,” Hurts said.
“The people we have on this team. Starting with the quarterback. We have great receivers,a great running back, great offensive line. We just haven’t been playing up to our standard,” Dallas Goedert said. “With the people in this building, I know we will get it fixed.”
Saying and ultimately having confidence in a talented roster is one thing. Finding answers to the questions is another. That task falls on both the players and coaching staff.
One move that could spark a potential change is the removal of Patullo as offensive play caller, which seems to be the popular sentiment across the Greater Delaware Valley.
A decision which would be similar to the Sean Desai and Matt Patricia debacle of 2023 which turned the defense into even more of a trainwreck as the team collapsed down the home stretch that season.
Nick Sirianni relinquished play calling duties in the 2021 season. Parks Frazier, the passing game coordinator, has minimal play calling experience serving as the interim offensive coordinator for Indianapolis in 2022. Tight Ends coach Jason Michael was the offensive coordinator for the Titans in 2014 and 2015. Quarterbacks Coach Scot Loefler has experience calling plays at the college level, but is in his first season coaching in the NFL.
There isn’t a highly experienced playcaller currently on the staff that could take over the reins for Patullo.
Yet, could it be much worse if one of those coaches were given a chance?
Sirianni though, is steadfast in staying with his friend in Patullo who was given the keys to a Ferrari but continues to have it stall on a weekly basis, although the parts under the hood were built by the head coach.
“No, we’re not changing the play caller, but we will evaluate everything,” Sirianni said.
“This weekend, we’ll have another little mini-bye. Another short week that leads to a long weekend where we’ll evaluate everything.”
“We all collectively have to do a better job and that’s going to be starting with us as coaches, starting with me as head coach, finding solutions to get the offense going, and so I’ll put that on us as a staff and put that on me most individually there to help get this thing pointed in the right direction.”
“I don’t think something big needs to change. The sky is falling outside the locker room,” Barkley said. “We understand that. But I have nothing but the utmost confidence in the men in this locker room, players and coaches included.”
Patullo is not the sole person to blame for the offensive woes. Sirianni shoulders a good chunk of it as do the players.
Hurts did not play well Friday, having two turnovers and missed on some throws and reads. The offensive line could not move the Bears’ defense off the line of scrimmage or create lanes against a unit that struggled to stop the run. The lack of focus and attention to detail also has been back breaking and a constant theme each week.
Finding an answer this late into the season can be difficult. There’s a possibility the offense never figures it out, ultimately proving that this is what the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles are.
A team with a broken offense with multiple issues spreading across the offensive side of the ball.
“You are racing for time to try and get it fixed,” Brown said.
The Eagles have just five regular season games remaining to try and get a unit that returned 10 of 11 starters from the Super Bowl winning team on the same page. With 12 games under their belt, the runway for this offense to use to finally take off is getting shorter and shorter.
