The Philadelphia Eagles have made plenty of mistakes and given fans plenty to be frustrated about. In addition, the team has endured multiple injuries and played with an offensive line that has looked more like a revolving door than a positional strength.
The criticism and hesitancy to have any faith in the team's ability to turn this season around is warranted. But declaring 2026 a lost cause is a different conversation and not a result the team is willing to accept.
Here are five reasons not to bail on the Eagles just yet.
The Eagles have had injuries piling up at almost every position and have had to play many rookies and first-time starters at key positions as a result, but this is not a team devoid of high-end talent.
Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert give the offense legitimate playmakers, and the defense has been playing well, still loaded with difference-makers.
Talent doesn’t automatically translate into wins, but this franchise doesn't need to reinvent its identity. They do need to find one!
They need to get healthy, and the top-tier talent on this team needs to start executing at a high level. The Eagles need to play better, not convince everyone they have the talent to compete.
Philadelphia’s injury situation has affected key positions and disrupted continuity, particularly along the offensive line. I know it is not welcome to blame their struggles on players being out, especially in Philly. 'Next man up' has not been a mantra that has fallen on deaf ears; it was a rallying cry that won Super Bowl 52.
That matters, but so does watching an offense without any continuity struggling. Context matters in both.
Offensive football depends on timing, communication, and trust. It is very hard for Jalen Hurts to have faith in his line. Constantly changing personnel makes that a hard ask.
Nobody should assume every injured player will return healthy or that getting players back automatically solves everything. But the team that takes the field later in the season could look significantly different from the one struggling now.
Judging the Eagles’ ceiling entirely on their current lineup would be premature.
Most fans and much of the media evaluate teams based on what they just watched. I get it; it is totally understandable, but it’s also misleading. A bad performance, or two, isn’t a predictor that another one is coming next. Just as a dominant win is not an indicator of being able to sustain success.
Matchups, health, and turnovers matter. A few plays can completely change a team's narrative. Some teams just struggle against certain schemes and player matchups. What happened previously stems from many factors that statistics don't capture.
Nobody should give them credit for what they haven’t accomplished. The Eagles need to earn it and string together quality performances. But the reverse is true, too: They shouldn’t be declared finished simply because they’ve struggled to find consistency early in the season.
The offensive struggles have raised legitimate questions about play-calling, protection, their scheme, personnel usage, and overall execution. Those questions aren’t going away because the Eagles have championship expectations.
The coaching staff is paid to identify what works, simplify or cut what doesn’t, and put players in a position to succeed. The season is an ongoing process with many hiccups along the way, but it's still a process.
If the Eagles continue making the same mistakes without growth, the criticism will become justified. But there’s a difference between demanding answers and assuming those answers cannot be found.
Philadelphia’s expectations should remain high because the organization has invested in a roster built to compete. Fans shouldn’t lower their standards simply because the team is struggling, and frustration shouldn't become a prediction of the future.
There is a big difference between a franchise acknowledging serious flaws and deciding the season is over. And again, nobody is asking fans to ignore what they’ve seen. They’re being asked to leave room and have a little belief for what they haven’t seen.
The offense we've seen in the first five weeks is a far cry from what they practiced all summer. They deserve the opportunity to prove they can ge back to this as they become healthier.
I am not ready to bail on the 2026 season, and I know the organization isn’t either.
The Eagles don’t deserve blind faith, just a little patience.
MORE: Panthers vs Eagles: How to watch, preview, & predictions
