The Eagles rested their starters in the regular-season finale on Sunday. That’s a whole can of worms perfectly salted. Staring at the No. 2 seed in the NFC, with foggy Meta glasses, the coaching staff and front office didn’t see the need to risk anything.
FOX Sports’ Michael Strahan expressed a strong disbelief in the Eagles’ chances to get back to the Super Bowl during pre-game comments. Citing a weakened offensive line, an impotent running game and inconsistencies with the offensive play-calling, the Hall of Famer dumped icy cold water on another invogorating confetti shower: “I don’t know how long they will last in the playoffs,” Strahan said.
His points are valid, tough to brabble. The Eagles rank 24th in total offense, averaging only 22.6 points per game and 311.5 yards per game. The offense is hovering near dead-last in two very important categories: third-and-punt rate (29.2%) and play-action rate (13.1%), via Sharp Football Analysis.
The stats are the stats, right? Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is taking the most intense heat but it’s not his fault alone. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has looked stiff and scared in the pocket. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has been a whisper off, lacking pin-point accuracy and consistent chemistry with his receivers, particularly A.J. Brown.
Flush it. Hold the handle and jiggle it. The Eagles are back in the postseason as the No. 3 seed and ready to repeat as world champions.
Why? Well, first and foremost, they have been there and done that.
“I think experience is the biggest teacher,” Hurts told reporters last week. “When you have your own testimonies that you can lean on, in some regard of whatever the situation is, those things are always valuable. So, taking myself out of it, really thinking of us as a team, uh, collectively, moving forward – whatever direction we go in – this is a unit that has played ball together so that it is something that we can lean on.”
There were times when I was watching last Saturday’s epic battle between the 49ers and Seahawks for the NFC’s top seed that I thought, ‘Geez, the Eagles are nowhere near these guys, not in the same class.’ Then, I looked at the two quarterbacks piloting those contenders – Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy – and quickly stepped off the ledge.
For all his faults, there is no better quarterback left standing than Jalen Hurts. Yes, I’m including Matthew Stafford. Jordan Love is always fighting injury. Bryce Young is a backup in a starting role, similar to Jacoby Brissett. And Caleb Williams might just be a figment of Ben Johnson’s imaginative offense. His 58.1 completion percentage is the worst of all the playoff quarterbacks. With Hurts, as always, It’s more than his play on the field. He is the thermostat. Hurts sets the temperature of the room. Hopefully, the Eagles fix the safety switch and change the batteries.
I’m not trying to punch down or frolic in flaws, but let’s be serious: does the rest of the playoff field scare you? It shouldn’t. The Eagles have gone 2-1 versus the NFC’s would-be contenders, with that lone loss to the Bears courtesy of a fumbled Tush Push. Additionally, they have held serve against the AFC’s elite, beating the Bills after losing by a combined 3.5 points to the Broncos and Chargers.
It won’t be easy. Everyone is locked in. Throw away the skeleton key … and what seemed like a season-defining win against the Rams in late September doesn’t amount to a heap of crab fries in early January. Sure, I get that. Do me a favor: stack the Eagles’ roster, side by side, next to the NFC field – to a man, is there one team that has more talent on either side of the ball? Not a chance.
Also: the Eagles will host a game in the first round, meaning snow could once again be in the forecast – and there is still a real scenario where Philadelphia could host the NFC Championship Game. It’s not hard to see that happening.
Trading Places is the one movie that plays on repeat in my brain this time of year, including this gem of a line from Coleman the Butler: “It occurs to me the best way you hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.” Hopefully, you know the film. If not, go watch it. I bring that quote up to illustrate a broader point about postseason experience – or, “testimonials,” as Jalen Hurts eloquently called them last week. The Eagles have appeared in two of the last three Super Bowls, including a dominant victory in 2025 that seemingly ended the Chiefs’ dynasty. The Eagles have survived hard times – see: Chip Kelly, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, plus all the Carson Wentz drama – and good times, cashing in pork bellies for Lombardis. Now, it’s just a matter of going back to their underdog roots. Perhaps Hurts said it best when he stated: "It's a whole chain that has to be on one head.”
I could rattle off all the stats to back this claim up. I won’t. Simply put, Vic Fangio’s defense has single-handledly kept the Eagles’ chances at repeating off life support. He would be NFL Coordinator of the Year – if they decide to start handing out that award. From Cooper DeJean’s evolution into the best nickel cornerback in football to Jalyx Hunt’s progression as the “next Trent Cole,” it’s been transcendent. And fun to watch.
Instead of digging up buried factoids to wow everyone, I’m going to turn it over to my well-researched PSN colleague Cory Nidoh who did the heavy lifting: “The Eagles have allowed the fewest points per game (18.3) in the NFL since Vic Fangio took over as Defensive Coordinator last season.” Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.
The biggest key to winning in the NFL is availability. Everyone knows that. The Eagles have endured their fair share of injuries throughout the year, most notably along the offensive line with Lane Johnson, Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson all missing time and nursing scars. Giving them an extra week to rest and reset is invaluable. Fred Johnson and Brett Toth aren’t it, sorry.
The Eagles also let key starters like Dallas Goedert, Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, Marcus Epps and Jaelan Phillips further recover from ailments. You can’t put a price tag on rest, especially the mental aspect which can be equally as important as physical rest. Head coach Nick Sirianni summed it up best prior to the Commanders game: “We’ve had a good approach this week about resting but also doing the little things that we need to do to help us get better and set us up for the long run.” Long run=Super Bowl.
