RSS Eagles Team Notes

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles vs. Bears: The good, the bad, and the ugly

It rained black on the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Black Friday against the Chicago Bears—and every throaty discord, and every hand gesture the Eagles received by their angry denizens on their way back to the field tunnel at Lincoln Financial Field was well deserved.

Compound that with the blank, vacant expressions and dejected, defeated body language the Eagles wore—projecting an image that they did not care—and the Bears’ 24-15 victory was not indicative of just how lopsided this debacle was.

Chicago outgained the Eagles by almost 200 yards on the ground, giving up a season-high 281 yards rushing to 87. The Bears ran off 85 plays to the Eagles’ 51, and almost doubled the Eagles in time of possession, 39:18 to 20:42.

With 6:19 to play, even Santa Claus left the building. The spattering of Bears’ fans took over the Linc in the last three minutes as “Let’s go Bears” chants echoed in the three-quarters empty Linc.

Bears’ head coach Ben Johnson and his staff performed a masterclass of strategy, totally outcoaching Nick Sirianni.

Entering the game, the Bears were supposed to be “a mirage.” The wavy illusion right now may be the Eagles, who lost for the second-straight time. Over the last six quarters, the Eagles have been outscored 41-15—and 24-6 in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles sit at 8-4 atop the NFC East, and the Dallas Cowboys are right behind at 6-5-1. What looked certain after the Eagles’ win over the floundering Detroit Lions looks very uncertain.

The Bears did this without linebackers T.J. Edwards, Ruben Hyppolite II and Noah Sewell, all out with injuries. Despite that, the Eagles hardly attacked that area of the field. Dallas Goedert was only targeted four times, with two catches for 27 yards.

The Philadelphia Bears made major contributions, starting with former Eagle and St. Joe’s Prep star D’Andre Swift, who rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The other Philadelphia Bears chipped in, too, like former Eagles C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Kevin Byard III, who seemed to do more in this game than he did in his 10 games with the 2023 Eagles.

Olamide Zaccheaus, another former Eagle and St. Joe’s Prep star, and D.J. Moore, out of Philly’s Imhotep Charter, combined to make four catches, and Bears’ right guard Jonah Jackson, out of suburban Penncrest High School, helped blow holes through the right side of the Eagles’ line.

Swift and Kyle Monangai each rushed for over 100 yards, becoming the first Bears’ backfield to have two 100-plus yard rushers in a game since Hall of Famer Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did it 40 years ago on the Bears’ all-time 1985 Super Bowl team.

Second-year pro Caleb Williams seems to be thriving in Johnson’s creative system, while Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts appears to be rapidly regressing under Eagles’ first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who may have lost the confidence of his players (except for A.J. Brown, who has come alive in the last two games—both losses—catching a combined 18 passes on 22 targets for 242 yards and three touchdowns).

In their last two games, the Eagles have turned the ball over four times, equaling the number of turnovers they had in their previous 10 games combined.

There was hardly any good, piles of bad, and an Everest of ugly in the Eagles’ 24-15 Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears.

The Good​

This disastrous loss meant very little. What really mattered was A.J. Brown caught a season-high 10 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The second score came with three-quarters of the stadium empty and the game well decided. But hey, at least someone came away quietly pleased on Black Friday. Though the team is severely listing, do not expect any cryptic social media posts next week. Brown got his.

Jalyx Hunt’s interception with 6:36 left in the third quarter on a second-and-one. Hunt read the play well, hiding behind Bears’ rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo and popping up to snare the underthrown ball. The Eagles proceeded to blow it by fumbling the ball back to Chicago.

Jalen Hurts’ 33-yard third-quarter touchdown pass to Brown with 8:05 left in the quarter. The five-play, 92-yard drive appeared to jumpstart the dormant Eagles, then was deflated when Jake Elliott missed the extra point. The 92 yards on the drive was more than the total 84 yards the Eagles had gained until then.

Jalen Carter’s 10-yard sack on Chicago’s fourth drive. It came on a third-and-10 at the Bears’ 33 and forced Chicago to punt for the first time with 3:01 in the first half. Nolan Smith actually made the play, beating Trapilo, making Caleb Williams step up. It’s where Carter greeted him.

Jalyx Hunt forcing Williams to make an errant on first-and-10 at the Eagles’ 12. The Bears had already reached the Eagles’ 26 on their first drive, scored on their second drive and were sitting at the 12, when Hunt forced Williams into one mistake that helped force a field goal on the third drive.

Hurts’ 30-yard connection to DeVonta Smith on the first play of the second quarter on a third-and-three to the Chicago 28. It broke out the lethargy the Eagles started the game with and led to Jake Elliott’s 44-yard field goal.

The Eagles stuffing Bears’ rookie running back Kyle Monangai on a fourth-and-one at the Eagles’ 25 om the opening drive of the game.

Adoree’ Jackson coming up to stop D’Andre Swift on the Bears’ opening drive on a third-and-seven, stopping him just short of a first down. Jackson then left the game with his left arm dangling.

The Bad​

Jake Elliott’s missed extra point would have tied the score 10-10 with 1:54 left in the third quarter.

A rare drop by Saquon Barkley with 5:21 left to play. It was typical of this mess.

Swift rolling for a pair of 17-yard runs on the Bears’ third drive. Swift was not getting touched until he was 10 yards down field. Swift was averaging 12.5 yards a carry on his first seven carries.

Hurts missing Smith on the Eagles’ second drive on a third-and-eight at the Bears’ 26. Smith was wide open and Hurts threw behind him. The play would have led to a first down and possibly more than a field goal.

Brown’s false start on the Eagles’ second offensive play of the game, pushing the Eagles back to a second-and-10.

The Eagles’ defense on the Bears’ opening drive. Chicago was on the field for 9:34, running off 11 plays, although going only 42 yards. The Bears converted their first two third downs, and the Eagles seemingly had no answers to stop them. Williams rolled out, used pitch outs, and did whatever he wanted.

The Ugly​

The way the Bears’ right side of their offensive line, center Joe Thuney, right guard Jonah Jackson, and right tackle Darnell Wright, manhandled the Eagles’ front for a Chicago season-high 281 yards rushing. It is the most yards rushing the Eagles have given up since a 31-10 loss in Dallas on Nov. 18, 1973, when the Cowboys ran for 286 yards.

The Eagles blowing the Hunt interception with a Tush Push fumble at the Chicago 12 on a third-and-one with 4:33 left in the third quarter. It went along with the ugly theme of this game. Chicago used it to go ahead 17-9.

The Eagles’ next seven possessions after scoring their first points: Three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, interception, touchdown, fumble, three-and-out. By then, the Eagles were down 24-9. Of the Eagles’ 11 drives, four were three-and-outs, one ended in an interception and another in a fumble.

The first half. It was only 10-3 Bears, but it felt like 88-0. The Bears had gained 142 yards rushing, the most rushing yards the Eagles have given up in the first half since they were throttled by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 45-17, on Nov. 22, 2015. Chicago had outgained the Eagles, 222-83. The Bears had the ball for 21minutes to the Eagles’ nine, and 16 first downs to the Eagles’ two. Swift had 88 yards on 10 carries, averaging 8.8 yards a carry. The Bears were 7 of 10 on third down, while the Eagles were 1-for-5. The Eagles had only 26 yards rushing.

Brown erasing his own 12-yard reception on a third-and-nine with an offensive pass interference call at the Eagles’ 36 on the first play after the two-minute warning of the first half.

The Eagles going three-and-out on their third drive, unable to respond to the Bears’ second-quarter field goal.

The first quarter. The Bears outgained the Eagles, 120-32, converted four of five third downs, had eight first downs to the Eagles’ one, and were averaging 6.5 yards a rush. The Bears had the ball 10:52 to the Eagles’ 4:08 time of possession, and ran off 22 plays to the Eagles’ seven. The Bears’ 84 yards rushing in the first quarter was their most of any quarter this season. The 84 yards rushing was the most the Eagles’ defense gave up in any quarter this season. Bears’ coach Ben Johnson had Eagles’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spinning, pulling his interior linemen and having Fangio guessing.

The Eagles’ defense on the Bears’ second drive. Chicago gouged the Eagles for an 11-play, 78-yard drive. Chicago gashed the Eagles run defense, with runs of 17 and 23 yards. The Bears faced just two third downs, converting a pair of third-and-twos, one that resulted in the first touchdown of the game.

The Eagles’ first offensive drive going nowhere. They got a first down, then erased all the momentum they gained after holding the Bears on a fourth-and-one at the Eagles’ 25 on the opening drive of the game. Not a good omen at home coming off a 24-21 loss to Dallas, after being shut out in the second half.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...eagles-vs-bears-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFC Playoff Picture: Where the Eagles stand after Week 13

Talking about the Philadelphia Eagles’ potential postseason outlook feels a little weird at the moment since the team has played pretty poorly recently. But the reality is that the Birds are mathematically very alive for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff picture even though they lost in Week 13.

Had the Eagles beaten the Chicago Bears as they were expected to do (seven-point home favorites on Black Friday), they would’ve exited this weekend on top of their conference since the Los Angeles Rams dropped a game to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. But now it’s the Bears in the top spot (who would’ve thought?) with them holding a conference record tiebreaker over the Rams. And then it’s the Eagles in third place.

As a reminder, the Eagles hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over LA. But now Chicago owns one over them. Here’s a look at the remaining schedules for all three teams.

EAGLES’ LAST FIVE GAMES

at Los Angeles Chargers
vs. Las Vegas Raiders
at Washington Commanders
at Buffalo Bills
vs. Washington Commanders

Remaining strength of schedule: .400, tied for second-easiest in the NFL

BEARS’ LAST FIVE GAMES

at Green Bay Packers
vs. Cleveland Browns
vs. Green Bay Packers
at San Francisco 49ers
vs. Detroit Lions

Remaining strength of schedule: .590, fifth-toughest in the NFL

RAMS’ LAST FIVE GAMES

at Arizona Cardinals
vs. Detroit Lions
at Seattle Seahawks
at Atlanta Falcons
vs. Arizona Cardinals

Remaining strength of schedule: .433, eighth-easiest in the NFL

The Eagles obviously need to get their act together for scoreboard watching to matter for them. Playing teams who appear to be beatable on paper should help … but that’s also what we said about the 2023 Eagles down the stretch.

Nothing is guaranteed.

Not even the NFC East crown, which previously seemed to be an inevitability for the Eagles. With the Dallas Cowboys surging, it’s not a lock that the Birds will win their division.

COWBOYS REMAINING SCHEDULE

at Detroit Lions
vs. Minnesota Vikings
vs. Los Angeles Chargers
at Washington Commanders
vs. New York Giants

Remaining strength of schedule: .400, tied for second-easiest in the NFL

The Eagles can put a halt to their losing streak and quell concerns of another late-season collapse by beating the Bolts on Monday night in Week 14. Hard to feel super confident in them at the moment but we’ll see.

Here’s the entire NFC playoff picture after Week 13.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEAMS​

DIVISION LEADERS

1) Chicago Bears: 9-3
2) Los Angeles Rams: 9-3
3) Philadelphia Eagles: 8-4
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-5

WILD CARD TEAMS

5) Seattle Seahawks: 9-3
6) Green Bay Packers: 8-3-1
7) San Francisco 49ers: 9-4

…

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN​

IN THE HUNT

8) Detroit Lions: 7-5
9) Dallas Cowboys: 6-5-1
10) Carolina Panthers: 7-6

UNSERIOUS TEAMS

11) Atlanta Falcons: 4-8
12) Minnesota Vikings: 4-8

14) Washington Commanders: 3-9^

^not a typo – the Commanders are in 14th behind the Cardinals in 13th but still mathematically alive

OFFICIALLY ELIMINATED​

13) Arizona Cardinals: 3-9

15) New Orleans Saints: 3-9
16) New York Giants: 2-10*

*The Giants are 7.5-point road underdogs against the New England Patriots on Monday night.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...-picture-where-the-eagles-stand-after-week-13

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

My official ranking of who’s and what’s to blame for the Eagles’ offense

Everyone has an opinion.

It’s the quarterback. It’s the offensive coordinator. It’s the playcalling. It’s the plays themselves. It’s the head coach. It’s the running back. It’s the offensive line. It’s the run game coordinator. It’s the wind. It’s early December and no one has even begun Christmas shopping yet.

Spend any time online to partake in Eagles discourse and you’ll see a myriad of opinions on what’s gone wrong with the offense in 2025. No matter your opinion, you’re going to get yelled at by somebody.

You’re wrong. Or, you’re right. It depends on the X account you engage with.

The clearest answer as to what’s wrong with the Eagles offense is… all of it. There are no wrong answers. All we’re trying to do is assign the proper amount of blame so that we can come up with some kind of plan to fix it. The fact there are so many culprits makes it difficult to come up with an easy solution.

Here is my list of what’s officially to blame for the malaise, with their percentage of the blame in parenthesis. You, of course, will totally agree with all of this.

Nick Sirianni (35%)​

Nick Sirianni has had one of the most bizarre head coaching careers in NFL history. Is there a more maligned head coach in NFL history who has gone to two Super Bowls in three seasons, never missed the playoffs and has one of the best winning percentages of all time? It seems ridiculous on its face to criticize someone who’s helped establish a potential NFL dynasty, but one must also remember Sirianni also oversaw one of the most galling in-season collapses of all-time and is in danger of watching a second one here in ‘25.

It’s easy for fans to look at Sirianni’s offensive philosophy and wonder what it is he thinks will change by continuing down the same path. When one considers he doesn’t call plays, has little input on Vic Fangio’s defense and can’t seem to articulate why something like pre-snap motion could be beneficial, it really makes one wonder if Sirianni has been the driving force behind the success of the last four years or simply along for the ride.

Do the Eagles practice?

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) November 28, 2025

Sirianni’s approach at the end of the first half in which they ran out the clock to the 2-minute warning came because he was terrified of leaving too much time on the clock for the inevitable three-and-out that inevitably followed. His decision was instructive, as have been his repeated 3rd-and-long coward draws and screens that demonstrated absolute no confidence in the very offense he has designed and implemented on a weekly basis.

What does it say about your ability as a head coach if you don’t have any confidence in your own creation?

And ask yourself, if Ben Johnson were running the Eagles’ offense, how would it look?

Read this Vic Fangio quote on Ben Johnson, and ask if opposing coaches can say the following about the Eagles with sincerity: “It’s a great scheme. They do a great job calling the game, mixing it up, marrying their run game and their pass game. They’re highly ranked in a lot of…

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) November 28, 2025

I don’t know if this falls into the Sirianni or Patullo bucket, but maybe they can share this particular failure.

Asked Dallas Goedert if the #Eagles' offensive game plan was to exploit a Bears defense that allowed a near-NFL-high 6.5 catches a game to tight ends and was down three starting linebackers.

"I didn't know that [about the Bears vs. TEs]. There were opportunities. Could have had…

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 29, 2025

Kevin Patullo (20%)​

I honestly don’t know how much of the Eagles’ issues lie at the feet of Patullo and how much of it is him being overmatched. In ‘23, Brian Johnson appeared to have the same issues Patullo is having, and it’s fair to wonder if Patullo is being handcuffed by what his boss and quarterback want to do in a similar way to Johnson. It’s also fair to note that Kellen Moore was an experienced playcaller and was able to navigate Sirianni and Hurts better than Patullo has.

We’ve been screaming at Patullo for using nothing but hitches, curls and go-routes, with almost nothing happening in the middle of the field. We’ve ripped him for offensive gameplans that opposing defenses have all but said were predictable and easy to defend.

.@CutonDime25 asks Chauncey Gardner if the Eagles' (his former team) offense was predictable in the Bears' 24-15 victory

His Answer….

WE ARE LIVE IN THE SPEAKEASY RIGHT NOW DISCUSSING CHIEFS' PLAYOFF HOPES https://t.co/oLWntMKz2b pic.twitter.com/Pf8T3f5OOA

— Speakeasy (@speakeasytlkshw) November 28, 2025

While the majority of the blame lies at the feat of Sirianni, Patullo also isn’t bringing anything new to the table. Everything is stale, everything is predictable, and when they do try something different, such as putting Barkley and Tank Bigsby in the backfield at the same time…

What is this? pic.twitter.com/ALwZMvKAG4

— PHLY Sports (@PHLY_Sports) November 28, 2025

…it looks like something he drew up in a bathroom stall at halftime and tried to throw into the gameplan on the fly. He continues to use players incorrectly…

Grant Calcaterra blocking a DE 1-on-1. Don’t care if it’s on the backside, make it stop. pic.twitter.com/tAGQFLfisr

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 29, 2025

Grant Calcaterra was on the field for 12 offensive snaps against the Bears. 10 of the 12 were run plays. Excluding a QB sneak from the run plays, the Eagles ran away from him on 10 of 11 run plays. The Bears' DL was slanting so hard to the opposite direction, knowing the Eagles…

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) December 1, 2025

…and there’s no ingenuity in anything they’re doing whatsoever. He’s shown an inability to find a way to utilize the talent at his disposal. Just look at the kind of stuff Shane Steichen is doing with the Colts.

It is the responsibility of the coaching staff to force changes on players if they don’t want them, and it is their responsibility, not the QB or anyone else, to put together a gameplan that will move the ball and score points. I don’t know if a change in play-caller is going to work, but I do know it won’t hurt, and it’s time to make the call.

Jalen Hurts (20%)​

Assessing blame on Hurts is difficult to quantify. His detractors unfairly malign him at times which forces his supporters to vociferously support him and ignore any negatives he’s bringing to the table. But if you have eyes, you can see that Hurts is not playing well right now. He’s missing open receivers and leaving a lot of meat on the bone on the field. It’s not the first time he’s done this. He’s the NFL equivalent to a streaky power hitter, like a Bryce Harper or Kyle Schwarber. He can carry an offense when he’s hot, but when he’s off, it’s an offensive killer.

Numerous reports have indicated Hurts prefers to run a more vanilla offense, that he doesn’t like a lot of pre-snap motion and traffic over the middle of the field. If true, that limits what kinds of plays Patullo can even call. Jimmy Kempski also noted in his post-game column that Hurts hasn’t wanted to run the football as much this season, further neutering the run game and overall offensive explosiveness and efficiency.

I watched Ben Johnson use Caleb Williams’ legs almost exactly how Jalen Hurts’ legs were used last year with KM

yet we’re rarely seeing it this year

we’ve neutered one of the better parts of Hurts’ game, so let’s add that to the list of coaching incompetencies.

— | myke | (@PhillyTruthr) November 29, 2025

After Week 13, the Eagles have now utilized Jalen Hurts on non-tush push designed runs on just 19 plays this season.

Hurts has gained 129 rushing yards on those 19 plays (6.8 YPC).

The lack of utilizing Hurts as a runner more often is absolutely coaching malpractice. pic.twitter.com/7x6mwYQRnG

— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) November 29, 2025

Against Chicago, as Brian Baldinger outlined, Hurts did not see the field well at all.

.@ChicagoBears @Eagles this offense is offensive in so many ways; but in this "copy cat league" expect more teams to go "Blitz Zero" playing a Shell Coverage behind it. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/v39cuzB3BT

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 29, 2025

Now, others have noted that the first play in which he ignored Dallas Goedert running wide open in the middle of the field wasn’t Hurts’ fault, that the play needed to go on the hot read to Smith with an all-out blitz on, but the miscommunication resulted in the throw sailing behind his wide receiver. That said, Hurts was simply not good and more needs to be done to open up more of the field.

Watched the Eagles' Offense this morning, and it's incredibly clear to me that they started attacking the intermediate middle of the field when chasing the game.

Vs. the Bears, Hurts was 4/5 for 64 yards.

This ENTIRE season he's 14/21 for 250 yards 1 TD, 0 INT.

I've seen…

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 30, 2025

In order for this offense to work, Hurts needs to run the football, he needs to accept a more varied route tree, he needs to throw the ball where it’s designed to go, show patience in the pocket, and throw across the middle. He’s done it all before, and he’s done it at an elite level.

And not for nothin’, but if you’re going to give Hurts the ultimate say in the formations you’re using, the routes being run and whether or not he runs the ball, then just let him call the plays. It’ll make things a lot less confusing for everyone.

Offensive Line (15%)​

The O-line just isn’t what it has been in the past. Lane Johnson has been in and out all season and is out for another few weeks. Tyler Steen has not adequately replaced what Mekhi Becton gave them in the run game a year ago. Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson have been playing through injury, and I don’t know what is going on with Jordan Mailata in the run game. As this excellent thread details, last year’s offensive line was far more mobile and athletic in the run game, and it made all the difference in the world.

Last season, Saquon Barkley had 1,050 of his 2,005 rushing yards come from shotgun, and a good portion of his long runs were just inside zone attempts. Offensive line did a better job last year working double teams to the second level and getting displacement. pic.twitter.com/N6W60Rum9L

— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) November 27, 2025

We’ve always been able to rely on Jeff Stoutland to save the passing offense when needed, but that lever has not been there this season.

I mean, just look at this play.

– Fred tackles Steen and both end up on ground
– Jurgens overruns LB
– Dickerson gets shed very easily
– Mailata and DE double Team Goedert

Mona Lisa of awful OL play pic.twitter.com/Ah5bMLsfUw

— 8-4 (@PhillyNick100) November 29, 2025

The Eagles employ an offensive coordinator, a running game coordinator, and a passing game coordinator, and it’s clear nothing is coordinated. The interior of the line has been particularly bad.

Pressures allowed among all guards this season:

Tyler Steen: 27 (4th most)
Landon Dickerson: 24 (9th most)

For the "Eagles still have an elite offensive line" crowd. Constant pressure from the interior is killing this offense.

— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) December 1, 2025

And can we please stop thinking that adding more tight ends to the running scheme is going to work?

Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra played 12 snaps against the Bears in Week 13.

He was a run blocker on 10 of those 12 snaps.

Calcaterra has offered nothing as a blocker, yet he was asked to block on 83.3% of his snaps. pic.twitter.com/jHhOXM43Mm

— Anthony DiBona (@DiBonaNFL) November 30, 2025

I’m not sure how this gets fixed, other than going with a ton of 12 and 21 personnel and trying some different stuff, asking less of the offensive line and creating more space. Jeff Stoutland is an outstanding coach, but he needs to do better, too.

Saquon Barkley (5%)​

Last year, Barkley averaged 125.3 yard per game. This year, it’s 61.7, the lowest since 2021 with the Giants (45.6). His 3.7 yards per average is also tied for the lowest of his career (2021). Physically, he looks like the same player, but it’s fair to wonder if a season of slamming into the backs of his offensive linemen or on-rushing linebackers at the line of scrimmage is beginning to take its toll.

For most of the season, the offensive line and playcalling were holding him back, but last week, Barkley missed some obvious running lanes and appears to be just a bit off. It’s not earth-shattering stuff, and if the offensive line gets its act together, I anticipate big runs from Saquon. But he’s not without some blame here.

Bad Luck/Stuff Out of Their Control (5%)​

A.J. Brown gets called for a ticky-tack offensive pass interference call. Saquon fumbles for the first time all year at a critical juncture in Dallas. Jalen has the ball stripped on the Tush Push, of all things, although in my view, the play should have been called dead when forward progress was stopped.

Momentum fully stopped.

Should have been called dead for forward progress but just another example of this play being challenging for the officials.pic.twitter.com/lF5q8KZkGB https://t.co/0qbu7qKDoJ

— That Hurts (@That_Hurts) November 28, 2025

Windy conditions. Slippery fields. Sometimes, when things aren’t going your way, the avalanche consumes you.

The Eagles were hit for 14 penalties in Dallas and have been the victims of some questionable referee decisions the last two weeks.

Just a defensive pass interference, an offensive pass interference and a no-call. You’ll never guess which is which

The refs have been absolutely screwing the Eagles pic.twitter.com/xoTRazPAi5

— Josh (@supply_side_acc) November 29, 2025

Now, they also benefitted from a questionable defensive holding call that iced their victory over the Lions three weeks ago, and these things tend to balance out over the course of a long season. That said, right now, the little things aren’t going their way, either.

It’s hard to fathom, but the offense has actually regressed since the bye four weeks ago. What had been an inconsistent worry has turned into full-on panic, and there is real fear the 2025 season is slipping away in the same fashion the 2023 season did. Even though he won a Super Bowl just a season ago, I don’t know if Sirianni could survive two epic collapses in three seasons.

That said, there is still time for things to reverse themselves. If Sirianni, Hurts and Patullo can get out of their own way and actually make real changes to the gameplan, this team can go on a run. But right now, it feels virtually impossible to imagine.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...hos-and-whats-to-blame-for-the-eagles-offense

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Nick Sirianni confirms Eagles OC Kevin Patullo is still the play caller

The Eagles had a few extra days to try and find some solutions to the long list of problems they’ve been having lately, specifically on offense. Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters on Monday as the team returned to the building and talked about their approach over the weekend, he confirmed Kevin Patullo is still the play caller, and talked about the importance of keeping Jalen Hurts healthy and how that affects designed QB runs.

“Obviously, we’re evaluating everything. You don’t have as much time as you have in a normal bye week, but it’s a mini-bye and so everything was being evaluated. We will think about some different things that we want to do all over the place: scheme, everything. I don’t think it benefits us for me to share in particular what that is.

Just know this: We want to get this thing fixed more than anybody. We live it, breathe it, and [are] involved in it every waking second of our lives. That’s what we’re working on right now.”

Here’s what else the head coach had to say:

On the offensive play calling​

Sirianni said changing play callers in 2021 and 2023 were different scenarios than the one they find themselves in, and he has faith in the players and coaches to make changes and execute – including the play calling.

“We’ve just got to execute it better and scheme it better, and that all can be true, we’ve got to call it better. It’s every area that we need to improve on. That’s why we always say we look internally through all these things. Like I said to you guys, if all that’s not gelling, to me, that’s on me first. It’s my job to do whatever I need to do to help get it fixed and that’s what we’re working on right now.”

He was then pushed to clarify that OC Kevin Patullo is still the play caller, to which he succinctly replied, “Yeah.”

On Jalen Hurts as a runner​

Sirianni was asked if Jalen Hurts’ rushing numbers were down this season related to the QB wanting to rush less this year – as has been recently reported. The head coach attributed some of that to keeping Hurts healthy, while saying they’re looking at everything they do.

“We’re always thinking about how to protect Jalen and make sure that he is healthy for the long haul. Different plans have different reasons of why you run different things, and like I said, we will do everything we need to do to help this offense get rolling. Jalen’s talented in running the football. He is talented in also holding the backside when he doesn’t run the football, so a lot of different ways to do that. Again, always looking at everything and how we can improve.”

The head coach later said that even when they are calling quarterback runs, there are ones that are somewhat safer to call than others, but there’s always a risk. He noted that no one really wants Hurts to come out of a game with 15 designed carries, but they’ll see how that looks moving forward.

On Grant Calcaterra as a blocker​

Sirianni was asked about TE Grant Calcaterra being asked to block a defensive end one-on-one, and the head coach defended using the tight end in that situation.

“On that play and the one you’re talking about, they obviously brought the nickel off the edge and kind of stunted the other guy down in there pretty far inside, which is going to be a tough block regardless of who’s in right there. We have a lot of faith in Grant [Calcaterra] and the things that he can do. Like I said, it’s always our job as coaches to first start them off in positions that they can succeed. Sometimes the loss is drawn up to execution. Sometimes the loss is drawn up to the scheme. Sometimes the loss is drawn up to, you might’ve loved your scheme, but they did something that made it really difficult to do, and I think that was the case right there.”

On the run defense​

“Obviously, we’re not going to say, ‘Hey, this is what hurt us,’ or ‘This is what we struggle with.’ I don’t think that benefits us to talk through that. At the end of the day, fundamentals come into play. At the end of the day, having different things to help the guys out come into play. It’s always going to be the same thing with that. We’ve got work to do on the practice field when we get back out there, in the meeting rooms as we’re sitting in here right now.”

Sirianni went on to explain that if the fundamentals aren’t done well, they look at themselves as coaches to figure out better ways to teach the details. That includes finding better drills to help them execute and different things in the meeting room.

On schematic advantages​

“As we go through game planning, we’re always thinking about how we help guys do their jobs better, how we attack versus different looks, what you do well, what you don’t do so well. Obviously, as we think through it and look at it, we’re hypercritical on ourselves as well and say to ourselves, ‘We might’ve thought this was the best going in, but as we look at it, we have to change some things, too.’ You can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over and over again and expect different results.

So, we’re hypercritical of ourselves and we’re looking for ways to help the guys be able to execute better. It always goes hand in hand right there. What necessarily worked for us in the past doesn’t always mean it’s going to necessarily work for you in the future. That’s what the weekend was about. Looking at ourselves first because we’re going to ask our players to look at themselves, and everyone looking internally.“

Other notables​

• Sirianni touched on his philosophy of scheming to fit the players, and explained that you always want to be doing things the players do best. There are different ways to attack different looks, but if you’re asking someone to do something they’re not good at, it doesn’t matter how it’s drawn up.
• The head coach talked a bit about the lessons they learned in 2023 and how that adversity helped them get to where they did in 2024 — a Super Bowl win. He didn’t want to get into specifically what he learned, but said that he wrote down exactly what they learned and how they learned it, as well as how they moved forward.
• He threw his support being the position coaches on offense, as well, and talked about the collaborative effort among all of them.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...les-oc-kevin-patullo-is-still-the-play-caller

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Should the Eagles bring Darius Slay back to Philly?

Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay was reportedly released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, so, it’s time for the age-old question: should the Birds bring him back to Philly?

First, it should be noted that all NFL players are subject to waivers after the trade deadline. The waiver wire order reflects the current 2026 NFL Draft order, where the Eagles rank 22nd. So, they’d need 21 teams to pass up on claiming Slay before having a chance at him.

Will that happen? I’m not so sure. The remainder of his 2025 salary ($348,611) is very affordable. And a cornerback-needy team like the Detroit Lions, who originally drafted Slay, seem like a natural fit.

While Slay can’t officially pick his new team until he passes through waivers unclaimed, he could threaten to retire if he’s claimed by a team he doesn’t want to play for. I’m guessing he’s not suiting up for the Tennessee Titans, for example.

Can Slay still play well? That’s fair to wonder. Cornerback is typically a young man’s game and the soon-to-be 35-year-old has allowed a 108.0 passer rating when targeted this season, according to Pro Football Reference. He was a healthy scratch in the Steelers’ most recent game.

The guess here is the Eagles will have some level of interest in signing him. If they were willing to give up some draft capital for Jaire Alexander, who had played his way out of playing time with the Baltimore Ravens, wouldn’t they want to maybe take a chance on bringing Slay back to Philly? Vic Fangio probably trusts him to play more than he does Kelee Ringo right now. Not so sure that he’s coming in to start over Adoree’ Jackson, however.

We’ll soon see what Slay’s fate holds. What say you?

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/news/165286/should-the-eagles-bring-darius-slay-back-to-philly

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Instant reaction to ‘Hard Knocks: In-Season with the NFC East’ debut episode

Tuesday evening marked the return of the in-season edition of Hard Knocks from HBO and NFL Films. Airing on the cable channel itself and the HBO Max streaming platform, this year brings a focus on all four NFC East teams. Naturally, given the state of Washington and New York in 2025, the focus is heavily set on the streaking Cowboys and the defending champion Eagles.

If I had to give a one-word review of the debut episode, I’d simply say, “Boring.”

That’s ultimately good news for Eagles fans.

There is no drama bubbling to the surface on camera that the viewers see from the coaching staff, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown or anyone else involved with the organization. There is no palace intrigue from what the front office thinks or how the coaches dissect the Birds’ current rough stretch. It’s just a series of glorified interviews and lowlights from the Eagles’ back-to-back losses to Dallas and Chicago.

Again, it’s kind of a relief that it all felt somewhat pointless. Hurts and Nick Sirianni say all the right things. There are no juicy subplots. It was 55 minutes of just… stuff.

Less exciting content is going to be shown to viewers during the in-season edition rather than the training camp edition from the jump. What makes the training camp editions entertaining is that we’re all starved for football, so we’ll take any content that we can and some of the fun characters that are competing for roster spots can spice things up. Everyone is pretty entrenched at this juncture of the calendar. The way that the Giants-Saquon Barkley Hard Knocks debacle ensued during the lone offseason iteration of Hard Knocks in 2024 ensured that fans would never see any real nitty-gritty details or heard-turning news on this program ever again as well.

It’s truly for the best for the Eagles as they look to right things heading into their Monday Night Football matchup with the Chargers. They don’t need more adversity than what they’re already facing.

Any Eagles fan terrified of pulling the curtain back on this hellacious turn of the season can breathe a momentary sigh of relief. There’s nothing to be gleaned from here, at least not yet. I will continue watching and writing about the series, but if you’re burned out on dosage of the Birds outside of gameday itself, don’t feel bad about skipping Hard Knocks.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...cks-in-season-with-the-nfc-east-debut-episode

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Darius Slay claimed by Bills, won’t re-join the Eagles

Despite the Eagles and Darius Slay reportedly having mutual interest in reuniting after the veteran CB was waived by the Steelers, he’ll be headed to the Buffalo Bills, instead.

Slay needed to clear waivers in order for him to make his way back to Philly, but the Bills ended up putting in a claim and adding him to their roster.

Sources: Former Steelers and Eagles CB Darius Slay got claimed today on waivers by the Buffalo Bills.

Slay now goes from playing against the Bills last week to being a part of that team this week. pic.twitter.com/ZnIYNVko2y

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 3, 2025

The Bills are looking for answers after dropping two surprising games lately, against the Dolphins and Texans. They’re currently second in the AFC East, behind the Patriots, but are still very much in the playoff picture at 8-4. They’ll add Slay as a veteran presence

Interestingly, Slay will now play against, rather than for, the Eagles later in the season when Buffalo hosts Philadelphia in Week 17. Without adding the CB to the Eagles secondary, DC Vic Fangio said that the CB2 role is pretty well secured by Adoree’ Jackson at this point of the season.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...aivers-wont-re-join-the-eagles-bills-nfl-news

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Vic Fangio confirms Jalen Carter is dealing with a shoulder injury

The Eagles are preparing for the Chargers on Monday night, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke to reporters on Wednesday, and answered a few more questions about the defense’s issues against the Bears last week. He explained that the run defense wasn’t good enough, why that will be a problem against Los Angeles, and also touched on Jalen Carter dealing with a shoulder injury.

Fangio was also asked about the possibility of getting Darius Slay back — with reports Wednesday there is mutual interest between the veteran CB and the Eagles — he just smiled and said that was a question for Howie Roseman.

Here’s what the DC had to say:

---

On safety Marcus Epps​

Fangio admitted that if Epps — who was activated from IR this week — is ready to play on Monday night, there’s a chance he’s in with the starters.

“He’s an experienced safety. He’s got good instincts, got a good feel for the game. We’ll have to get a feel, a barometer [of] where he’s at missing the last four, five weeks, whatever it was where he couldn’t practice, anyway.”

When asked about Sydney Brown’s start at safety last week, Fangio said that it was much like the rest of the defense, which had some good and some bad.

On the run defense​

“The biggest issues were, 1) they run the ball very well. I didn’t do a good enough job preparing our squad for the quality and the diversity of their run game. And, we didn’t play the run and the blocks the way we had been playing.”

Fangio reiterated several times that the issues with the run defense were both from a technique standpoint, and the he hadn’t coached things well enough.

He also acknowledged that they’re going to face another good running team, noting the Chargers have put up 200-yard rushing performances against two teams already this season. Later, Fangio said that they’ll have to play the run well enough that they don’t go to that a bunch, and not give up much in the play-action game.

As for how Jaelan Phillips is acclimating to his new team, Fangio said it’s going very well.

“He likes being here, the other players like him being here. He’s a good dude, and we’re thrilled to have him.”

On Jalen Carter’s performance​

Fangio echoed for Carter what he did with others, noting that his performance had good and bad moments, just like they were all guilty of against the Bears.

“[Jalen Carter] does have a shoulder issue. He’s been playing with it — late in the game, he had a great game with it, but yeah, it’s definitely something there.”

He later said that it’s possible for rookie Ty Robinson to get more opportunities as Carter deals with the shoulder injury — Robinson has been a weekly healthy scratch as the depth has been needed elsewhere up to this point of the season.

On Jihaad Campbell’s contributions​

The DC admitted that he probably should have gotten rookie Jihaad Campbell on the field for a few snaps against Chicago. He noted that Nakobe Dean has been strong against the run game, and with the issues they were having in that area, Fangio felt Dean would be better equipped to help.

Fangio said that the plan moving forward, though, will probably be to find ways to get Campbell some snaps, but they’ll have to see how the game is going to know what situations for which that would be best.

Other notables​

• As they prepare for the Chargers, he acknowledged that they’ll need to prepare for both quarterbacks — Justin Herbert had surgery on his non-throwing hand earlier in the week, and Trey Lance is the backup if Herbert is unable to play. The DC explained they would expect if Herbert does play, that he’ll be in the pistol or shotgun formation more, which doesn’t really change things a whole lot for what the Eagles need to do.
• Without considering the possible reunion with Darius Slay, Fangio said that at this point he feels like the CB2 role is pretty settled with Adoree’ Jackson, and doesn’t really consider it much of a competition between Jackson and Jakorian Bennett or Kelee Ringo.
• Fangio said they have no control over how or when the defense gets on the field, they can only control when they get off the field. He acknowledged, though, that the number of snaps does affect how they handle the rotation, especially with the guys up front.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...y-starter-run-defense-jalen-carter-injury-nfl

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

A.J. Brown leads the Eagles in total penalties this season

The Eagles have no shortage of things to improve as they approach the final games of the 2025 season, and one area they can’t overlook is the growing list of penalties.

Through 12 games, the Eagles have committed 91 total penalties, including 20 false starts — the team’s most committed penalty, landing them among the worst in the league at waiting for the snap.

Perhaps surprisingly, the player who accounted for the team’s most false start penalties was A.J. Brown, who has been flagged for it four times this season. It’s a trend that started back in December 2024 when Brown had two false starts within three games after not committing the penalty since 2021. The WR had one false start in each of his first three NFL seasons, and then went until December 2024 without a single misstep, and is now on a six false start run over the past 12 months.

Something doesn’t add up there.

That false starts are the biggest infraction shows there’s a lingering communication problem among the offense. Is Brown not as engaged? Is the offensive line setting up the snap correctly? Is it a Jalen Hurts cadence issue? Pinpointing why Brown has seemed so undisciplined or unprepared at the line should be a priority.

It should also be noted that it’s not just false starts for Brown, he’s had several other penalties (unnecessary roughness, low block, and [a very questionable] OPI call) totaling seven this season, which is the most on the team, puts him among the Top 20 most flagged players in the league, and is more than double his previous career-high penalties in a season (3).

But, to be clear, it’s not just Brown. Another vocal locker room leader this season is Jordan Mailata, who continues to talk about the OL needing to focus and eliminate mistakes, but leads the Eagles OL in penalties this season with six total. Three of those six are false starts. Landon Dickerson adds another three false starts to the list, and the left side of the line is starting to look like a problem.

Brown, Mailata, and Dickerson combine for 10 of the team’s 20 false starts this season.

How does this look compared to years prior? Well, the Eagles had 30 false starts in 2024 — No. 2 in the NFL behind Buffalo with 31 — and in 2023 only had 24 all year. At this rate, they’re on pace to tie last year’s numbers, but with the lack of offensive production to make up for those pre-snap penalties, the flag rate is much more impactful.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...ads-the-eagles-in-total-penalties-this-season

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles Injury Report: Jaelan Phillips among 4 limited players

The Philadelphia Eagles issued their first official injury report in advance of their Week 14 Monday Night Football road game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Eagles listed two players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Jalen Carter and Lane Johnson.

Carter has already been ruled out of Monday’s game due to him undergoing treatment on both shoulders. It sounds like the Eagles will not put Carter on injured reserve but we’ll see. In the meantime, the Eagles will move forward with Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and Ty Robinson at defensive tackle. Brandon Graham could also conceivably see more playing time on the inside.

Lane Johnson is likely out this week but he might be able to return in Week 15. Fred Johnson will continue to start at right tackle.

The Eagles listed four players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Jaelan Phillips, Zack Baun, Jahan Dotson, and Xavier Gipson.

Phillips apparently suffered a concussion in the Eagles’ Week 13 loss to the Chicago Bears. That he was limited on Thursday (as opposed to not practicing) seems like a positive sign for his chances of progressing through the protocol and being cleared to play on Monday.

Baun is dealing with a hand injury. Guessing he’ll be able to play.

Dotson is dealing with a toe injury. Guessing he’ll be able to play.

Gipson, who is inexplicably still on the roster, returned to practice after missing all of last week due to a shoulder injury.

The Eagles two players under FULL PARTICIPATION: Marcus Epps and Myles Hinton.

Epps and Hinton are in their 21-day practice windows to return from injured reserve. It seems like Epps could be activated from IR in time to start at safety against the Chargers on Monday night.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)​

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

DT Jalen Carter (shoulders)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

LB Zack Baun (hand)
WR Jahan Dotson (toe)
WR Xavier Gipson (shoulder)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips (concussion)

FULL PARTICIPATION

S Marcus Epps (shoulder)
OT Myles Hinton (back)

---

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)​

The big news is that Justin Herbert returned to practice on Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session (which didn’t require an injury report). The Chargers’ starting quarterback was limited but it seems like he’s trending towards playing on Monday night despite suffering a broken left hand.

Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton is expected to be activated from injured reserve. He was limited on Thursday.

The Chargers notably have starting left tackle Rashawn Slater and starting right tackle Joe Alt on injured reserve.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

OLB Bud Dupree (rest)
TE Tucker Fisk (ankle)
DL Da’Shawn Hand (illness)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

RB Omarion Hampton (ankle)
RB Hassan Haskins (hamstring)
QB Justin Herbert (left hand)
WR Quentin Johnston (shoulder)
G/T Trey Pipkins (back)
OL Jamaree Salyer (shoulder)

FULL PARTICIPATION

DL Otito Ogbonnia (elbow)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...eport-jaelan-phillips-among-4-limited-players

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles Injury Report: Landon Dickerson rests

The Philadelphia Eagles issued their second official injury report in advance of their Week 14 Monday Night Football road game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Eagles listed three players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Landon Dickerson, Jalen Carter, and Lane Johnson.

Dickerson missed Friday’s practice with a “rest” designation. The Eagles’ starting left guard has had a down year as he’s battled through injury issues all season long. A day off is probably good for him.

Carter will not play on Monday night. It remains to be seen if the Eagles will place him on injured reserve or not.

Johnson is expected to miss Monday’s game. He might be able to return in Week 15.

The Eagles listed three players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Jaelan Phillips, Zack Baun, and Jahan Dotson.

Phillips was limited for the second day in a row; he’s yet to clear the concussion protocol. Still time for him to do that ahead of Monday’s game. But worth monitoring.

The Eagles are likely managing Baun and Dotson to help get them to Monday.

The Eagles three players under FULL PARTICIPATION: Xavier Gipson, Marcus Epps, and Myles Hinton.

Gipson was upgraded from limited to full. Great. Why’s he still on the roster, again?

It seems like Epps is on track to be activated in time to start at safety against the Chargers. The Eagles have until 4:00 PM Eastern on Monday, December 8 to officially activate him to the roster in order to play.

Hinton still has some time left in his 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve but it’s getting close to the deadline (December 10) to either activate him or shut him down for the season. Guessing the latter will happen.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (FRIDAY)​

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

DT Jalen Carter (shoulders)
OG Landon Dickerson (rest)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

LB Zack Baun (hand)
WR Jahan Dotson (toe)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips (concussion)

FULL PARTICIPATION

S Marcus Epps (shoulder)
WR Xavier Gipson (shoulder)
OT Myles Hinton (back)

---

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS INJURY REPORT (FRIDAY)​

Chargers starting quarterback Justin Herbert was limited again but the team seems “really optimistic” (their offensive coordinator’s own words) that he’s going to be able to start against the Eagles.

Rookie running back Omarion Hampton was notably upgraded from limited to full. He’s on track to be activated from IR.

No. 2 tight end Tucker Fisk is on track to miss Monday’s game.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

TE Tucker Fisk (ankle)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

QB Justin Herbert (left hand)

FULL PARTICIPATION

OLB Bud Dupree (rest)
RB Omarion Hampton (ankle)
DL Da’Shawn Hand (illness)
RB Hassan Haskins (hamstring)
WR Quentin Johnston (shoulder)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (elbow)
G/T Trey Pipkins (back)
OL Jamaree Salyer (shoulder)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/news/165459/eagles-injury-report-landon-dickerson-rests

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

The latest update in the Darius Slay saga

Darius Slay was placed on the reserve/did not report list by the Buffalo Bills on Friday afternoon, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

This means that the Bills are retaining his rights despite the fact he’s expressed interest in retiring rather than playing for them.

Slay will not count towards Buffalo’s roster limit nor against their salary cap while on this list. So, there’s real no rush for them to waive him.

That is, unless the Bills feel like holding onto Slay could create bad blood with his agent, Drew Rosenhaus.

But it feels like they would’ve just waived him by now if they were really concerned about that relationship.

Maybe the Bills are holding onto Slay’s rights until after they play the Eagles in Week 17? And they’ll set him free to possibly return to Philly after that?

I’m not convinced that’s definitely the case. But I’m also not ready to rule it out.

We’ll see if something changes down the road. For now, the Bills hold Slay’s rights if he wants to play football.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/news/165455/the-latest-update-in-the-darius-slay-saga

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFL Week 14 betting advice: Eagles-Chargers pick and prop bets

Steve Maltepes, known as “The Philly Godfather,” will impart his gambling wisdom on the Eagles and where the smart money is going on various pro football games each weekend this season. Maltepes is one of the nation’s hottest sports betting experts who appears weekly on national radio, is the best-selling author of “Booked: The True Life Story of the PhillyGodfather,”and has his own website, www.thephillygodfather.com.

Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) at Los Angeles Chargers (8-4), at 8:20 p.m. Monday​

The Line: Eagles -2.5/Total: 41.5

What is the line telling you:

The line on this game opened with the Eagles as small -2.5-point road favorites, with the total set at 43.5. Since then, the spread has dipped as low as Philly -1.5 and climbed as high as Eagles -3 before settling back below the key number, where it now sits at -2.5 across the board. The total has also taken steady under money and is now down to 41.5.

Handicapping this matchup comes down to the Chargers’ quarterback situation. If Justin Herbert does start, the key question becomes how much the injury to his non-throwing hand will impact his effectiveness. If you’re looking to back the Chargers this week, ball security and turnovers will likely be the deciding factors in determining the outcome.

The Chargers have played efficient football at home, winning five of their seven home games this season by an average of eight points per game. This prime-time matchup is massive for both sides. The Eagles are trying to keep pace with the Bears, Packers, Lions, Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers in the race for the top spot in the NFC. Meanwhile, even at 8–4, the Chargers currently occupy the final playoff spot in the AFC if the season ended today. Jim Harbaugh’s team has a much thinner margin for error and, from a standings perspective, arguably needs this game more than Philadelphia does.

Bottom line:

From an analytical standpoint, the Chargers hold the edge in net yards differential, ranking 10th in the NFL, while Nick Sirianni’s group sits 23rd. Offensively, the Chargers rank slightly higher in yards per play. In pass protection, however, Philly allows one fewer sack per game, ranking 13 spots better than LA. On the ground, the Chargers rank 12 spots higher in yards per rush attempt. Defensively, the biggest gap appears in opponent yards per play, with the Chargers ranked 8th and the Eagles 17th. LA’s defensive front also ranks 17 spots higher in sack and pressure rate.

Even if Herbert starts and plays all four quarters, ball security remains a major concern. The Chargers have struggled to protect their quarterback all season and rank near the bottom of the NFL in sacks allowed. The Eagles remain one of the better teams in the league in turnover differential, ranking 9th, and they also own the stronger overall team DVOA at 11th compared to the Chargers at 17th. This also sets up as a strong buy-low spot-on Philadelphia after back-to-back losses. Take the Eagles at -2.5, and under 41.5 in what profiles as a lower-scoring game.

Prop bets for the game:

Justin Herbert — Under 200 Passing Yards (-110)

Jalen Hurts — Under 200 Passing Yards (+111)

Jalen Hurts — Anytime TD (+100)

Omarion Hampton — Anytime TD (+170)

(Betting lines are subject to change.)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...ing-advice-eagles-chargers-pick-and-prop-bets

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-Chargers Final Injury Report: Justin Herbert ruled questionable

The Philadelphia Eagles issued their third and final official injury report in advance of their Week 14 Monday Night Football road game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Two players were ruled OUT: Jalen Carter and Lane Johnson.

Carter was ruled out of Monday’s game earlier this week after getting treatment on his shoulders. It seems like the Eagles might try to slow play his return if they can afford to do so. In the meantime, the Eagles have four healthy defensive tackles on the active roster: Moro Ojomo, Jordan Davis, Byron Young, and Ty Robinson. The rookie Robinson could see some snaps after being a healthy scratch for most of the season. They also have Ta’Quon Graham and Gabe Hall on the practice squad.

Lane Johnson will miss his third straight start. Fred Johnson will start at right tackle. The Eagles seem to have hope Lane Johnson might be able to play in Week 15.

The Eagles ruled two players QUESTIONABLE: Marcus Epps and Myles Hinton.

The Eagles opened Epps’ 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve earlier this week. He was full go in practice all week, so, it seems like he’s ready to play. The Eagles have until 4:00 PM Eastern on Monday to activate Epps to the roster in order for him to play against the Chargers. If he does play, he’ll likely start at safety ahead of Sydney Brown.

Hinton’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve is soon closing. The Eagles don’t seem to be in a rush to activate him to the roster.

Landon Dickerson, Jaelan Phillips, Zack Baun, Jahan Dotson, and Xavier Gipson are all listed without a game status.

This means they’re ready to play despite appearing on the injury report this week. Phillips was notably full go on Saturday after being limited due to a concussion on Thursday and Friday.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (SATURDAY)​

OUT

DT Jalen Carter (shoulders)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)

QUESTIONABLE

S Marcus Epps (shoulder)
OT Myles Hinton (back)

…

RESERVE/RETIRED

CB Jaire Alexander
EDGE Za’Darius Smith

Smith unexpectedly retired from football on October 13. Alexander was placed on this list on November 12.

RESERVE/INJURED

S Marcus Epps (practice window open)
OT Myles Hinton (practice window open)
LS Charley Hughlett
G/C Willie Lampkin
S Andrew Mukuba
EDGE Azeez Ojulari
EDGE Ogbo Okoronkwo
FB Ben VanSumeren
OT Cameron Williams
WR Johnny Wilson

The Eagles opened Hinton’s 21-day practice window to return from IR on November 19. The Eagles opened Epps’ 21-day practice window to return from IR on December 2. Hughlett, Williams, and Ojulari are currently eligible to return from IR. Mukuba is eligible to return from IR after Week 16 (TBD if he’ll be healthy enough to play again this season). Lampkin’s practice window to return from IR was previously opened but the Eagles did not activate him before it closed. BVS, Wilson, and Okoronkwo suffered season-ending injuries.

---

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS INJURY REPORT (SATURDAY)​

The big news is that the Chargers ruled Justin Herbert questionable. The starting quarterback was limited in practice all week but all indications point to him suiting up on Monday night. It sounds like Trey Lance could also see some snaps at quarterback in specific situations, however.

HC Nick Sirianni said the #Eagles have been preparing for Justin Herbert or Trey Lance at QB for the Chargers.

One Eagles player said he thinks both will play, with Lance on the field in under center, short yardage situations, or to incorporate some QB run game. https://t.co/fYwhKk1Azn

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 6, 2025

Chargers rookie running back Omarion Hampton is expected to be activated from injured reserve after fully participating in practice on Friday and Saturday.

No. 2 tight end Tucker Fisk was ruled out.

Starting left tackle Rashawn Slater and starting right tackle Joe Alt are both on injured reserve.

OUT

TE Tucker Fisk (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE

RB Omarion Hampton (ankle)
QB Justin Herbert (left hand)
DL Otito Ogbonnia (elbow)

…

RESERVE/PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO PERFORM

OT Savion Washington

RESERVE/INJURED

OT Joe Alt
LB Junior Colson
DL Josh Fuga
RB Omarion Hampton (practice window open)
RB Hassan Haskins (practice window open)
RB Najee Harris
DL Otito Ogbonnia (practice window open)
CB Jordan Oladokun
CB Eric Rogers
OT Rashawn Slater

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...jury-report-justin-herbert-ruled-questionable

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFC Playoff Picture: Where the Eagles stand after Sunday’s games

The Philadelphia Eagles are the only* NFC team yet to play in Week 14; they’ll be in action against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. *Not counting three NFC teams that had a bye.

In the meantime, let’s discuss the updated NFL playoff picture.

Good results for the Eagles from Week 14​

• The Dallas Cowboys losing to the Detroit Lions. We already discussed the impact of this result after Thursday night’s game.
• The Chicago Bears losing to the Green Bay Packers. The Bears have a head-to-head tiebreaker against the Eagles, so, it’s not ideal for Chicago to be ahead of them. The Packers are now ahead of the Eagles but the path to Philly moving ahead of Green Bay is more feasible by comparison. If the Eagles win on Monday night, they’ll be just half of a game back on the Pack.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to the New Orleans Saints. The Eagles falling to the No. 4 seed wouldn’t be good because it would likely mean having to host the NFC West second place finisher in the Wild Card round. The Eagles don’t want to see the Seattle Seahawks or the Los Angeles Rams in their first playoff game. The Bucs losing makes it more likely that either them or the Carolina Panthers will be the lowest division winner. The Eagles hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bucs.
• The Washington Commanders losing to the Minnesota Vikings. The Commanders are now OFFICIALLY eliminated from playoff contention after a 31 to 0 loss on Sunday. This is relevant to the Eagles because it gives Washington less motivation (in theory, at least) over their final four games. The Eagles and Commanders meet in Week 16 and Week 18. If Washington was smart, they’d shut down Jayden Daniels, who got banged up again. But they might be stubborn and play him anyway. As an added bonus, the Vikings are still in playoff contention. They should be motivated to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15, though they’re currently 6.5-point road underdogs in that matchup.

Bad results for the Eagles from Week 14​

• The Seattle Seahawks beating the Atlanta Falcons. The Seahawks temporarily moved to No. 1 in the conference with their win over the Falcons. They’re currently No. 5 after the Los Angeles Rams won to overtake the top spot in the NFC West. The Eagles need Seattle to stop winning.
• The Los Angeles Rams beating the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles have a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rams but that much obviously doesn’t matter if LA has a better record than the Birds, which they currently do.

Here’s the entire updated NFC playoff picture. Note that if the season ended today, which it doesn’t, the Eagles (No. 3) would host the 49ers (No. 6) in the Wild Card round.

PROJECTED PLAYOFF TEAMS​

DIVISION LEADERS

1) Los Angeles Rams: 10-3
2) Green Bay Packers: 9-3-1
3) Philadelphia Eagles: 8-4*
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 7-6

*The Eagles are 1.5-point road favorites against the Chargers on Monday night.

WILD CARD TEAMS

5) Seattle Seahawks: 10-3
6) San Francisco 49ers: 9-4
7) Chicago Bears: 9-4

…

ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN​

IN THE HUNT

8) Detroit Lions: 8-5
9) Carolina Panthers: 7-6
10) Dallas Cowboys: 6-6-1

UNSERIOUS

11) Minnesota Vikings: 5-8

OFFICIALLY ELIMINATED​

12) Atlanta Falcons: 4-9
13) Arizona Cardinals: 3-10
14) New Orleans Saints: 3-10
15) Washington Commanders: 3-10
16) New York Giants: 2-11

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...re-where-the-eagles-stand-after-sundays-games

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Sunday Night Football: Chiefs vs. Texans

The NFL Week 14 slate of Sunday games will cap off with a Sunday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs (6-6) and the Houston Texans (7-5).

This is a battle between two teams currently on the outside looking in while vying for a wild card spot; the Texans are No. 8 in the AFC playoff picture while the Chiefs are No. 9.

And so the winner of this game is a big deal as far as postseason implications go.

Here’s what we previously wrote about the rooting interest in this matchup of Andy Reid vs. DeMeco Ryans:

HOUSTON TEXANS at KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: Guessing people would rather see the Chiefs move closer to elimination but KC winning helps the Eagles from a strength of victory tiebreaker perspective. Root for the Chiefs.

TV Schedule​

Game time: 8:20 PM EST

Channel: NBC

Date: Sunday, December 7, 2025

Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri

Announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark

Online Streaming​

Peacock | FuboTV

Odds via FanDuel

Odds via FanDuel​

Houston Texans: +4.5 (-106)

Kansas City Chiefs: -4.5 (-114)

Over/under: 41.5 points

SB Nation Blogs​

Texans: www.BattleRedBlog.com

Chiefs: www.ArrowheadPride.com

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...165555/sunday-night-football-chiefs-vs-texans

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles vs. Chargers: Third quarter score updates

This is your third quarter thread for the 2025 Week 14 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Los Angeles Chargers game. Join the discussion in the comments below.

Here is some basic information to help guide you through the game:

• How to watch the game – TV schedule and online streaming information;
• Follow us on Twitter: @BleedingGreen;
• Follow along with Chargers fans at Bolts from the Blue;
• Live game stats;
• Eagles full regular season schedule;
• Current Eagles depth chart;
• Current Eagles roster

…

Note: This is an open thread. Discuss the game and stay tuned for new threads after each quarter.

---

SCORE UPDATES​

3Q – 3:22 [Eagles 9 – Chargers 13]: The Eagles still can’t find the end zone, but at least Jake Elliott made his fourth field goal attempt of the day, this one from 54 yards.

3Q – 5:32 [Eagles 6 – Chargers 13]: The Chargers were able to add to their lead with a 34-yard field goal after a nine-minute drive.

2Q – 0:52 [Eagles 6 – Chargers 10]: The Eagles could not get it together on offense enough to score a touchdown to tie things up before halftime. Instead, they had an A.J. Brown TD called back because of a penalty on Jordan Mailata, followed by several poor play calls and decisions. Ultimately, they were forced to settle for another field goal.

2Q – 4:55 [Eagles 3 -Chargers 10]: After a completely insane play that resulted in Eagles QB Jalen Hurts both throwing an interception and fumbling the ball, the Chargers weren’t able to get into the endzone, but did nail a 45-yard field goal to extend their lead.

Bruh pic.twitter.com/8EQ50V3ou9

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 9, 2025

1Q – 3:22 [Eagles 3 – Chargers 7]: The Eagles settle for a 41-yard field goal by Jake Elliott.

1Q – 8:49 [Eagles 0 – Chargers 7]: The Chargers get on the board first with a touchdown that capped off a 6-play, 82-yard drive.

---

TWITTER UPDATES​

Note: if the tracker isn’t properly loading for you, you can CLICK HERE.

A Twitter List by BleedingGreen

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...re-updates-game-thread-discussion-week-14-nfl

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

There are no fixes coming for the 2025 Eagles offense

In the 10 days leading up to last night’s depressing 19-16 overtime loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Eagles tried to convince the fanbase, and probably to as large an extent themselves, that they could solve the offensive ineptitude that has mysteriously plagued this team since training camp.

Nick Sirianni was reportedly more involved in the offensive gameplan and installation this week. Jalen Hurts went back and watched copious amounts of tape from previous seasons. As a way of boosting morale, someone brought in a huge inflatable rabbit, “the positivity rabbit,” in an attempt to change the vibes in the locker room.

I’ve always said, “Whenever you need a giant inflatable animal to inspire optimism and positivity inside a professional sports team’s locker room, you’re already too far gone.” Looks like I was right.

Defensively, there were lots of reasons to believe a unit that gave up 300+ yards on the ground to the Bears on Black Friday would bounce back. Vic Fangio’s unit often doesn’t play two bad games in a row, and last night, they wrecked an injured but gutty Justin Herbert all night. It should have been good enough to allow them to sneak out of California with yet another ugly victory.

Unfortunately, the offense once again let their defensive counterparts down.

Folks, this is what a Super Bowl hangover looks like and, given the headache you likely have after watching this offense all season, it appears the hangover is contagious.

We all knew whatever the Eagles were going to do against the Chargers would be a bellwether for how the rest of the season would go, at least offensively. Could the Eagles, off another mini-bye, figure out an offensive gameplan that featured new wrinkles, was cohesive, with a centralized philosophy where one thing builds off another, creates confusion for the defense and puts the still-talented offensive skill players in a position to succeed? Could the quarterback, who has not seen the field at all well since the Minnesota game and has thus far refused to run the football in 2025, throw caution to the wind, become a part of the running game and make adjustments in the passing game?

This is largely the same unit that won a Super Bowl just one season ago. Going into last night, there was reason to believe they could find that level of play again, even if that hope was a flicker of a flame in a driving wind.

Well, now, we know.

The offense isn’t getting fixed.

There are no answers.

The players are flat.

The quarterback is slumping.

The offensive line is a shell of itself.

And despite some different-looking plays, there was no rhyme or reason to anything offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo or Sirianni did last night.

The offense had a number of successful Saquon chunk runs with Hurts under center in the first three quarters. Near the goal line, they abandoned it. They had back-to-back plays with two running backs in the backfield in the first half, then never went with that formation again. They largely abandoned using multiple tight ends until the fourth quarter, when they started asking Grant Calcaterra to run-block again. Screen passes to DeVonta Smith with A.J. Brown tasked to block two defenders. Hitch route after hitch route after hitch route.

It appeared Sirianni and Patullo blindly pulled plays out of a bag like Scrabble pieces, with no coordination or plan.

It didn’t help that the quarterback turned the ball over five times or that Brown, who has talked a lot this season about his lack of usage in the offense, dropped three catchable passes that could have swung the game in the Eagles’ favor. One could argue Brown was every bit as bad as Hurts against Los Angeles.

I will give Patullo and Sirianni some credit. They tried doing some different things. Some of those different things worked.

The fake Tush Push for a 51-yard Barkley touchdown was inspired. There were more crossing routes in this game, and we saw Brown line up in the slot a few times, too. But it was all disjointed. The only touchdown came on that gimmick play. There did not appear to be any kind of master plan, only some new ideas thrown into a game-calling pot of stew that resulted in the team once again failing to score at least 20 points for the 6th time in their last 9 games, and the 4th time in their last 5.

They are a bottom-five offense in the NFL. If they were even just mediocre, they’d probably be 11-2 instead of 8-5.

Jalen Hurts will take his lumps this week, and they’re all well deserved. He’s in a brutal slump, almost nothing was on time and, last night in particular, his decision making was brutal. But this isn’t a one-week thing.

Jalen Hurts — since #Eagles bye week (5 games)

Completion rate — 57.5% (24th in #NFL)
YPA — 6.4 (22nd)
Pass TD — 4 (22nd)
INT — 5 (t-4th)
Passer rating — 72.4 (29th)

Hurts has 8 giveaways in last 5 games (5 INT, 3 FL)

Eagles are 2-3 in this stretch

— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrPHL) December 9, 2025

Not only did he throw four interceptions (one of which wasn’t his fault), he once again missed open receivers and, perhaps most alarmingly, refused to run the football. There were numerous times when nothing was open and Hurts could have taken off up the middle, only to dance around in the pocket and get flushed out, forcing an incompletion. There were few designed runs. In overtime, in sheer desperation, Hurts finally took off over the middle, stiff-armed a defender and got a huge first down, only to have his electric run brought back due to a holding penalty. We need to see more of that.

All that being said, Hurts has a track record of being a very good quarterback, one who can take his skills to an elite level on the biggest stage. But, like a strikeout-prone big league power hitter, he’s in a slump that is absolutely killing the offense.

One of the reasons for the collapse in 2023 on the defensive side of the ball was the lack of trust that developed with the players for their coaching staff. Yes, it was an undermanned unit, but they didn’t believe that Sean Desai or Matt Patricia had any answers to fix their multitude of issues (they didn’t).

It’s likely the 2025 Eagles offense is dealing with the same lack of trust with the offense designed by Sirianni and implemented by Patullo. And, it seems clear Sirianni and Patullo don’t trust Hurts and other aspects of the offense to run a more modern passing game. It’s clear no one trusts the plays that are being called or the timing of those calls.

The coaches had 10 days to prepare for this game, and this is what they came up with?

Simply because of the talent that exists on offense, there was some reason for optimism that two straight losses would cause the Eagles to truly evaluate what they were doing and fix things and that, if those changes were implemented, they could once again be effective.

Last night showed the Super Bowl-winning head coach doesn’t know how to fix it. The offensive coordinator, who has been a major part of this coaching staff since 2021, is overmatched. The quarterback is playing the worst football of his career. The offensive line has lost a step. The entire unit is dead in the eyes.

The 2023 collapse is repeating itself, only on the offensive side of the ball.

The Eagles will still likely win the NFC East, given their ridiculously easy schedule over the season’s final month, but it is by no means a guarantee. Sirianni’s group has shown they can lose to anybody. But yeah, they’ll probably win the division, grab the No. 3 seed, and get a home playoff game. They may even with that on a double-doink or something.

Visions of a repeat or, what seems like a laughable idea now, a dynasty forming, are pipe dreams. They can’t even get a positive play on first down most of the time.

It’s too late to change the offensive coordinator this year. Sirianni doesn’t have any better of an idea on how to call plays than Patullo does. While I’m open to any change at this point, it’s doubtful there’s another coach in the building who could do better.

Unless Hurts flips a switch and becomes the QB we have seen in the postseason when he is at his best, what we have seen through their first 13 games is what we will see over their last four.

There are no fixes coming. The offense will not get better. It is what it is.

Go Birds!

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...e-no-fixes-coming-for-the-2025-eagles-offense

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles waive their long snapper

The Philadelphia Eagles waived long snapper Cal Adomitis on Tuesday, according to an official team announcement.

Adomitis joined the Eagles back on September 30 after 35-year-old Charley Hughlett suffered an injury that required him to go on injured reserve.

Adomitis hasn’t noticeably struggled with snapping the ball but it’s fair to point out that Jake Elliott hasn’t been kicking at his best in recent weeks.

• Elliott misses with Adomitis as long snapper: 6
• Elliott misses with Hughlett as long snapper: 0

It’s also only fair to point out that the Eagles are 4-0 with Hughlett long snapping for them while they’re 4-5 with Adomitis long snapping for them.

The Eagles have clearly identified the REAL issue with this team. They’ll likely open Hughlett’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve this week and eventually activate him to the roster prior to Sunday’s Week 15 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Season saved!

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/news/165938/eagles-waive-their-long-snapper

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-Chargers Film Review: Weirdly, there were some positive signs on offense

This one might surprise you, but I’m going to focus on some more of the positives this week. I’ve been highly critical of this offense all season long, but weirdly, there were some positive signs to cling to this week. I can’t be bothered to write about the same rubbish stuff we have seen all season long. Let’s try to look at what has changed and what remains the same. At times, this one contained the worst version of Jalen Hurts we’ve seen in years, and it was a reminder that when this offense is bad, it is catastrophically bad. But there was some stuff I liked about this performance.

Offense​

The type of concept is exactly what we’ve been begging for, but no one is open. It’s excellent coverage by a very good defense. Hurts processes it correctly and throws a ball that should go for an explosive gain. Instead, AJ Brown drops it. This was a missed opportunity that immediately set the tone for the day. AJ Brown is usually very reliable, but he had some huge drops in this game.

Eagles' Offense All22 Thread vs. Chargers. 1) Ah, what could have been. The Eagles ran way more concepts this week, where they flooded one side of the field, which is good! No one is open here, so Hurts gets backside and plays buddy ball with AJ Brown. Sadly, AJ can't haul it in.… pic.twitter.com/8tXoCe5go5

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

The shotgun run game remains one of the most fundamentally broken parts of the offense. The Eagles’ interior simply can’t create any push strain out of the shotgun. What are Jordan Mailata and Dallas Goedert doing here? It’s the same story week after week. The coaches keep calling inside zone from shotgun as if something will magically change. It’s a reminder that the “bad” parts of this offense are catastrophically bad. Even though the run game had some more success, they still had far too many negative runs.

2) Eagles' run game showed some life from under center in this game, but the shotgun run game was a disaster. Just a total nightmare. They get 0 push here. I have no clue what Goedert and Mailata are doing. Mailata doesn't help out Dickerson much and then blocks no one. Goedert's… pic.twitter.com/y6DR1Xuj3C

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This is better. Under-center, downhill, with double-teams actually generating displacement. The difference here is night and day from the clip above. The blocking is cleaner, the angles look more natural, and Saquon Barkley looks like Barkley again because he has space to work! The Eagles look more comfortable running the ball this way. When the Eagles get under center and lead with double teams at the line of scrimmage, good things seem to happen.

Coaching Malpractice in a nutshell

Saquon Barkley Rushing Stats:
Under Center – 10 carries for 102 yards (10.2 ypc), 1 TD, 50% success rate.
Shotgun – 10 carries for 22 yards, (2.2 ypc), 10% success rate.

If you remove the 52-yard TD from UC because it was gimmicky, it's…

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) December 9, 2025

Plays like this show there is a path forward, but only if the staff commits to the version of the run game that actually functions.

3) However, the Eagles did remember that if they run from under center and focus on getting double teams inside, the run game suddenly works.

Here's a crazy thought… maybe do this stuff a little more? Barkly had 10 under center runs and 10 shotgun runs. How about we do more of… pic.twitter.com/IFqQMWeNJY

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This is one of Hurts’ bad moments and one of the clearest examples of him overcorrecting into unnecessary aggression. The Chargers are in 2-man. Nothing is there. The design doesn’t give him a winning option, and the corner has leverage on AJ. The design provides him with nothing here. That doesn’t absolve him of blame. Hurts forces a ball that never had a chance. It’s almost like you can see the internal battle he’s fighting. I’m guessing the staff has been preaching conservatism and now wants the offense to take more risks. It felt like Hurts went too far in the other direction. The balance was off.

4) I think Hurts was frustrated at times in this one and started forcing things. I'm guessing there was an emphasis on being more aggressive, and Hurts took it too far. This is a terrible play call against 2-man, and Hurts has to try to make a play with his legs. Trying to fit… pic.twitter.com/JKmI0N2Jyo

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

Everything about this play shows a staff finally trying to stress a defense horizontally and vertically at the same time. It’s lovely. There were some good designs in this game. Goedert’s route crosses into open space, and Hurts has an easy throw. It’s almost like the staff can scheme open receivers when they move beyond the static hitches and mirrored concepts that have bogged this offense down. Goedert’s YAC ability also finally mattered again, something missing for weeks. YAC is a coaching and QB stat; it’s not just on the receivers themselves. The frustration isn’t that they can’t do it, it’s that they don’t do it often enough.

5) Hey, we saw some cool stuff in this game. There were a lot of designs I liked. I'm not kidding! We saw a few more designed rollouts. Here, the Eagles run post cross wheel and leak Goedert out the other side that Hurts is rolling too. They also use Pony personnel (2 backs) to… pic.twitter.com/PWWKc1e7gb

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This is another beauty. I love this. This is the kind of sequencing good offenses build around. Play-action that looks like earlier runs and concepts that put stress on defenders. This is where the optimism comes from this week. When the Eagles moved toward a more varied, layered passing game, the results were genuinely encouraging.

6) Again, more good stuff! Under center play-action with Hurts throwing into intermediate zones after flooding one side of the field. This checks a lot of boxes. I am OK with committing to more of an under center game plan and seeing more play-action pass plays like this. This… pic.twitter.com/U39mxse2ZI

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This was Hurts’ worst play of the season. He immediately eliminates the first side of the read and doesn’t work through the combination backside long enough to see Jahan Dotson popping open. Instead, he forces a ball into an area dominated by coverage defenders and a dropping defensive tackle sitting in the window. This is a bad one. He doesn’t make throws like this often, and he will be the first to admit this is not good enough.

7) Obviously, a rough one from Hurts. This just can't happen. It looks like he is eliminating the left side of the field (the concept gives him nothing to go to) so he has to get back to the other side. If he worked past AJ Brown he would see that Dotson is coming open. However,… pic.twitter.com/bYDc4mcceC

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This interception is more of a structural failure than a Hurts error. You cannot run heavy hitch-based concepts against a defense whose corners trigger downhill this violently. I said this in the preview! The Chargers’ DB jumps it easily because he’s seen this exact route from the Eagles all year. DeVonta Smith slipping only makes the result worse, but the real issue is that the Eagles keep calling predictable concepts that don’t threaten defenses. The Eagles’ passing game has to evolve beyond these staples. We saw signs of it in this one, and we need to keep evolving.

8) This one is a bit more complicated. This is another example of design not helping anyone out. The Eagles did not run as many hitches in this one (based on what I saw, anyway) but Donte Jackson just reads this the whole way.

I said in the preview that the Chargers DBs are too… pic.twitter.com/6vbr7wuUo0

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

Another design I like! Another example that some of the new stuff is genuinely working. This is exactly what the offense should look more like. The challenge is whether the staff actually commits to this approach or whether it becomes another one-game blip before retreating back into stale structures because they are scared of the turnovers.

9) Once again, under center play-action flood concept and Hurts hits AJ perfectly. Beautiful. We saw far fewer 2×2 static concepts and a lot more expansive passing plays in this one. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected.

I really hope the Eagles' offense doesn't just go… pic.twitter.com/E7vZYRKGwb

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This run is one of the best-executed plays of the game. There are some fantastic blocks, as well as the obvious disguise. Mailata’s reach is excellent. Goedert seals the edge. Darius Cooper makes a great block, and might start taking WR3 snaps away from Dotson if he blocks like this. Barkley reads it decisively and bursts upfield for a long touchdown.

10) Some lovely blocks on this one. It's cool to see Darius Cooper getting after the safety. Mailata does an exceptional job reaching the wide edge defender and Goedert pops the corner. Good stuff! pic.twitter.com/uNuwjzLzC7

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

From the broadcast, this looked like Hurts throwing a bad hospital ball. But on film, it’s much more of a drop. Hurts puts the ball where it needs to be, Brown has a chance to secure it, and instead it falls incomplete. These are the plays that swing games, especially on a night where Hurts desperately needed someone to help stabilize the offense. The QB was already playing poorly, but some of the excellent throws he made weren’t rewarded. AJ Brown will be disappointed with his drops in this one.

11) I thought this was a bit of a hospital ball live, but I think differently from this view. When Hurts releases it, AJ Brown has a decent chance of catching this. I don't love these throws because the receivers can take serious hits, and Hurts rarely throws them, but I think… pic.twitter.com/rauSvzFcS7

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

Please, stop doing this. Asking Tyler Steen and Grant Calcaterra to pull in counter is a waste of a down. Can we just replace every run like this with under center duo? This is a coaching failure, not a player failure. Steen isn’t strong enough to create displacement at the line of scrimmage, and Calcaterra is just bad. The Chargers wreck the play instantly because it’s obvious the Eagles don’t have the bodies to make this structure work. Just, don’t do this stuff anymore. Please.

12) The Eagles will have an interesting decision to make on Tyler Steen in the off-season. I think in pass pro, he's been good, but he gets no push in the run game right now. He's not moving anyone.

Running counter and pulling Steen and Calcaterra is as dumb as it gets. Just,… pic.twitter.com/RhiDqJnTvJ

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

This is the drop that probably frustrated Hurts the most. It’s a perfect read against the blitz. It’s a perfect throw. It’s a moment to flip the narrative after a pretty terrible performance. However, AJ Brown lets it bounce off his hands. This isn’t about blaming one player; AJ Brown is as good as it gets at this stuff. He just had an off night. However, the offense cannot afford its best players failing to finish plays when the quarterback is having a bad day. This could have been a significant turning point. I will give Hurts credit for staying aggressive and continuing to try to make plays when things were going wrong.

13) This is the most depressing AJ Brown drop of the game because he makes this exact play all the time. The Chargers blitz, and Hurts puts it right on the money down the field. This is a perfect throw that you want your number 1 receiver to catch. Hurts clearly did not play… pic.twitter.com/1mCwdrZ0jW

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

The screens… oh boy. What can you say about this? They are abysmal. They are predictable, slow-developing, poorly spaced, and entirely unsupported by motion or misdirection. Defenses know they are coming because they always look the same, always come from the same formations, and never create any stress. What are they actually doing here? What is the plan? The Chargers blow this up instantly because it’s an awful design. These are wasted downs. The offense would instantly improve if you binned all these screen passes to receivers.

13) This is the most depressing AJ Brown drop of the game because he makes this exact play all the time. The Chargers blitz, and Hurts puts it right on the money down the field. This is a perfect throw that you want your number 1 receiver to catch. Hurts clearly did not play… pic.twitter.com/1mCwdrZ0jW

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

Then, out of nowhere, Hurts drops one of the best throws he’s made all season. After four interceptions. In overtime. On 3rd and long. Just pause this throw when he releases it. It’s a beauty. Hurts isn’t known for throwing with anticipation to the middle of the field, but we have seen progress the past couple of weeks, despite the overall poor play. Imagine if the Eagles’ coaches gave him a chance to make a throw like this on the 3rd and long you can see above?

15) One of the best throws of Hurts' career, without a doubt. On 3rd and long in overtime, he delivers this strike. Do yourself a favour and pause when Hurts releases the ball. That is anticipation.

I will give Hurts credit for staying aggressive after multiple turnovers. Sadly,… pic.twitter.com/0ibNSTEjL9

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

And then the overtime interception. Ugh. This sucks. This is the classic RPO flat with DeVonta Smith faking to block and releasing that we saw last week. First of all, Hurts should hand this off to Barkley. I have no idea why he keeps it. The EDGE defender forces him backward, and he tries to force it into an impossibly small window as he falls. He can’t do this. The Chargers’ corner closes the window instantly. The Chargers’ secondary was awesome, and we have to give them some credit. But in a tied game. In overtime. On first down. Hurts can’t make this throw. It’s not the type of mistake that Hurts makes very often, but I think he was pushing in this game and playing a little bit too much ‘hero-ball’. Despite all this, the Eagles must strike a balance between their former conservative play and this newly reckless overcorrection. Hurts must learn when to push and not to. This was not the moment to get aggressive.

16) As stated above, it ended in defeat because of this. I have no clue why Hurts doesn't hand the ball off. The EDGE is watching Hurts, which causes Hurts to fade back. The Eagles run the same RPO they had success with last week, but the Chargers are ready.

Hurts is too… pic.twitter.com/ge4Xr0DBD6

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2025

Final Thoughts​

In the end, this was a maddening offensive performance because it somehow contained both the most evident signs of progress we’ve seen in weeks, and the most self-destructive football of Jalen Hurts’ career. 2 of the turnovers were inexcusable. But the under-center game was effective, and some of the route concepts were finally layered and purposeful.

The problem is that the bad remains catastrophically bad. The shotgun run game is a dead end. The operation still fails in high-leverage situations. And Hurts, who usually covers up structural cracks, is now contributing to them. You can feel the offense searching for a new balance, and they haven’t found it yet. They went from ultra-conservatism to over-aggressiveness. I really hope the coaching staff doesn’t resort to ultra-conservatism because that would be the wrong thing to do, in my opinion. You have to give the Chargers’ defense a lot of credit. Their pass defense is exceptional. I called it in the preview!

But despite the loss, despite the turnovers, this wasn’t a hopeless performance. If the Eagles commit to the things that actually worked, the under-center identity, the layered concepts, the defined reads, and strip away the stale, predictable, broken parts of the playbook, this offense still has the talent to get back to being dangerous. It isn’t fixed. It isn’t even close to being fixed. It probably won’t get fixed. But I’m choosing to focus on some of the positives…

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...dly-there-were-some-positive-signs-on-offense