News Eagles Team Notes

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Vic Fangio on the 2025 Eagles defense: ‘We’ve kind of found our niche’

The Eagles defense has been absolutely dominating their opponents week-after-week, and have been pulling along the offense for most of the season. As they start preparing for their final regular season game, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke to reporters about individual performances against Buffalo, what he’s seen from this year’s group, and why he doesn’t stack the box against the run.

As they turn their focus back to the Commanders, who they played just two weeks ago, Fangio said that preparation is no different from any other week. Even though they’ve faced each other recently, he noted that each week feels like it’s own adventure, so they’ll prepare the same as they always do.

Here’s what the DC had to say:

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On Jalen Carter’s return​

“I thought [Jalen Carter] played well. Ya know, I really didn’t know how he’d play, because he missed three games I believe, and didn’t practice until this past week, during that time. And, I thought he played well. And I think he’s off to a good start, and hopefully he’ll build off that and play good down the stretch here, and into the playoffs.”

The Eagles’ DC wouldn’t comment on Bills’ tackle Spencer Brown accusing Carter of intentionally gouging his eyes, and while he did hear rumblings about the complaint, he never saw the specific incident.

On this year’s defense​

“I think we’ve grown from week-to-week, which is what you want. Particularly if you have a bunch of young guys, which we still do. We’re in the stage of guys can get better and better and better. Even our veteran-type players, I mean outside of [Brandon Graham] I would guess you would say they’re still in the growing stage. They’ve done that and that always makes you happy. We’ve kind of found our niche the way we like to play, which is something you’re always looking for as a coach. The guys have been fun to coach.“

Later on, Fangio quipped that it’s not necessarily fun because the group is younger with more energy, but rather because they’re good players.

“If they’re good players. I like a lot of good players. They make me look smart.”

On utilizing light boxes​

“We’ve got good players that are up there still, and we expect our guys to react, come out of those deep looks, fill and help accordingly. But you still have to play your blocks up front and do good at that. Your D-Line and your linebackers set that tempo.”

Fangio acknowledged that he makes a conscious decision to not stack the box as much, notable because they don’t want to give the quarterback and kind of pre-snap read.

On specifics against Buffalo​

Fangio was asked about his philosophy when approaching mobile quarterbacks like Josh Allen, and he said that there’s always a big emphasis to be disciplined and for the rushers to stay in their lanes when they play a QB like that. Still, Allen is still someone who is really hard to get down.

“We missed him a few of the other times that we could have gotten him down. He’s special in that regard. He’s made a lot of really good players miss in his seven- or eight-year career, however long he’s been out here. But yeah, I mean you make your guys conscious of it, and we got a rush as a unit.”

The DC was also asked about the two-point conversion attempt at the end of the game, and he went through how it all unfolded.

“We had a little bit of pseudo pressure there. Just to try and get something going for him and so he wouldn’t extend the play too long. We had good coverage going early. We lost leverage late, Jihaad [Campbell] did. But other than that, I thought we played it well. Anytime, even for a great quarterback like him, rolling to your left, moving to your left, throwing back, it’s a hard throw.

Other notables​

• Fangio said that rookie Jihaad Campbell played well, and while there are plays he’d like back, it’s good experience — especially if Campbell has to fill in for Nakobe Dean again in Week 18 or in the playoffs.
• The DC didn’t know if offenses were really focusing on Zack Baun more this season, but said the inside linebacker is having a good year.
• He admitted that had it been 2019 — the one year when pass interference calls could be challenged — they may have thrown a flag to review the call made against Quinyon Mitchell on Sunday. There’s not really a teaching point with something like that, and DPI is just something that will change person-to-person. Fangio wouldn’t say whether challenging pass interference should be brought back, and noted the rules are always changing.
• The DC thinks that overall they’ve tackled pretty well this season as a group. He explained that they’re always striving for perfection in that area, and it’s something they emphasize and take pride in.
• Adding Jaelan Phillips, or any good player, will have a domino affect on the rest of the defense and allow guys at each level to elevate their game.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...ts-jalen-carter-jaelan-phillips-notes-buffalo

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Nick Sirianni talks Tanner McKee, Jalyx Hunt, and more

The Eagles have just a few days left until their 2025 regular season finale against the Commanders, and head coach Nick Sirianni spoke about their approach to developing backup players, how Jalyx Hunt is an impressive athlete, and why he’s confident their offense will continue to improve.

Despite reports that the head coach made a decision regarding starters, Sirianni said that he hadn’t delivered the news to the team — something he was planning to do in the team meeting to follow — and didn’t want to confirm anything prior to telling them first.

Here’s what the head coach would say:

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On their approach to backup players​

When asked about their confidence in Tanner McKee, Sirianni highlighted that they take pride in having dedicated developmental periods for the backups, new players, and young players, at the end of practices and getting some 7-on-7 every week. By making that a priority and integral part of their process, the next man up truly is in a better place to be ready whenever they’re called on.

“Those reps add up, so I feel like that with all our guys — even guys that are on practice squad, guys just not playing much on offense or defense —, that they’re getting a lot of reps throughout the year.”

He noted that scout team reps are different than the ones they get running their own plays during these developmental time — about 24 reps a week.

Sirianni later talked about the importance of giving backup players the prep that they deserve if they were to decide to rest their starters. They aren’t able to look too far ahead to playoff prep, because it’s their job to help the guys who maybe don’t get as many reps usually, ready to go for Sunday. He explained that they all got into coaching to help players realize their dreams, and that stands for everyone on the roster, not just the first team guys.

TANNER MCKEE

“When you see Tanner [McKee], he’s really good about knowing where to go with the football, seeing the defense and being able to deliver things accurately.

It’s a great room, right? Where those guys feed off each other and learn from each other, and he’s got Jalen [Hurts] — being able to learn from Jalen, which a huge deal. Anytime you’re around a really good quarterback, your game goes up too, and he’s able to sit in that meeting room with Jalen for hours upon hours a day, just learning from him, and that’s a big deal. And Scott [Loeffler] has done nice job coaching him and continuing to help him develop.“

On the defense’s evolution​

Sirianni gave a lot of credit to DC Vic Fangio and the defensive coaches for getting guys to continually improve their fundamentals and details, which leads to the group peaking at this point of the season. The head coach also gave credit to Howie Roseman for stacking the roster with really talented players.

JALYX HUNT

“Jalyx [Hunt] is a phenomenal athlete. Just look at the catch he makes against Minnesota, and then also against the Bears.”

Sirianni went on to point out that Hunt’s talent really stands out at practice when they do the catch circuit — the head coach said you can tell Hunt used to play wide receiver, and safety, and defensive end.

“He works really hard. Great personality. And, that’s really the key — you can have all the talent in the world but you gotta work your butt off because everyone’s talented in this league, and he works his butt off. [Jeremiah Washburn] does a great job of helping him continue to get better with his expertise as his position ocahc. And you just see daily consistency from Jalyx since the day he’s gotten here of working and getting better as a football player.”

On the offense’s performance​

As for whether he thinks there can still be improvements from the offense at this point in the season, Sirianni pointed to last year when they didn’t peak offensively until probably the NFC Championship game. He noted that there were things in the first round against the Packers that they had to clean up, and then things looked a little better against the Rams, but then they had their best offensive output against the Commanders.

The head coach pointed to the Bills game, and admitted that they were pissed off that they didn’t coach well enough to do much in the second half, but Sirianni was also encouraged by some of the opportunities they have to build on. He doubled down that he knows from experience that if they all continue to get better every day, they’ll be playing their best football at the end of the year.

Injury and other notables​

• Sirianni said that Lane Johnson is working his butt off to get back, and attacks everything with a great mindset. They’ll see where he is and continue to do what’s best for Johnson, first and foremost, and then the team.
• He was asked a bit about his role in the defense given Fangio’s extensive experience, and Sirianni talked about how he’s learned a lot in meetings with the DC, and being a head coach lets him learn more about the defense and that side of the ball.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...-comments-tanner-mckee-offense-jalyx-hunt-nfl

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles issue estimated injury report ahead of Commanders game

The Philadelphia Eagles issued their first official injury report on Wednesday in advance of their Week 18 home game against the Washington Commanders.

Note that this report is an estimation because the team held a walkthrough in lieu of a normal practice.

Also note that the Eagles are set to rest a number of key starters this weekend.

The Eagles listed four players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Lane Johnson, Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, and Nakobe Dean.

Johnson hasn’t played since Week 11. The Eagles are clearly saving him for the playoffs.

Phillips is listed with an ankle injury. He got banged up in Week 17. Phillips has already played 17 games this season since he was traded prior to the Miami Dolphins’ bye. The Eagles will seemingly hold him out so he doesn’t play an 18th regular season game.

Goedert is listed with a knee injury. He likely won’t play on Sunday.

Dean suffered a hamstring injury in Week 16 and missed Week 17. Obviously no need to rush him back for this weekend’s game.

The Eagles listed one player under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Jihaad Campbell.

Campbell is listed with “back/shoulder” as his injury description. The Eagles could opt to start Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr. at off-ball linebacker with Campbell serving as depth if he’s able to suit up. Or maybe Campbell gets some playing time early on before giving way to the backups.

The Eagles listed one player under FULL PARTICIPATION: Cameron Williams.

The final day of Williams’ 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve is on Thursday. We’ll see if the Eagles activate him to the roster or keep him on IR and shut the rookie down for the season.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY)​

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring)
TE Dallas Goedert (knee)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips (ankle)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

LB Jihaad Campbell (back/shoulder)

FULL PARTICIPATION

OT Cameron Williams (shoulder)

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WASHINGTON COMMANDERS INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY)​

Marcus Mariota did not practice on Wednesday, which points to 39-year-old third-stringer Josh Johnson starting at quarterback against the Eagles. Johnson made his second career NFL start against the Eagles in October 2009. He will make his 11th career NFL start in January 2026. He is 1-9 as a starter thus far.

Commanders starting left tackle Laremy Tunsil also did not play, which points to Brandon Coleman playing in his place.

Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt missed practice due to illness but he’ll probably be good for Sunday.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (illness)
QB Marcus Mariota (right hand/quad)
OLB Von Miller (rest)
OT Laremy Tunsil (oblique)
LB Bobby Wagner (knee/rest)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

QB Jayden Daniels (left elbow)

FULL PARTICIPATION

LB Nick Bellore (concussion)
OT George Fant (knee)
DT Daron Payne (back)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...imated-injury-report-ahead-of-commanders-game

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Jalen Carter added to Eagles injury report ahead of Commanders game

The Eagles released another injury report on New Years Day, ahead of their Week 18 game against the Commanders, and Jalen Carter was a notable addition to the list. Additionally, after practice on Thursday, veteran safety Marcus Epps reported concussion-like symptoms to the team, and after being evaluated, was added to the concussion protocol.

As the team prepares for their regular season finale, we already know that they are planning set to rest a number of key starters this weekend.

The Eagles listed five players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Jalen Carter, Lane Johnson, Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, and Nakobe Dean.

Carter was a new addition to the injury report on Thursday, and despite having recent issues with his shoulders, this was related to a hip injury. He likely wasn’t going to play on Sunday anyway, but this may tip things further into him resting.

Johnson hasn’t played since Week 11, and even though he’s been eager to get back out on the field, the team seems to be saving him for the playoffs.

Phillips is dealing with an ankle injury suffered against the Bills. The edge rusher didn’t get a bye week thanks to the timing of his trade from Miami to Philadelphia, so getting him some rest heading into the postseason will be helpful.

Goedert is listed with a knee injury, and is another starter unlikely to play on Sunday.

Dean has been dealing with a hamstring injury since Week 16, and with Jihaad Campbell playing so well, there’s no need to rush Dean back on the field.

The Eagles listed one player under FULL PARTICIPATION: Jihaad Campebell.

Campbell was a limited participant in Wednesday’s walk-through, but was upgraded on Thursday as he works through a back/shoulder issue. The rookie played a lot snaps in Week 17, and could at least see some playing time in preparation for the playoff run.

Cameron Williams was removed from the injury report because he was activated from injured reserve to the roster.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)​

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

DT Jalen Carter (hip)
LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring)
TE Dallas Goedert (knee)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION

LB Jihaad Campbell (back/shoulder)
S Marcus Epps (concussion)

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WASHINGTON COMMANDERS INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)​

Marcus Mariota didn’t practice for the second day in a row, paving the way for Josh Johnson to start at quarterback for Washington.

The other notable development on the Commanders’ report is that Brandon Coleman was added to the injury report with a knee injury. With Laremy Tunil on track to be out, Coleman was set to start at left tackle. We’ll see if Coleman is still able to play or if Washington will be down to their third option at LT.

Speaking of offensive line injuries, the Commanders also put starting center Tyler Biadasz on injured reserve earlier this week.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

WR Treylon Burks (illness)
QB Marcus Mariota (right hand/quad)
OT Laremy Tunsil (oblique)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

T/G Brandon Coleman (knee)
QB Jayden Daniels (left elbow)

FULL PARTICIPATION

LB Nick Bellore (concussion)
RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt (illness)
OT George Fant (knee)
DT Daron Payne (back)
LB Bobby Wagner (knee)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...ad-of-commanders-game-update-news-week-18-nfl

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles activate Cameron Williams from injured reserve

The Philadelphia Eagles officially activated Cameron Williams to the roster before his 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve expired.

The team had an open roster spot to fill after waiving Charley Hughlett earlier this week and then subsequently bringing the veteran long snapper back on the practice squad.

Williams was selected by the Eagles with a sixth-round pick (No. 207 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft. He fell further in the draft than multiple analysts expected and there was some thought that he could’ve been a much higher pick if he stayed in college for one more year.

The 22-year-old apparently showed enough potential to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster before the team placed him on injured reserve prior to their Week 2 game. He remained on IR with a shoulder injury until the Eagles opened his practice window on December 11.

The Eagles previously opened practice windows for rookie offensive linemen Willie Lampkin and Myles Hinton but the team let them expire, effectively ending their seasons. There was thought that Williams might meet the same fate but clearly that isn’t the case.

Williams will likely be a healthy scratch for the Eagles’ playoff games but he might see some snaps in Philadelphia’s Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders since the Birds are expected to rest starters. Getting more experience under his belt could serve Williams well in the long run.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...ctivate-cameron-williams-from-injured-reserve

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Why the Eagles’ run game collapsed in 2025 and how to fix it

Every week, I write a preview of the Eagles’ upcoming opposition. However, I wrote about Washington just two weeks ago, so I thought I would get around to something I’ve wanted to write for a while. What is going on with the Eagles’ running game this year? There are a few statistics in here, all from SumerSports.

The Eagles Run Game​

The decline of the Philadelphia Eagles’ run game in 2025 is, in my opinion, the single biggest issue with the Eagles’ offense right now, after watching this team all season. The Eagles’ rushing output has fallen from 3,048 yards last year to 1,908 this year. That decline is not simply about calling fewer runs. While total rush attempts are down from 621 to 459, efficiency has declined alongside volume. Yards per carry have slipped from 4.91 to 4.16, explosive runs of 10 or more yards are down by over 30%, and rushing first downs have fallen from 170 to 114. Those numbers are pretty crazy. Especially when you consider the roster is pretty similar, and I think Saquon Barkley looks as good as ever.

Advanced metrics reinforce what the basic numbers suggest. Last season, the Eagles’ run game was a clear positive, finishing with +54.62 total expected points added on rushing plays and a strong +0.088 EPA per run. This year, that same unit is operating in the opposite direction, with a total EPA of -11.59 and a negative EPA per rush. Taken together, the data paints a picture of a run game that is no longer helping the offense. It is becoming a major issue instead of a minor weakness as the season progresses.

This piece isn’t about assigning blame to one player or one decision. It’s not just Kevin Patullo or Jeff Stoutland. It’s not all on Cam Jurgens or Landon Dickerson, which is why the issues are best understood by breaking them into categories and outlining how each can realistically be fixed. Which is what I have tried to do! Buckle up…

1. Reduced Quarterback Involvement​

One of the most consequential changes in the Eagles’ offense this season is not a new play call or a personnel tweak; it’s simply the gradual removal of the quarterback as a consistent structural threat in the run game. The offense still looks familiar, but without Jalen Hurts functioning as a true run constraint, the Eagles have lost one of their biggest weapons.

12) Jalen Hurts had a 0.77 EPA per play running the football in this game. That's insane.

Recognize the play? It's QB counter bash again! This time, the Cowboys take Barkley away so Hurts keeps it. I love the simplicity of football sometimes. Check out Becton pulling too! We… pic.twitter.com/ibyTIL59Bc

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 11, 2024

In previous seasons, the Eagles’ run game benefited as defenses had to account for Hurts as a runner on every snap. That threat didn’t just create quarterback yards; it slowed linebackers, forced defensive ends to hesitate, and prevented defenses from fully committing extra bodies to the running back. Even when Hurts didn’t keep the ball, his presence shaped how every defender fit the run.

This season, that stress is fading. Hurts is still mobile, still capable, but he is far less likely to keep the ball by design. Defenses are adjusting accordingly. Linebackers are crashing downhill without hesitation. Edge defenders are aggressively squeezing running lanes. Safeties are inserting earlier into the box. The run game is losing the numbers advantage before it even starts. The running game is all about numbers. The QB being a threat in the run game gives you an extra player! I am a fan of more under center looks (especially play-action) to mix things up, but it takes Hurts out of the play.

11) The inability to run in the second half wrecked this offense. They continued to run into heavy fronts on 1st and 2nd down. It was absurd.

This is obviously a terrible block by Jurgens, and I think it's clear he struggles to block from under center at times, but Barkley… pic.twitter.com/yu75gywRPH

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 29, 2025

The rest of the offensive design amplifies the problem. A zone-heavy run scheme without a quarterback keep threat asks running backs and blockers to win straight up against unfavourable numbers. That’s a difficult way to live in the modern NFL, and it shows up in the form of stalled drives, negative runs, and constant second-and-long situations.

10) How can you not want the QB run game to be a bigger part of this offense? Hurts is still an exceptional runner when he gets downhill quickly (he's certainly better north/south than laterally) and picks up the 1st down on 3rd-and-long.

I know the QB draw feels predictable at… pic.twitter.com/29vDwPcIpB

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 15, 2025

SOLUTION:

The Eagles obviously want to protect Hurts and run him less, but I think they have to accept where the offense is heading into the playoffs and turn Hurts back into a high-volume runner. He doesn’t need to run up the middle and get hit every play. But they do need to restore defensive uncertainty. Selective QB draws, counter reads, and occasional keepers force defenses to play the run game honestly again.

QB Counter Bash! (@JonnyPage9's favorite play) Gap runs kill 5-man fronts and the Eagles show a really cool look here motioning the RB in from a WR slot. This play was awesome and blocked up to perfection. pic.twitter.com/DZvI1oNt4M

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) November 5, 2024

You can run the QB in a way that doesn’t get him hit. He can slide. You have to trust him to protect himself. Even a small number of designed quarterback runs changes how defenders fit the run across the entire game. The quarterback doesn’t have to carry the run game, but he has to exist within it. At times this year, he hasn’t even had an impact.

2. The Run Scheme is Predictable and has Changed​

In 2025, the Eagles are running more outside zone, but with fewer of the elements that previously made it dangerous. Last year, the offense largely lived in inside zone and counter. We saw some trap, outside zone toss, and more motion. The run game was more varied. This years offense has become increasingly zone-heavy, with outside zone taking on a larger share of the run game while gap and pull concepts quietly fade into the background.

10) The Eagles need to burn the zone running game. If we go under center, let's get Duo going again. They just can't do it.

Running behind Fred Johnson on outside zone is a waste of everyone's time. Jurgens has also struggled massively in the zone run game this year. He is… pic.twitter.com/LaFjEQZa9Y

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 24, 2025

That shift matters because Outside Zone is one of the most demanding run concepts in football. It requires clean timing, lateral movement from the offensive line, reliable edge blocking, and it is often run by offenses that run boot-action to get the quarterback on the move. The Eagles’ offense doesn’t do this that often, so running so much outside zone feels a weird fit. With fewer creative runs and counter concepts, defenses are triggering downhill immediately and beating blocks to the spot. Last year, the Eagles had some more innovative ideas in the run game.

2) This is an outstanding call. The Eagles destroyed the Panthers with Counter on the day. Once again, you can't ignore the impact of Hurts on the run game. QB counter bash but the late shift from empty is beautiful.

Anyone else think Saquon Barkley scores on this play if he… pic.twitter.com/ReJpQIRCva

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2024

Outside zone is a foundational concept rather than a complementary one this year, which makes little sense to me. I checked the numbers, and the Eagles are running fewer inside zone, counter, and power plays than last year. That matches the eye test. Gap schemes can be easier to execute at times, as they give offensive linemen a clear target to aim for, and the angles in the run game can sometimes be better.

Eagles Offense All22 vs. Ravens. 1) The Eagles set the tone on the very 1st play. 12 personnel. Pistol. Counter. Just look at the block Becton gets! He sends the EDGE flying! I thought Becton had some ridiculous blocks in this one. This was a fantastic start to the game. pic.twitter.com/PIRpCuNRG2

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 3, 2024

The Eagles used to run cool concepts such as Dart (tackle power). I don’t think we’ve seen it all year! The problem isn’t that outside zone is a bad concept; it’s that the Eagles are running it against loaded boxes and five-man fronts. Zone runs without misdirection become a race to the edge that the defense often wins. We have seen it too often this year.

SOLUTION:

The answer is not abandoning outside zone, but running it less. The Eagles need to get back to what made their run game difficult to defend last year. They need to pair zone runs with more gap schemes that punish flow, use pin/pull and counter to slow linebacker fits, and reintroduce quarterback involvement to force defenders to hesitate. Outside zone doesn’t feel connected to the passing game much at all, and it often feels like a random play.

3. Personnel is a Problem​

One of the quieter but most restrictive issues with the Eagles’ run game is that the roster itself places a ceiling on what the offense can realistically do on the ground. Around the league, many of the most efficient rushing attacks are built on tight ends who can function as true blockers, wide receivers who consistently win on the perimeter, and fullbacks or hybrid players who allow offenses to shift between spread and power looks without substituting. Right now, the Eagles don’t have that kind of versatility. The personnel is an issue. The Eagles’ roster feels built for a slightly different version of offensive football that is dominating the NFL right now.

Goedert remains a high-level receiving threat, but he is not a consistent point-of-attack run blocker this year. Grant Calcaterra struggles even more in that role, particularly when asked to handle defensive ends or interior defenders in condensed formations. Without a true specialist blocking tight end on the roster, the Eagles are forced to either ask players to do things they’re not built for or avoid entire sections of the run game altogether.

14) Let's end here. I've barely posted the run game. I almost can't be bothered.

Grant Calcaterra had 27 run blocking snaps in this game. Grant Calcaterra ranks 85th out of 88 tight ends in run blocking grade by PFF.

I don't know what else to tell you. I guess the Eagles run… pic.twitter.com/gqYURQeEkl

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 17, 2025

That limitation shows up in what the Eagles don’t do as much as what they do. Many teams use tight ends and fullbacks to create split-flow actions, Wham blocks, and backfield misdirection that can punish aggressive fronts without relying on dominance from the offensive line. The Eagles don’t run anything like wham this year. They don’t have the personnel to live in that world consistently. The absence of a true fullback further narrows the playbook, removing an entire layer of downhill and counter-based concepts that could help in short yardage and against loaded boxes. They even tried Dallas Goeder at fullback this past week…

The issue extends to the wide receiver room as well. While the Eagles are elite at the top with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, neither is a fantastic blocker. Jahan Dotson isn’t a good blocker. The Eagles don’t have a Puka Nucua. Without dependable perimeter blockers, the offense has fewer answers when trying to hit the edge or create numbers advantages outside.

SOLUTION:

In the short term, the Eagles have to accept the limitations of the roster and stop calling runs that require personnel they don’t actually have. That means fewer concepts that rely on tight ends winning one-on-one at the point of attack and more designs that space the defense out. Longer term, this becomes a roster-building question. Adding a true blocking tight end, a hybrid fullback/H-back type, or receivers with more run-game utility would immediately expand what the offense can do schematically.

4. Multiple Tight End Sets​

Another issue that keeps surfacing on tape is how often the Eagles are shrinking the field for themselves. The offense leans heavily on condensed formations with multiple tight ends, attempting to impose physicality, but it’s just not working at all. I’m shocked they keep doing it. Ready for some crazy numbers?

Researching some numbers for a piece on the Eagles' run game…

Not often do I see something that shocks me this much. Look at the 13 personnel YPC. My goodness. pic.twitter.com/WjkBS0FU7w

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 1, 2026

My goodness. The Eagles’ condensed 12 and 13 personnel sets are bringing more defenders closer to the ball, compressing running lanes, and forcing tight ends into matchups they are not consistently winning. Without strong edge blocking or a reliable quarterback threat, these formations turn into crowded boxes where defenders can attack downhill immediately. It’s simply insane to me that they are running 86% of the time when in 13 personnel. 86%! You can’t win that way.

3) I really hate picking on individuals because, after a while, it isn't their fault. It's on the coaches. But Grant Calcaterra had a pretty abysmal performance. I counted at least 5 times the guy he was blocking ended up making the tackle. By playing so much 12/13 personnel,… pic.twitter.com/bNRsxoEFRH

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 7, 2025

The result is a run game that feels claustrophobic. Running backs have fewer options. Linemen have worse angles. One missed block turns into a tackle for loss because there is no space to recover. Instead of creating space, the offense is removing it. I don’t think it suits this team. It feels like the Eagles are doing this stuff because some of the best offenses in the NFL are doing it, rather than doing it because it suits their current personnel.

SOLUTION:

The Eagles need to stop using heavy personnel as much. More snaps out of 11 personnel create natural spacing, lighter boxes, and cleaner run lanes. When you spread the defense out, you are more likely to get split-safety coverage, as teams are scared of AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. They aren’t as afraid of them when they are lined up condensed!

8) Hey, look, when the play is blocked well, Saquon Barkley is still really good. Who knew? The Eagles kept running into stacked boxes because they played multiple tight ends and a ton of condensed sets, but they had success here spreading the defense out from 11 personnel.… pic.twitter.com/xDahfWJsKv

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 29, 2025

It really doesn’t seem that complicated to me.

5. Late Huddle Breaks Are Locking the Offense Into Bad Run Play​

One of the most-discussed aspects of the Eagles’ offense of late is how late they are getting to the line of scrimmage. Deniz Selman has been all over this on Twitter.

Highest Rate of Play Clock getting to 2 Seconds
Qtrs 1-3 excluding no huddle

1) 47.7%, PIT w6 v CLE
2) 47.2%, PHI w14 @ LAC
3) 46.7%, PHI w16 @ WAS
4) 44.8%, PHI w2 @ KC
5) 42.9%, PHI w4 @ TB
6) 41.7%, PHI w17 @ BUF
7) 40.9%, CAR w1 @ JAC
8) 40.7%, PHI w5 v DEN pic.twitter.com/Bfa6kFu0gE

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) December 30, 2025

This is not scheme design or play selection. It’s just timing. Too often, the offense is simply getting to the line of scrimmage too late to change anything, even when it’s obvious the run look is unfavourable. In simple terms, this means the Eagles are often locked into their original play call even if the play is destined to fail.

This is especially damaging for the run game. When the Eagles line up late, defenses have the freedom to show heavy boxes, roll safeties down, and align five-man fronts without fear of being checked out of it. The offense simply doesn’t have the time to audible, reset protections, or flip the run. It’s not always that the play itself is bad; it’s that the offense is snapping the ball into a look the defense has already won.

SOLUTION:

The solution here is simply urgency. The Eagles need to break the huddle earlier and get to the line faster to allow Jalen Hurts to check out of bad looks. Until the Eagles fix how they manage the play clock, the run game will continue to be snapped into looks that were already lost before the ball was ever handed off, and this will mean wasted plays.

6. The Offensive Line is Not as Good​

Sometimes, the truth is easy to spot. The offensive line just isn’t playing as well as it has in recent years. For a long stretch, the Eagles have been able to paper over small structural problems because the offensive line was dominant enough to win anyway. That margin for error is smaller right now.

Landon Dickerson has clearly been dealing with physical issues, and while he continues to play through them, his mobility and power don’t look the same snap to snap. Dickerson used to dominate guys.

10) I have nothing else to say about the run game. Whether it was inside zone, QB draw, or counter (shown here) they just dominated. Look at Dickerson here! I can't say enough about Stoll or Goedert as run blockers either. Stoll is nearly a 6th OL at this point. Swift looks so so… pic.twitter.com/PeWPwhaZVZ

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 26, 2023

The Eagles ask a lot of their guards in space, especially in zone concepts, and when Dickerson isn’t fully healthy, those demands become harder to meet. Cam Jurgens has also had uneven stretches, with some rough individual reps that disrupt run fits before they can even develop. I watched some old clips for this piece and some of Jurgens old reps just look a different player to me. He was way more explsoive.

Eagles Offense All22 vs. Browns. 1) There were a fair few positives to build on and this outside toss from under center was one of them. Watch Cam Jurgens get to the 2nd level here… My goodness. Mailata also moves great. If the Eagles aren't happy running standard outside zone… pic.twitter.com/MY3V3lOgVO

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 14, 2024

On the edges, the standard has dipped slightly as well. Jordan Mailata is still a very good player, but he hasn’t been the overwhelming, tone-setting force he has been at his peak. Lane Johnson missing time is obviously a huge deal.

The loss of Mekhi Becton removes a unique physical presence from the interior. He was someone capable of generating vertical movement that is very rare. This doesn’t mean the offensive line is bad. As the line isn’t dominating the way it once did, the offense can no longer rely on brute force to bail out poor looks, predictable calls, or unfavourable numbers. I put less blame on the offensive line than I do on the coaches and the design.

SOLUTION:

The Eagles need to acknowledge that the line isn’t currently at a place where it can consistently win difficult blocks in space or overcome loaded boxes on its own. That means leaning more heavily on gap schemes that allow linemen to fire downhill, simplifying assignments to reduce mental errors, and pairing the run game with the threat of the QB run to slow defenders before contact.

7. Confusion/Execution​

This is a weird point, as I’m unsure who is at fault. Too many run plays are failing because of basic execution and communication breakdowns. There are frequent instances on tape of backside linebackers running free through the hole, unaccounted for. On other snaps, two blockers are working to the same defender while another is left completely untouched.

4) I guess we have to talk about the running game. Sign. How long do we have? We can focus on poor design and individual mistakes. The one thing I can't believe is how many run plays seem to have an error.

Why is Cam Jurgens blocking the same guy as Fred Johnson? I see this… pic.twitter.com/14F7zt14qX

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 29, 2025

These mistakes often compound the other problems already present. When you’re running into heavy boxes, snapping the ball late, or relying on tight windows in condensed formations, there’s very little margin for error. When the run game was at its peak, I’m sure blocks were missed, but the issues were not magnified. This confusion also ties back to tempo and cohesion. Late huddle breaks limit communication time. More complex zone rules increase the chance of hesitation or misreads.

SOLUTION:

More gap concepts with defined responsibilities can reduce mental errors. Getting to the line of scrimmage earlier should help to figure out who is blocking who. But this is a tough one to analyse because it’s impossible to know who is at fault.

Who to Blame?​

I know everyone hates hearing ‘it’s not one thing, it’s lots of things’ but it is the truth. None of these points alone have caused such a big decline in the run game.

Personally, I believe the most significant issues with the run game are structural and happen before the snap. While the offensive line is not playing well, it would look far better in a healthier run environment. I am more critical of the coaches than the players when it comes to the run game. It’s not Grant Calcaterra’s fault he can’t block very well. It’s the coaches for continually playing 13 personnel and asking him to pull.

Final Thoughts​

The Eagles are too talented for this to keep happening. The offensive line is still talented. Jalen Hurts is a great mobile quarterback. Saquon Barkley is elite. Despite personnel issues, this isn’t just a roster problem. It’s a structural one. The good news is that some easy fixes are there.

It’s hard to imagine the Eagles winning another Super Bowl with a run game that opponents can stop so easily. Super Bowl winners don’t need to dominate on the ground, but they must be able to run the ball with purpose, efficiency, and reliability when it matters most.

Right now, the run game isn’t doing that. And until it does, everything else about this offense has a lower ceiling than it should.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...-run-game-collapsed-in-2025-and-how-to-fix-it

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles News: Darius Cooper among top players to watch in regular season finale

Eagles Question of the Day:​

Which Eagles player are you most interested to see in Week 18? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation!

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …

12 Eagles to watch in regular season finale vs. Commanders – NBCSP
WR Darius Cooper: The UDFA from Tarleton State earned a roster spot in training camp and has gotten some playing time this season. He has just 6 catches for 59 yards but has played 158 snaps and has been a solid blocker. There’s definite potential with Cooper and it’ll be fun to watch him in a game where he’s able to get more run at receiver.

Training camp darling Darius Cooper will get his chance to shine again Sunday for the Eagles – Inquirer
Cooper has played 158 offensive snaps so far during his rookie season, and 138 of those were after Week 7. His role has increased as the season has progressed, but he has been targeted just six times and has six catches for 59 yards. Life behind A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson means a lesser role than Cooper has been used to in his team’s offensive game planning. Cooper’s best play this season isn’t a catch, it is a block from Week 14. The Eagles lined up in the Tush Push formation and instead ran a toss to Saquon Barkley to the left side of the alignment. Cooper worked his way into the second level and got a body on Los Angeles Chargers safety R.J. Mickens. The broadcast camera picked up the sound of the hit. “That was a big one,” Cooper said. “I think that was the most I got excited on the field for sure.” Sunday offers an opportunity for Cooper to get excited about plays on which the ball is in his hands. It certainly will come his way more than it has in a game this season. He may match or exceed his season-long targets in Sunday’s game alone. The Eagles are resting regulars for their season finale vs. Washington, and Cooper likely will start on the other side of Dotson with Tanner McKee doing the quarterbacking.

Eagles undrafted rookie has an opportunity to prove himself – NJ.com
“He’s a guy that works really hard. I think that’s a product of the guys he’s around, and he works hard because he has that in him,” Sirianni said Friday. “He continues to get better because you’ve got no choice when you work that way, when you love football and you’re tough. All those things, Darius is.” “It’s been a year of growth. It’s been a year of development. And it’s been a year of playing my part,” Cooper added. “I’m just excited to be a part of this organization and to play alongside these great fellas.”

Spadaro: 6 storylines to follow in Commanders vs. Eagles – PE.com
A great evaluation for some backup WRs. It could be that both Darius Cooper and Jahan Dotson see substantial playing time and, with that, a lot of attention from McKee on Sunday. If so, it is a terrific chance for the Eagles to again see Dotson in a featured spot – just like Week 18 of last season when he caught seven passes for 94 yards. That game propelled Dotson into a strong playoff performance, during which he had three receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown, with two of those catches for 42 yards coming in the Super Bowl. And then there’s Darius Cooper, who signed with the Eagles after the 2025 NFL Draft and then performed well throughout the summer to earn a roster spot. Cooper has played this regular season, and he has done a nice job blocking and catching the football when thrown to him. Now he could have a full game to show what he can do.

Why the Eagles’ run game collapsed in 2025 and how to fix it – BGN
The decline of the Philadelphia Eagles’ run game in 2025 is, in my opinion, the single biggest issue with the Eagles’ offense right now, after watching this team all season. The Eagles’ rushing output has fallen from 3,048 yards last year to 1,908 this year. That decline is not simply about calling fewer runs. While total rush attempts are down from 621 to 459, efficiency has declined alongside volume. Yards per carry have slipped from 4.91 to 4.16, explosive runs of 10 or more yards are down by over 30%, and rushing first downs have fallen from 170 to 114. Those numbers are pretty crazy. Especially when you consider the roster is pretty similar, and I think Saquon Barkley looks as good as ever. Advanced metrics reinforce what the basic numbers suggest. Last season, the Eagles’ run game was a clear positive, finishing with +54.62 total expected points added on rushing plays and a strong +0.088 EPA per run. This year, that same unit is operating in the opposite direction, with a total EPA of -11.59 and a negative EPA per rush. Taken together, the data paints a picture of a run game that is no longer helping the offense. It is becoming a major issue instead of a minor weakness as the season progresses. This piece isn’t about assigning blame to one player or one decision. It’s not just Kevin Patullo or Jeff Stoutland. It’s not all on Cam Jurgens or Landon Dickerson, which is why the issues are best understood by breaking them into categories and outlining how each can realistically be fixed. Which is what I have tried to do! Buckle up…

Commanders vs Eagles Friday Injury Report: OL depth is questionable for the season finale – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders held their third, and final practice of the week, and their last full practice of the season.. The team is preparing to travel to Philadelphia on Sunday to face the Eagles. Dan Quinn said QB Marcus Mariota was doubtful due to the quad injury and he’s now done for the season. Josh Johnson steps in for the second week and he’ll have Jeff Driskel and Sam Hartman to back him up. Jayden Daniels was already ruled out for the final three games of the season, but wasn’t placed on injured reserve so he could continue to practice with the team. Laremy Tunsil was also ruled out due to the oblique injury that kept him inactive for the last two games. Brandon Coleman has filled in at LT, but he was added to yesterday’s injury list with a knee injury, and he’s listed as questionable for the game. Washington has Trent Scott and George Fant available if Coleman can’t play, or has to leave the game. Andrew Wylie is also a tackle option, but he’s already filling in at right guard for Sam Cosmi.

NFL Week 18 picks, predictions, schedule, odds, fantasy tips – ESPN
What we’re hearing on the Commanders: With LT Laremy Tunsil unlikely to play because of an oblique injury, Washington would be without 11 players who were projected starters this season. But even in a lost season, the Commanders have a few things at stake: LB Bobby Wagner needs five tackles to become the third player to reach 2,000 for his career; DE Von Miller needs another sack to give him nine and another $500,000. The Commanders can’t finish lower than seventh in the draft, but a loss Sunday could improve their pick.

Eagles locker room notes: Is there historic precedent for the Eagles’ offense flipping the switch in the playoffs? – PHLY
Similar to this year’s Eagles team, the 2015 Broncos were the beneficiary of a dominant defense. Denver ranked first in defensive success rate and second in defensive EPA/drive that regular season and tilted the scales for a 39-year-old Peyton Manning by holding each of the Broncos’ playoff opponents to 18 or fewer points. That’s a formula the Eagles have gotten quite familiar with this regular season, but Kansas City’s 2023 run may be the better example of the Eagles’ upside going into the postseason. The Chiefs benefitted from a solid defense as well (top-10 in both efficiency metrics) but elevated in the playoffs to spur a championship run. Their highest success rate game of the season came in the AFC championship against the Buffalo Bills, a 27-24 win in which Kansas City’s talent finally won out in a high-leverage moment. There’s certainly an argument that the Eagles can do something similar over the coming weeks. It should come as no surprise that their most efficient game came against the Commanders in last year’s NFC championship game and in general, the offense had a significant jump in both EPA/drive and points per game in the postseason a year ago. Can the Eagles flip the switch and become a “moments” offense once again? They certainly have the talent to do so, but the recent history shows just how tough a needle it is to thread.

The Best NFL Bets for Week 18 – The Ringer
The Eagles are expected to rest most of their key starters, including Jalen Hurts, on Sunday. I’m not going to go all WIP brain and make the outlandish case that the offense runs better with Tanner McKee, but the Eagles had no issues winning in Week 18 last year with McKee as the starter. The offense used more play-action, passed over the middle of the field more, and beat the Giants 20-13. The Eagles can still jump up to the no. 2 seed if they win and the Bears lose, but the most likely scenario is that Philadelphia is the 3-seed and hosts either the Rams or 49ers next weekend. If the Eagles decide to play defensive stars Quinyon Mitchell and Jalen Carter, this spread is certainly too low. Verdict: Lean Eagles –3.5 (–110)

Philadelphia Eagles legend and NFL champion dies aged 90 – Daily Mail
Philadelphia Eagles legend Billy Ray Barnes has passed away at the age of 90. Barnes, who retired from the sport in 1966, spent five years in Philadelphia during his NFL career and helped the franchise capture the 1960 Championship. His death was confirmed by his daughter Billi Barnes Akins, who revealed that the former halfback was surrounded by his family when he passed on Wednesday. In a statement given to the Eagles, Akins said: ‘He was 90 and had a fabulous life.

Lions, Bears Week 18 injury designations: Penei Sewell, Alim McNeill, Alex Anzalone OUT – Pride Of Detroit
The Detroit Lions (8-8) and Chicago Bears (11-5) have declared their injury designations ahead of their Week 18 matchup to close out the 2025-26 regular season. While the Bears are getting healthier, the Lions were forced to shut down four of their starters for this game.

5 Cowboys who should not return in 2026 – Blogging The Boys
OT Terence Steele. That Dallas got six seasons and 91 starts (assuming he starts Sunday) out of an undrafted player is a success story, but it’s time to get real about our right tackle. Steele has never really reached the “riches” end of this “rags” story, at least in terms of what he’s brought to the Cowboys. He is indeed a very capable run blocker, at times among the better ones in the league. But we’re two decades removed from the time when that could excuse being a consistent liability in pass protection. Steele turns 29 in June and is on his third offensive line coach, so the pass pro woes aren’t going to get any better. If anything, as athleticism starts to decline, he’s only going to become more vulnerable. And if the Cowboys are going to give Tyler Guyton more time, as they should, they can’t afford to keep ignoring this evergreen error on the other side of the line. Financially, it’s an easy move. Steele is set to count over $18 million against the 2026 salary cap and has only $9 million left in dead money on the contract. They can outright cut him for an immediate $8.75 million in cap savings, usable as soon as the free agent market opens in March, or do a June-1st cut for $14 million in relief that can be used further down the calendar. Of course, you have to then use some resources to replace him. Worst-case scenario: Guyton and Nathan Thomas are your starting tackles next year. Much better case; have Thomas as your swing and find a better pass protector to start. Maybe you spend a high pick on a Day 1 starter, or you go get a different veteran. But for an offense that likes balance, you need a starting tackle with a more balanced skill set. At least Guyton offers you some flexibility, with the viable option of moving him to the right side.

NY Giants-Cowboys final injury report: Wan’Dale Robinson, Cor’Dale Flott OUT – Big Blue View
Wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who has already surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his four-year career, will sit out Sunday’s New York Giants season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Robinson has a rib injury. Robinson, who can be a free agent, finishes the season with a career-high 1,014 yards. He caught 92 passes, one off the career-high of 93 he established in 2024. Robinson averaged carer bests in yards per catch (11.0) and yards receiving per game (63.4). The season is also over for cornerback Cor’Dale Flott, who will miss a second straight game with a knee injury. Flott, who can also be a free agent, established himself as a starting-caliber cornerback in 2025.

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Predictions as finalists are announced – SB Nation
The finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame were announced on Tuesday, with 15 modern-era players making the next round of cuts as they draw closer to being enshrined in Canton. A total of five players can be taken from this list, with the remainder being made up of the senior, coach, and contributor categories. The Hall of Fame bylaws state that between four, and eight players will make up a class each year.

Texas State wins 3rd-straight bowl, 41-10 over Rice in Armed Forces Bowl – Underdog Dynasty
When the Texas State Bobcats drew their first-ever bowl bid in December 2023, the shelves of the facilities in San Marcos were empty, in desperate need of new decor. Fast-forward 25 months later, and Texas State more than populated that once-empty trophy case. In year three of the GJ Kinne era, the Bobcats won a third bowl in three seasons — and each victory transpired in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex against American Conference competition. On Friday afternoon, Texas State handled Rice in the 2025 Armed Forces Bowl, boatracing the Owls in 41-10 fashion. After staring down a 3-6 record in mid-November, the Bobcats concluded the season with four-straight victories of 17+ points. [BLG Note: G.J. Kinne is the GOAT.]

…

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Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...top-players-to-watch-in-regular-season-finale

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFC playoff picture update following Week 18 Saturday games

The first two games of NFL Week 18 were held on Saturday and they resulted in meaningful developments for the NFC playoff picture.

First, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers. This doesn’t necessarily mean the Bucs have won the NFC South and the No. 4 seed. Tampa now needs the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. If the Bucs don’t get help and the Falcons win, Tampa will lose out to Carolina in a three-way tiebreaker for the division crown. Weird!

Second, the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers. This means the Seahawks are now the No. 1 seed and will get a first-round bye. Had the Niners won, they would’ve been the top team in the conference. Instead, they’re going to be either No. 5 or No. 6.

The results of the Los Angeles Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals will determine the top two wild card spots with the Green Bay Packers already locked in as the No. 7 seed. If the Rams (favored by 13.5 points at home) beat the Cardinals, LA is the No. 5 seed and the 49ers are the No. 6 seed. If Jonathan Gannon’s team pulls off the massive upset, the 49ers are the No. 5 seed and the Rams are the No. 6 seed.

The Eagles are entering Sunday with the hope that they can beat the Washington Commanders while also getting help from the Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. In that scenario, the Eagles are the No. 2 seed and they’ll host the Packers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

If the Eagles aren’t the No. 2 seed, they’ll be the No. 3 seed … which means they’ll host the No. 6 seed at Lincoln Financial Field. And with the Rams heavily favored to beat the Cards, it’s looking like the 49ers could be coming back to Philly for the first playoff meeting between these two teams since the NFC Championship Game in January 2023.

Could be fun to see the Eagles eliminate the Whiners once again.

#Eagles Wild Card matchup odds
(based on implied moneyline win probabilities)

**updated after SF loss to SEA**

65.5% : (6) SF @ (3) PHI
24.9% : (7) GB @ (2) PHI
9.6% : (6) LAR @ (3) PHI https://t.co/m4ou1cj2aY

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) January 4, 2026

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE​

DIVISION LEADERS

1) Seattle Seahawks: 14-3#
2) Chicago Bears: 11-5^
3) Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5^
4) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8-9

#officially clinched first-round bye
^officially clinched division
*officially clinched playoff berth

WILD CARD TEAMS

5) San Francisco 49ers: 12-5*
6) Los Angeles Rams: 11-5*
7) Green Bay Packers: 9-6-1*

*officially clinched playoff berth

CLINCH THE NFC SOUTH WITH ATLANTA FALCONS WIN OVER NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Carolina Panthers: 8-9

NFC teams eliminated from playoff contention​

New York Giants

Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions

Dallas Cowboys

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints

Washington Commanders

Arizona Cardinals

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...cture-update-following-week-18-saturday-games

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-Commanders Week 18 game preview and predictions

The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to beat the Washington Commanders today … but they aren’t exactly going all out to do it.

The Birds will be resting a number of key starters in an effort to prepare for their first Wild Card game against a team yet to be determined.

With a win in this game, the Eagles will give themselves a chance to be the No. 2 seed and host the No. 7 Green Bay Packers. It’ll just take a Detroit Lions win over the Chicago Bears to make that scenario happen. For what it’s worth, the Lions are listed as 3.5-point road underdogs.

If the Eagles don’t manage to beat Washington but they do get help from the Lions winning … well, that’ll be frustrating.

But I don’t think that’s the most likely scenario for Sunday.

I think the Eagles, led by Touchdown Tanner McKee, will do enough to come out on top against Josh Johnson’s Commanders. But do the Lions come out on top in Chicago?

Sure, why not? Dan Campbell’s team could show some fight to try to end a very disappointing season on a high note.

New year, new optimistic outlook.

For more, check out BGN’s weekly NFL game predictions and NFL picks against the spread.

Suggested format:

Score prediction:

Bold prediction:

My predictions:

Score prediction: 28 to 24, Eagles win.

Bold prediction: Touchdown Tanner McKee throws four touchdowns, doubling his career touchdown total from four to eight.

Your predictions:

Scroll down and leave your own score predictions in the comments!

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...mmanders-week-18-game-preview-and-predictions

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFL Playoffs 2026: Eagles vs. 49ers time and channel announced

The Eagles secured the No. 3 seed in the NFC, and will play the No. 6 seeded San Francisco 49ers on Wild Card Weekend. The NFL announced the schedule for the first round of the playoffs, and the Eagles-49ers will kick-off on Sunday at 4:30 PM ET at Lincoln Financial Field on FOX.

They may have missed out on the No. 2 seed after losing to the Commanders, but the Eagles still get to start their postseason run at home in Philly — and that’s pretty cool for the reigning Super Bowl Champions who are looking to repeat.

Here’s the full slate of games for Wild Card Weekend (all times Eastern):

Saturday, January 10​

4:30 PM on FOX: Los Angeles Rams (5) at Carolina Panthers (4) [NFC]

8:00 PM on Prime Video: Green Bay Packers (7) at Chicago Bears (2) [NFC]

Sunday, January 11​

1:00 PM on CBS: Buffalo Bills (6) at Jacksonville Jaguars (3) [AFC]

4:30 PM on FOX: San Francisco 49ers (6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3) [NFC]

8:00 PM on NBC: Los Angeles Chargers (7) at New England Patriots (2) [AFC]

Monday, January 12​

8 PM on ESPN/ABC: Houston Texans (5) at Steelers/Ravens (4) [AFC]

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...me-channel-information-news-wild-card-weekend

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles assistant general manager reportedly interviewing for Miami Dolphins GM job

Philadelphia Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby is a candidate for the Miami Dolphins’ GM vacancy, according to a report from NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

The Eagles can’t deny the Dolphins’ request to interview Halaby since he’s interviewing for a role that would clearly be a promotion. The Eagles do have the power to block Halaby from interviewing for lateral positions.

This isn’t the first time Halaby has drawn interest as a GM candidate; he previously interviewed for the New York Jets’ opening last year. As we noted at the time, Philadelphia’s front office is well-regarded around the NFL due to the team’s Super Bowl success. Halaby is viewed as a rising star in part due to his analytics background.

Losing Halaby, who originally joined the Eagles back in 2007, wouldn’t be ideal. But it’s hard to blame the Dolphins for taking a chance on him after inexplicably sticking with Chris Grier from 2016-2025.

The reality is that the Eagles will probably lose Halaby at some point down the road, if not this offseason. It’s up to Howie Roseman to keep the front office stocked with valuable contributors.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...rtedly-interviewing-for-miami-dolphins-gm-job

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-Commanders snap counts: Not all starters were able to rest

The official snap counts from the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 18 loss to the Washington Commanders are in. Let’s take a look and run through some analysis.

OFFENSE​

• Drew Kendall played the entire game at center. Fred Johnson played the entire game at left tackle.
• Matt Pryor started at right tackle … and then shifted to right guard … and then shifted to left guard.
• Tanner McKee played the entire game in his second career start. Wasn’t pretty.
• Jahan Dotson is technically a starter as WR3 and he nearly played the entire game. Dotson led the Eagles in targets with eight … but only made three catches for 40 yards.
• Darius Cooper caught three of his five targets for 33 yards … but also cost the Eagles with his taunting penalty.
• Cameron Williams made his NFL regular season debut against Washington. For being a Day 3 rookie seeing his first-ever action against Von Miller, he seemed to fare well enough at right tackle.
• Kylen Granson became the top tight end option after Grant Calcaterra got hurt.
• Brett Toth started at left guard but wasn’t able to finish the game due to a concussion.
• Tank Bigsby was pretty good whenever he touched the ball. He had 16 carries for 75 yards (4.7 average) and one touchdown … plus one reception on one target for 31 yards. So, naturally the Eagles’ coaching staff didn’t get him the ball once in the final 17 minutes of game time.
• Britain Covey logged his first reception since September 22, 2024.
• Grant Calcaterra logged his second career touchdown.
• Tyler Steen, another starter who didn’t get to rest the entire game, started at right guard before giving way to Pryor shifting inside and Williams coming in at right tackle. Steen re-entered the game after Toth suffered a concussion, moving Pryor from right guard to left guard.
• Will Shipley logged 3.5 yards per carry and 6.2 yards per reception in his second season. Those are not good numbers.
• Could’ve been cool to give Cameron Latu a touch or target in this game.
• DeVonta Smith was in for nine snaps to go over 1,000 receiving yards on the season.
• Why is A.J. Dillon the roster? He’s been a healthy scratch since Week 6 … only to return and barely play in Week 18?

DEFENSE​

• Jeremiah Trotter Jr. looked good in his second career start at off-ball linebacker. Especially strong when he’s firing downhill.
• Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett were really bad.
• Michael Carter started the game at nickel cornerback but shifted to safety due to Brandon Johnson suffering an injury.
• Jihaad Campbell played most of the game. If the Eagles were worried about Nakobe Dean not being able to play against the San Francisco 49ers, guessing we would’ve seen less of Campbell and more of Smael Mondon … who didn’t log a defensive snap.
• Byron Young is usually DT4 but he was DT1 in this game.
• Rookie Ty Robinson played 53 defensive snaps prior to Week 17. He had 51 in Week 18.
• Josh Uche looked good. Probably doesn’t hurt that he had fresh legs from being a healthy scratch since Week 12. He hadn’t played on defense since Week 8.
• The Eagles wanted the benefit of resting starters … but Jalyx Hunt only played more snaps in 11 games this season. Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, and Jordan Davis also saw significant playing time.
• Brandon Graham was counted on to help fill snaps in what was likely the last regular season game of his career.
• Mac McWilliams only entered the game after Brandon Johnson got hurt and Michael Carter shifted to safety, opening up a spot at nickel corner.

SPECIAL TEAMS​

• Smael Mondon was the only non-specialist limited to special teams duty.

DID NOT PLAY​

INACTIVE: Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, Marcus Epps, Landon Dickerson

ACTIVE: Jalen Hurts, Adoree’ Jackson, A.J. Brown, Sam Howell, Saquon Barkley, Quinyon Mitchell, Reed Blankenship, Cooper DeJean, Cam Jurgens, Zack Baun, Jordan Mailata

• There were some calls for the Eagles to insert starters once it looked like the Detroit Lions were going to beat the Chicago Bears. But it was too much to ask starters come in cold like that. Of course, the Eagles could’ve opted to start the starters, try to build a lead, and then take them out … but that’s now how they went about it. And it cost them the No. 2 seed.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...nap-counts-not-all-starters-were-able-to-rest

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

5 unanswered questions as the Eagles begin their playoff quest to win another Super Bowl

For the fifth consecutive year, the Philadelphia Eagles are in the NFL postseason tournament. Despite a myriad of ups and downs this season, the Eagles managed to avoid the Super Bowl hangover by putting up an 11-6 record and becoming the only team in the league to repeat as division champions.

They did it behind a dominant defense that, like last year, has grown more dominant as the season went along. They enter the playoffs, along the Seahawks and Texans, as one of the hottest units in the league, capable of shutting down elite offenses at home and on the road. There are few, if any, unanswered questions about Vic Fangio’s outstanding unit, and they will be counted on to do much of the heavy lifting to secure a second straight Lombardi Trophy.

Somehow, behind struggling first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the offense managed to drag itself across the finish line putting up just enough points to win 11 games. It hasn’t been easy. The Eagles finished with the most three-and-outs in the NFL, were 22nd in success rate, 19th in points scored (22.3 PPG) and 16th in EPA per drive.

Eagles offense, a liability all year:
– 194 mil in cap space, most in NFL by a whopping 30 mil from #2.

Eagles defense, a Super Bowl calibre unit:
– 43 mil in cap space, 3rd cheapest in the NFL.#Eagles pic.twitter.com/iLp0CCCoQT

— Thomas R. Petersen (@thomasrp93) January 3, 2026

All season the Eagles offense performed like a highly paid executive who forces his lesser paid co-worker (the defense) to do all the work for him.

So as the Birds attempt to do something no Philadelphia franchise has done since the 1974-75 Flyers (repeat as champions), all eyes are on the offense. Here are five big questions I have about the offense as the playoffs are set to begin this Sunday afternoon against the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.

1) Will Jalen Hurts run?​

Hurts and Nick Sirianni denied reports by multiple outlets that the veteran QB came into the season determined to run the ball less. Even so, it’s clear there was a significant decrease in the number of designed runs called for Hurts this season than ever before.

Hurts was injured running the football at the end of both the 2022 and ‘24 seasons, leaving his health in question entering the postseason. This year, Hurts appears completely healthy, with no lingering issues whatsoever. If the main goal was to keep him out of the trainer’s room, it worked.

It also had a negative effect on the running game, and the offense overall. Hurts’ 105 rushing attempts were, by far, a career low (his previous lowest was in his rookie season of 2021 when he ran the ball 139 times in 15 games). His yards per attempt (4.0) was consistent with the last three seasons, but his 421 yards on the ground was 209 fewer than last season (630), and well beneath his previous low in ‘23 (605). He scored just 8 rushing touchdowns, the first time in his career he didn’t reach double digits.

Much of that is due to the Tush Push becoming less effective in 2025, but still, the lack of designed QB draws and keepers allowed defenders to key in on Saquon Barkley throughout the season. Defenses were not at all worried Hurts would keep the ball on RPOs, something unlikely to change unless Hurts decided he was saving all his powder for the postseason and takes off with the football like we saw in their Super Bowl run a season ago.

2) Will we see more Tank Bigsby?​

The Eagles traded 5th and 6th round draft picks after Week 1 for Bigsby and then didn’t play him for the next five weeks on offense. He finally saw significant snaps in the Eagles’ Week 8 38-20 blowout win over the Giants in which he rushed for 104 yards on 9 carries, but then didn’t see double-digit snaps on offense again until he got 27 in their 31-0 win over the Raiders and last week’s 38 snaps against the Commanders. Of course, Bigsby didn’t see a single touch during the 4th quarter, but that’s a conversation for further down the page.

As long as Bigsby is healthy and effective, there is no world in which Will Shipley should see the field over him. Bigsby is better in pass protection and out of the backfield than Shipley, who has provided nothing to the Eagles in 2025. Bigsby’s 54.0% success rate on rushing attempts and 5.7 yards per carry average matches the eye test of an angry runner who seems to blow through initial contact and pick up positive yards on every carry.

That’s important, because behind a struggling offensive line, Eagles running backs are getting hit a lot. Now, this is not to say Bigsby is the key to fixing the offense, because he isn’t. But it’s clear he provides an interesting change of pace to Saquon, who remains an electric runner but has struggled behind an offensive line that has not given him much to work with.

Can Patullo and Sirianni figure out a way to use both backs a little more in the playoffs? Will it make much of a difference?

3) Did the manufactured “bye” week help the battered offensive line?​

Lane Johnson is expected to make his long-awaited return to the starting lineup against the Niners on Sunday. The future Hall of Fame right tackle has been out since injuring his foot on November 16 against the Lions. The Eagles went 3-4 in his absence. It’s not a guarantee, but the odds are good he will return.

The decision to rest the starters in Week 18 was understandably controversial, and it didn’t work out for the Eagles. Still, I agreed with the decision, most specifically because it allowed Cam Jurgens, Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata to get as much rest as possible heading into the playoffs. Jurgens and Dickerson have not looked right all season, and the hope is the manufactured “bye” week Sirianni created will most benefit the offensive line.

It could be the difference between another Super Bowl run and going home early. Last year, the passing game encountered similar struggles to the ones they’ve encountered this year, but Barkley was a monster behind an O-line that was utterly dominant. This year’s unit likely won’t reach those heights, but they clearly should be better than 16th in EPA/rush and 18th in rushing yards.

We know Sirianni wants to play it safe, but it’s impossible to sit on a two-score lead for an entire half of football if you can’t run the ball on 1st and 2nd down. It was their “easy” button a season ago, but not so this year. One has to hope the rest will benefit them and the run game.

4) Can Patullo get out of his own way?​

Some of the things Patullo does on gameday are so overwhelmingly stupid and/or short-sighted, it’s hard to believe a professional coach would do them.

• Why use Dallas Goedert as a blocking fullback in Week 17?
• Why continue to use Grant Calcaterra as a blocking tight end in three tight end sets when the metrics overwhelmingly show a lack of production running the ball in those sets?
• Why does he completely forget about certain players (Tank Bigsby last week?) who are performing well in key situations?
• Why does he call so many draw plays on 2nd-and-long, only to try throwing go-balls on third and short?

“Sometimes we just run the ball to run the ball”

I can’t do this much longer man pic.twitter.com/fUCuvQ1Hap

— Dose ✞ (@PHI_Dose) December 30, 2025

This is absurd. The Eagles run 87% of the time they’re in 13 personnel and are averaging less than 2 yards a carry… https://t.co/FOKyxYspNW

— Jake Rabadi (@JakeRabadi) January 1, 2026

All season Patullo has gone away from formations/schemes that work one week and completely abandon them the following week. He’s continually asked a battered and bruised offensive line to do things they’re not physically capable of doing this year. The route trees, specifically the staggering number of hitch routes he asks his receivers to run, are antiquated and predictable.

Highest hitch route% (all players w/340+ routes)
1) 33.2%, Dallas Goedert (PHI)
2) 30.9%, Travis Kelce (KC)
3) 29.1%, Zach Ertz (WAS)
4) 28.9%, DeVonta Smith (PHI)
5) 28.9%, Jahan Dotson (PHI)
…
16) 24.0%, A.J. Brown (PHI)

(2/3) pic.twitter.com/ZmeJdqOM4p

— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) January 6, 2026

That said, there have been moments, entire halves of football, where the offense looks like a productive and efficient unit. They’ve been very good inside the red zone, and one can’t help but wonder why they can’t show that kind of creativity in between the 20s as well. All the pieces are there for this offense to be productive. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley all somehow went over 1,000 yards this season. Dallas Goedert caught 11 touchdowns. All are capable of making huge plays and have postseason pedigrees.

We all know the offensive coordinator isn’t good, but if he can just get out of the way, recognize what works and, you know, keep doing it, that would be great.

5) Is Sirianni’s overly conservative nature good in the playoffs?​

Last week, the Eagles’ backups won the turnover battle but lost to the Commanders, 24-17. They are now 41-3 under Sirianni when they win the turnover battle. In the playoffs, turnovers can end a season, and it’s one of the reasons why the Birds have been so successful during Sirianni’s tenure and reached two Super Bowls.

We know the Eagles are going to be conservative and, given their defense, it’s sensible. To a point. Too often though, Sirianni and Patullo ice the offense too soon in order to avoid turning the ball over, a chronic passivity that infects Hurts and the rest of the offense. Again, it works when you can run the ball, but the Eagles haven’t shown they can win with an 8-minute, 4th quarter scoring drive at any point this season, and they’ve shown even less of an ability to get a key third down conversion when they really need one.

Those 7-yard hitch routes on 3rd-and-8 ain’t getting it done, fellas.

There’s a balance between playing reckless and playing cowardly. Can Sirianni and the offense locate that equilibrium? Can they be appropriately aggressive in their play calling, personnel usage and overall philosophy? Can they dictate terms to the defense rather than being solely reactive? Will Sirianni actually try and score points at the end of the first half and call plays that throw the ball beyond the sticks on 3rd and long?

There is a feeling out there that the Eagles have been snowing the rest of the league during the regular season, biding their time until the playoffs. I don’t believe it. They are what they are. That said, there are buttons they can push.

The only question is whether they’re smart enough, and willing enough, to push them.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...hurts-nick-sirianni-kevin-patullo-tank-bigsby

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-Commanders Film Review: When the stars aren’t there to bail the offense out, the flaws become impossible to ignore

Obviously, a little bit of a quicker Philadelphia Eagles film review this week so that I can get to previewing the San Francisco 49ers 49ers. I will watch this one back in more detail in the off-season, focusing on a few other performances that I couldn’t get to this time. The Eagles rested most of their starters, played a full slate of backups, and paid for it with a 24–17 loss that cost them the No. 2 seed. Watching this back mostly reinforced how much Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown cover up on a weekly basis. That was my biggest takeaway!

Offense​

If the goal was to showcase Tanner McKee and potentially raise his value, the plan backfired. Sticking him behind an entirely backup offensive line that couldn’t handle any second-level pressure exposed his biggest limitation immediately. McKee cannot create outside of structure. When the pocket collapsed or linebackers ran free, there was no escape. Jalen Hurts routinely bails this offense out of bad situations with mobility; McKee simply doesn’t have that in his bag. The Eagles didn’t put him in a good place to succeed.

Very quick thread! Eagles' Offense All22 vs Washington. 1) If the Eagles wanted to showcase McKee to raise his value, the opposite happened. I'm not sure that sticking him behind a backup OL who couldn't handle any 2nd-level pressure all game worked very well and was a great… pic.twitter.com/bcmVIGOTD2

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

Nick Sirianni’s postgame comments about keeping DeVonta Smith safe don’t really line up with this rep! Smith took a clean hit early, but still looked like a superstar among backups. The separation, ball tracking, and body control all jumped off the screen. It was actually jarring how much better Smith looked than everyone else on the field at receiver, which unintentionally highlighted how reliant this offense is on elite individual talent rather than structure.

2) Not sure Sirianni's comment about Devonta Smith is true… 'We were safe with [DeVonta Smith] as far as what kind of routes we were running and what he was doing'.

He takes a fair hit! Anyway, it's sort of cool seeing superstars out there with backups because they look so… pic.twitter.com/0Ozmati3os

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

The empty looks were interesting. Given McKee’s lack of mobility, leaning into empty was surprising, but when he got the ball out on time, it worked well. This route against split-safety coverage was beautiful, and it served as another reminder of how misused Grant Calcaterra has been all season. This is what he’s good at! Yet the staff rarely gives him opportunities like this in meaningful games.

3) Nothing better than hitting this route vs. split-safety coverage. Love it. I was a little surprised the Eagles used Empty so much (considering McKee's lack of mobility), but when he got the ball out on time, good things seemed to happen.

You have to feel for Calcaterra… pic.twitter.com/SVhyLBZJAo

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

The spacing issues on display here were brutal. As the game wore on, McKee’s inability to survive once the play broke down became more obvious. This wasn’t just a quarterback issue; the route distribution and timing didn’t give him margin for error. Hurts’ ability to turn broken plays into positive ones has masked how fragile the offensive design often is. This should not be a surprise to anyone. If anyone magically expected the design of the offense to change once Jalen Hurts was removed, they would have been disappointed.

4) The less said about the spacing here, the better. As the game progressed, McKee's inability to play outside of structure stood out more and more.

I didn't think the game plan was very good once again, but McKee didn't have Hurts' mobility to bail the coaches out of a bad… pic.twitter.com/TvSIOsP8H4

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

The interception was ugly, but it also felt inevitable given McKee’s play style. He throws with anticipation, which is generally a good trait, but here the ball came out far too early. He was clearly hoping the safety would be pulled out of the window by the vertical route, but he’s too early. Over an extended stretch, you’d expect several interceptions like this. I don’t say that as a major criticism; I just think it’s part of the way he plays.

5) The INT is rough. McKee throws with a lot of anticipation, which is great, but he's way too early here. He obviously hopes that Granson is going to pull the safety away and create a throwing window, but the ball is out way too early.

I imagine if he had to play an extended… pic.twitter.com/ODxGxVaPzy

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

Tank Bigsby was one of the few positives. He ran hard, found yards where there weren’t many, and absolutely deserves a larger role going forward. The Eagles pulled both the center and left guard at times in this game, which is something we haven’t seen much of this year. I just think that’s an interesting note, condering the health of Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens this year. Brett Toth and Drew Kendall held up better in the run game than expected. If Cam Jurgens really isn’t healthy, I’m a little surprised that Toth hasn’t been given a chance to start this year.

6) It was cool to see Tank Bigsby play more, and he obviously had an impact. He should be used more to give Barkley a break, because he's a very talented back in his own right.

I thought it was interesting that we saw the Eagles pull both the C and LG at times in this game. I… pic.twitter.com/Y3yM9pwI4m

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

The second half was rough. The offensive design did McKee no favors, and there was very little in the way of easy completions. That said, this was the best concept of the night. McKee absolutely has to take the deep post once the safety bites. This is the stuff we have seen more of over the 2nd half of the season. Ironically, this is usually the kind of throw associated with McKee, which probably makes the miss hurt even more. He will hate seeing this one back!

7) McKee did not have a great 2nd half. I didn't like the design of the offense at all (shock), and the coaches didn't help him out with easy completions.

However, this was my favorite design of the night. It's a great concept, and I think McKee has to take this shot to Dotson… pic.twitter.com/yzwnNBiDDF

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

This rep explains why many of us like what we see from McKee. This is high-level. He eliminates the frontside concept cleanly and works back to the backside dig within the timing of the play. That’s advanced processing, and it’s something Hurts has struggled with throughout his entire career. The ball placement isn’t perfect, but Dotson has to help his quarterback here. Make a play, man.

8) This is why a lot of old-school guys (myself included, when I scouted him post-draft) will love how McKee plays.

It's not bad for a young QB to eliminate the concept at the top of the screen and get back to the backside dig within the timing of the play. This is great. This… pic.twitter.com/8ylauV1noc

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

This fourth-down miss likely erased any chance the Eagles had of getting a high pick for McKee, not that I really believed that was possible anyway. I think he’s a perfect backup QB for now. Britain Covey is wide open in the slot, but McKee forces it to Dotson and sails it out of bounds. Once again, when structure breaks down, things fall apart quickly. That’s not entirely on him. The coaches didn’t put him in a position to succeed, and it directly contributed to the loss.

9) Sadly, this play might have tanked any value McKee had (if you believe he had any!) because it's a bad miss on 4th down. Covey in the slot is wide open, but he forces it to Dotson and throws it out of bounds.

You can just see that McKee is not comfortable out of structure.… pic.twitter.com/jwXAmD2f9R

— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 5, 2026

Final Thoughts​

This game highlighted the same flaws as we’ve seen with the Eagles’ offense, even if the starters weren’t out there. It showed just how much Jalen Hurts’ mobility and A.J. Brown’s dominance prop this offense up week after week. Tanner McKee was underwhelming, but the coaching staff did him very few favors, and the structure collapsed the moment elite talent was removed. Losing the No. 2 seed hurts, but the bigger takeaway is how thin the margin really is for this offense at times. When the stars aren’t there to bail them out, the flaws become impossible to ignore.

Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here. If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...nse-out-the-flaws-become-impossible-to-ignore

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles open practice window for Azeez Ojulari to return from injured reserve

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for Azeez Ojulari to return from injured reserve, according to an official team announcement.

The guess here is that an Ojulari activation isn’t imminent. He wasn’t playing all that much prior to going on IR; he was a healthy scratch for the first four weeks before injuries pushed him into playing time. Ojulari logged 67 defensive snaps and one special teams snap in the three games he played before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 7.

The Eagles have been riding with a four-player edge rusher rotation:

• Jaelan Phillips
• Nolan Smith
• Jalyx Hunt
• Brandon Graham

Joshua Uche is the fifth edge rusher on the roster and he’s played relatively well in limited opportunities. But he hadn’t logged a defensive snap since Week 8 prior to the Eagles mostly resting their starters in Week 18. With the exception of the regular season finale, Uche’s been a healthy scratch since Week 12.

And so it’d be weird if the Eagles are in a rush to activate Ojulari.

The thinking here is that the Eagles are opening Ojulari’s window just in case there’s an edge rusher injury or two during their potential playoff run. They’ll hope not to have to activate him but he can gear up to play during this practice window in the event that he is needed.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...-azeez-ojulari-to-return-from-injured-reserve

 

[Zedster]

Interesting collection of updates here. The Halaby interview news isn't surprising - good front offices tend to get picked apart over time. That's just how it goes when you build a successful organization. Roseman will need to keep developing talent in the pipeline.

The snap count breakdown from the Commanders game is pretty telling. Tank Bigsby putting up 4.7 YPC and then not getting a single touch in the final 17 minutes is... a choice. That's been a recurring theme with this coaching staff - finding something that works and then inexplicably abandoning it.

The five unanswered questions piece really nails the core issues with this offense. The stat about the Eagles running 87% of the time in 13 personnel while averaging less than 2 yards per carry is genuinely baffling. At some point you'd think someone would look at the numbers and make an adjustment.

The film review confirms what the eye test has shown all season - when Hurts and Brown aren't there to bail out the offense with individual talent, the scheme falls apart. McKee's lack of mobility exposed just how much this offense relies on Hurts escaping pressure and creating something from nothing.

Opening Ojulari's practice window makes sense as insurance. With Phillips, Smith, Hunt, and Graham as the rotation, they're probably fine, but having depth available for a playoff run is smart contingency planning. No reason to rush him back unless injuries force their hand.

The defense should carry them in the playoffs if the offense can just be competent. That's a big if with Patullo calling plays, though.

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFL Injury Report: Lane Johnson returns to Eagles practice, 49ers are banged up

The Philadelphia Eagles issued their first official injury report in advance of their Wild Card playoff home game against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Eagles listed two players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Grant Calcaterra and Brett Toth.

Calcaterra suffered knee and ankle injuries after being taken down with a hip drop tackle in the Eagles’ Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders. He is now listed with just an ankle injury. Not trying to be harsh but his absence could be a case of addition by subtraction since the Eagles try to run behind him and it typically doesn’t go well since he’s not a great blocker. If Calcaterra can’t play, the Eagles will have at least three active tight ends: Dallas Goedert, Kylen Granson, and Cameron Latu. If they want a fourth tight end, they can opt to temporarily elevate E.J. Jenkins from the practice squad.

Toth suffered a concussion in the Eagles’ Week 18 game. If he’s not able to at least return to practice in a limited capacity by Thursday, I’m thinking he won’t be able to play on Sunday. Toth is typically the top backup at guard and center, so, it remains to be seen how the team would replace him if applicable. They could go with Matt Pryor as the top backup at both guard spots and Drew Kendall at center. Or perhaps Kendall’s inexperience would prompt them to slide Landon Dickerson to center and put Pryor at left guard.

The Eagles listed five players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Lane Johnson, Jalen Carter, Nakobe Dean, Dallas Goedert, and Marcus Epps.

Johnson returned to practice for the first time since suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 11. There were initially some conflicting reports on Johnson’s status for this weekend but then Brian Baldinger tweeted that Johnson WILL be playing. Of course, that tweet has since been deleted. But NFL insider Adam Schefter also sounded pretty sure Johnson will suit up. It sure seems like Johnson will at least try to give it a go … but we’ll see if he’s able to make it through the entire game, assuming he does play.

Carter apparently suffered a hip injury in practice last week. There’s no indication he won’t play against the 49ers.

Dean told reporters that he is “definitely playing” on Sunday. The limited workload is likely about the Eagles helping him ease back in to practice after suffering a hamstring injury.

Goedert missed practice last week with a knee injury. The Eagles are probably ramping him up to get him to Sunday.

Epps suffered a concussion in practice last week. That he’s been upgraded to limited participation indicates he’s progressing towards a return. Barring any setbacks, he should be on track to start at safety against the 49ers.

The Eagles listed two players under FULL PARTICIPATION: Jaelan Phillips and Azeez Ojulari.

Phillips didn’t get a true bye week this season since the Miami Dolphins traded him before they had one. The Eagles gave Phillips time off last week to allow him to get some of that much-needed rest. Now he’s back in full and ready to play.

The Eagles opened Ojulari’s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve earlier on Wednesday. The thinking here is that they’re keeping him on standby in case they suffer some edge defender injuries during their potential playoff run.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY)​

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

TE Grant Calcaterra (ankle)
OL Brett Toth (concussion)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

DT Jalen Carter (hip)
LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring)
S Marcus Epps (concussion)
TE Dallas Goedert (knee)
OT Lane Johnson (foot)

FULL PARTICIPATION

EDGE Azeez Ojulari (hamstring)
EDGE Jaelan Phillips (ankle)

---

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS INJURY REPORT (WEDNESDAY)​

The 49ers listed five players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: top running back Christian McCaffrey, starting left tackle Trent Williams, starting wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, starting linebacker Dee Winters, and rotational defensive lineman Keion White.

McCaffrey was resting; he’ll play on Sunday. But it’s worth noting that he’s already logged 413 touches this season, which is 44 more than the next closest player (Jonathan Taylor).

Williams missed Week 18 due to a hamstring injury and it sounds like he’s in jeopardy of missing Sunday’s game as well. His absence would obviously be a big one of San Francisco’s offense. If Williams can’t suit up, Austen Pleasants will start at left tackle. Pleasants struggled in both pass protection and run blocking against the Seattle Seahawks; he was the 49ers’ lowest graded player on offense from Week 18.

Pearsall also missed Week 18. The second-year receiver is dealing with a reaggravation of his PCL injury. It sounds like he’s in danger of not playing on Sunday. Pearsall leads the 49ers in receiving yards per game this season.

The 49ers are already banged up at off-ball linebacker with Fred Warner on injured reserve. Winters is also banged up after getting hurt in Week 18. Fill-in starter Tatum Bethune was just placed on IR, so, the 49ers are looking really thin at this position. The top remaining snap leaders at linebacker are Curtis Robinson, who has allowed a 112.7 passer rating when targeted … and Luke Gifford, who was limited in practice on Wednesday. After that, it’s Eric Kendricks, who only signed with the 49ers back in late November. The Eagles must take advantage of this unit unlike they did against the Chicago Bears.

White is a rotational defensive end who ranks fifth on the 49ers in sacks this season with 1.5. He’s played about 57% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps this season after being acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots. The 49ers’ pass rush is already bad and could be even worse without White.

The 49ers listed four players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: starting tight end George Kittle, starting defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, rotational defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, and backup linebacker Luke Gifford.

Kittle is expected to play, albeit at less than 100%.

Elliott ranks second among 49ers defensive tackles in snaps played this season.

Gross-Matos has played about a third of the 49ers’ defensive snaps in the eight games he’s been active this season.

We already touched on Gifford.

The 49ers could be getting wide receiver Jacob Cowing back from injured reserve.

He suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason but seems to be ready to return now.

DID NOT PARTICIPATE

RB Christian McCaffrey (rest)
WR Ricky Pearsall (knee/ankle)
DE Keion White (groin/hamstring)
OT Trent Williams (hamstring)
LB Dee Winters (ankle)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION

DT Jordan Elliott (knee)
LB Luke Gifford (quadricep)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
TE George Kittle (ankle)

FULL PARTICIPATION

S Ji’Ayir Brown (rib)
WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring)
DT Kalia Davis (knee)

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...eturns-to-eagles-practice-49ers-are-banged-up

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

NFL Wild Card Game Picks

Our Wild Card picks are in for the first round of the 2026 NFL playoffs!

Bleeding Green Nation staff members are here to predict the winners of every game on the schedule. We’ll tally the results along the way and see who comes out on top at the end of the season. Feel free to post your own predictions or discuss the writer predictions in the comments.

You, the reader, can also join in on the fun by voting for who you think will win the games (scroll down for polls). I’ll tally those results in a “BGN Community” section under our picks table generated by Tallysight.

After Week 18, the collective BGN Community is entering the playoffs as the regular season champ … for the second year in a row! But there’s still time for the overall winner to be decided over the next few weeks. Jonny Page continues to lead the BGN staff.

When it comes to this week’s Philadelphia Eagles game against the San Francisco 49ers, the BGN staff is clearly siding with the Birds. The Eagles originally opened as three-point home favorites and the line has continued to shift in Philly’s favor; the spread for this game is now Eagles -4.5 (per FanDuel Sportsbook). The Eagles are favored by as much as 5.5 points in some other places.

NFL WILD CARD PICKS​

WEEK 18 RESULTS

BLG: 10-6
Natan: 10-6
Community: 10-6
Dave: 9-7
Drew: 8-8
Jonny: 8-8
Stolnis: 8-8

OVERALL STANDINGS

Community: 183-88-1
Jonny: 180-91-1
Stolnis: 176-95-1
Natan: 177-94-1
Dave: 174-97-1
BLG: 172-99-1
Drew: 170–101-1

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[Philadelphia Eagles]

Eagles-49ers playoff preview: 17 things to watch in Sunday’s Wild Card game

The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to repeat as Super Bowl champions and I’m looking to repeat my playoff game preview series from last year.

Let’s take a closer look at some key aspects of the Birds’ Wild Card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

1 – Jalen Hurts, The Playoff Riser​

Some quarterbacks post gaudy stats in the regular season only to regularly disappoint in the playoffs. Jalen Hurts does not fit into this category.

If anything, it’s the opposite.

We’ve seen him play his best football in the biggest games of his career.

The Eagles are 6-3 with Hurts starting for them in the playoffs. They are 5-0 in home games, 1-1 on neutral fields (two Super Bowls), and 0-2 on the road.

Since 2022, he’s produced 19 total touchdowns (nine passing, 10 rushing) to just two giveaways (one fumble lost, one interception) in the postseason.

It’s not easy to give the Eagles’ offense the benefit of the doubt when they’ve underwhelmed all season long and we just saw them fail to complete a single pass in an entire half of football (for the second time in 2025!) the last time the starters were on the field.

But if there’s hope for that unit, it relies on Hurts continuing to rise to the moment in the playoffs.

It probably doesn’t hurt that he’s healthier than ever entering the playoffs:

• 2021 — He suffered a foot injury that had him in a walking boot after the Eagles’ Wild Card loss.
• 2022 — He missed two games due to a shoulder injury before returning to the field in Week 18.
• 2023 — He suffered a dislocated finger on his throwing hand one week prior to the Eagles’ first playoff game.
• 2024 — He missed two games due to a concussion before returning in the Wild Card round.

Perhaps the dip in Hurts’ rushing attempts helped him stay healthier. But now that the playoffs are here, there’s reason to believe his legs will be more of a factor, which could be a boon for this offense.

Via Next Gen Stats:

Jalen Hurts averaged a career-low 1.7 designed rush attempts per game this season after posting at least 2.3 per game in each of the previous five seasons. He gained 143 yards and nine first downs, including one touchdown, on 27 designed runs, translating to an average of 5.3 yards per carry that aligns with his career mark entering 2025 (5.2).

Last season, Hurts averaged 3.2 designed runs per game during the regular season before increasing that figure to 3.8 during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run across four playoff games

2 – The NFL’s worst playoff defense​

The 49ers arguably have the worst defense of the 14 teams that qualified for the postseason. Here’s how they rank in some key categories:

• Opponent yards per play: 24th
• EPA per play: 24th
• Weighted DVOA: 28th
• Success rate: 30th

These struggles are clearly connected to their injury issues. The 49ers have the following key defenders on injured reserve:

• Fred Warner (top off-ball linebacker and the heart and soul of their defense)
• Nick Bosa (top edge rusher)
• Mykel Williams (first-round pick at No. 11 overall)
• Tatum Bethune (Warner’s top backup)

Further, the 49ers’ active roster is banged up. It’s looking like they’re going to be down to two off-ball linebackers who’ve logged just 90 total defensive snaps for them this season: Eric Kendricks and Garret Wallow.

We’ve seen the Eagles’ offense struggle to take advantage of some bad/injured defenses this year, so, nothing is guaranteed. But it’ll be pretty disappointing if the offense gets shut down by Robert Saleh’s group.

3 – Bombs away!​

The 49ers’ pass rush is especially ineffective; San Francisco ranks dead last in sacks this season with just 20. That’s six fewer than the next worst team, the New York Jets.

The 49ers also rank 31st in pressure rate, which surely contributes to the fact that they rank 31st in deep passing defense. Hurts should have ample time to throw and he shouldn’t be afraid to take shots down the field.

It’s difficult to believe the Eagles are suddenly going to be a great offense on a play-by-play basis after watching them lead the league in three-and-out percentage this season. But while they might not be able to consistently sustain drives, they could look to compensate for that by aiming for explosive plays.

Enough with the overly conservative approach. Allow Hurts to let it rip. He’s a strong deep ball thrower and the Eagles have great wide receivers who can make big plays.

4 – No, really, the Eagles’ run game could actually have some success this time?​

At this point, I think we’ll believe the Eagles can run the ball efficiently when we actually see it happen.

The Buffalo Bills entered Week 17 allowing 5.4 yards per carry and they were missing a couple of their better run defenders … and the Eagles’ 26 carries resulted in just 82 rushing yards for 3.2 yards per carry against them.

If you’re looking for optimism on this front, consider:

• Most of the Eagles’ offensive line rested in Week 18 and Lane Johnson could be back.
• The 49ers just allowed the Seahawks to run for 180 yards, which is Seattle’s second-highest rushing total this season.
• Injuries have decimated the 49ers’ linebacker corps.
• The 49ers’ defense rank 31st in rushing success rate.

Maybe Saquon Barkley gets going on Sunday. We’ll see.

5 – Feed Tank!​

While we’re on the topic of the Eagles’ running game, Tank Bigsby needs to get touches in this game. It’s not like he’s going to log double-digit touches (barring injury or garbage time) but he should see at least see a few. He’s been way too efficient (5.9 yards per carry!) to not be utilized at all.

• Eagles’ record when Tank gets 1 carry or fewer: 4-5
• Eagles’ record when Tank gets 2 carries or more: 7-1*

*The one loss came in Week 18, when the Eagles were resting starters … and also inexplicably stopped using Bigsby for the last 17 minutes of the game.

6 – Maybe try throwing to Saquon Barkley?​

If the Eagles can get their run game going, great!

If not, why not try to get Barkley involved as a pass-catcher?

The 49ers are tied for allowing the second-most running back receptions this season.

PHLY’s Bo Wulf mentioned last month that the Eagles have only targeted Barkley 10+ yards down the field just three times all season long.

That seems silly since Hurts is a good deep ball thrower and the wheel route is undefeated. These linebackers shouldn’t be able to run with Barkley.

7 – The Lane Johnson difference​

It remains to be seen if Lane is going to play against the 49ers. And it remains to be seen how close to 100% he’ll be if he does suit up.

In the event that Johnson does play, that’s obviously a big boost for the Eagles. Just how much of a boost?

They’re 3-4 without him starting this season and 18-28 (.391 winning percentage) without him starting since they drafted him.

They’re 120-62-1 (.658 winning percentage) with him in the starting lineup.

Some more specifics on Johnson’s impact via Next Gen Stats:

With Johnson on the field, designed rushes outside the right tackle earned 2.3 yards before contact per carry, compared to 0.1 with him out of the game. His forfeited pressure rate (6.9%) which sat two percentage points lower than his replacement Fred Johnson’s (8.9%) and ranked as the seventh-lowest among all right tackles (min. 200 pass sets) despite the Eagles helping him with chips on just 7.8% of his pass sets (ninth-lowest)

8 – Dallas Goedert continuing to find the end zone​

As previously noted, the 49ers are banged up at linebacker. One would think, then, that the Eagles will look get Goedert matched up on the backups and really go after them.

Except … that’s oddly not how the Eagles approached attacking the Chicago Bears back in Week 13. That defense was missing four of their top five linebackers and Goedert somehow only saw four targets for two receptions.

One would hope Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo learned their lesson from that game. The 49ers are allowing the sixth-most tight end touchdowns this season and the ninth-most tight end receptions.

Goedert has logged the second-most playoff touchdown receptions in Eagles franchise history with four, two behind the legendary Harold Carmichael. Hurts should continue to look Goedert’s way in the red zone.

9 – Does rest definitely help the offense?​

After opting not to try harder for the No. 2 seed, which would’ve been theirs with a win over Washington, it better!

While there are certainly benefits to the Eagles getting rest in Week 18, it’s not necessarily a massive advantage.

Here’s a look at the Eagles on extra rest this season:

• Mini-bye following Week 1: Beat the Chiefs in Week 2, 20 to 17
• Mini-bye following Week 6: Beat the Vikings in Week 8, 28 to 22
• Week 9 bye: Beat the Green Bay Packers in Week 10, 10 to 7
• Mini-bye following Week 13: Lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in OT, 22 to 19

Average offensive points scored: 17.5.

10 – Nick Sirianni’s game management​

Could be good for the head coach to not merely pass on trying to score points before the end of the first half, if applicable.

“Sirianni would rather give up on unlikely-but-realistic scoring opportunities, in fear that extremely unlikely worst case scenarios will happen instead.” https://t.co/pLDbbYjtV3

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 25, 2025

11 – Just how good are the 49ers?​

Hard to accurately gauge since they’ve been so banged up this season that there have been different iterations of the team. Mac Jones made starts from Week 2-3 and Week 5-10 while Brock Purdy was injured.

Speaking of Purdy’s return, the Niners were on a six-game winning streak and the offense was looking red hot prior to getting shut down in Week 18. How much should we weigh that last game?

For what it’s worth, the 49ers are 4-4 against teams that made the playoffs this season.

The wins:

• Week 1 at Seattle Seahawks, 17 to 13
• Week 5 at Los Angeles Rams, 26 to 23 (OT)
• Week 12 vs. Carolina Panthers: 20 to 9
• Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears: 42 to 38

The losses:

• Week 4 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: 26 to 21
• Week 8 at Houston Texans: 26 to 15
• Week 10 vs. Los Angeles Rams: 42 to 26
• Week 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks: 13 to 3

12 – Vic Fangio vs. Kyle Shanahan​

It took too long for me to mention THE premiere matchup of the game but here we are.

While assembling the research for this article, I was interested to learn that Shanny has only ever scored a single touchdown against Fangio.

And that touchdown came in garbage time.

Fangio-led defense are 3-1 against Shanny-led offenses. They have allowed just 41 points total for an average of 10.25 per game.

In fairness to Shanahan, his quarterbacks for those four games were John Beck, Robert Griffin III (non-rookie edition), Jimmy Garoppolo, and Nick Mullens. But those players were still held to some of their very worst performances in those given seasons.

Fangio’s success against Shanahan isn’t a mere coincidence and he’s openly admitted as much (via a 2019 ESPN interview):

Q: Which coach’s defense is the toughest to read and attack?

Shanahan: My hardest has probably always been Vic Fangio. He does so many things with his personnel groupings that he puts you in a bind with protections. He ties a lot of stuff together. Playing against him, I feel he packages stuff very similar to how I would think. [Bill] Belichick is very similar. They do it in a different style. You know they don’t just run their defenses. They figure out what you’re doing and then they think about how to stop what you’re doing and that’s very similar to how I am. I don’t just run my offense. I have no idea what I’m going to call until I know what defense I’m visualizing and trying to attack. It’s fun.

Shanahan praised Fangio more this week while noting that he’s tried to bring Fangio back to the 49ers as their defensive coordinator multiple times.

13 – Strength-on-strength​

The 49ers are really good at attacking the middle of the field. The Eagles are really good at defending the middle of the field.

Something’s gotta give.

Via Next Gen Stats:

Purdy (39.8%) and teammate Mac Jones (41.2%) have targeted in-breaking routes at the second-highest and highest rates among qualified quarterbacks, respectively. The Eagles’ defense allowed a league-low 51.9% completion percentage when defending in-breaking routes this season, the lowest rate allowed by defense in a season during the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).

14 – Can the Eagles’ pass rush stay hot?​

The 49ers could be without All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams on Sunday. He missed practice on Wednesday but was limited on Thursday.

Even if he does play, he could be at less than 100% while dealing with a hamstring injury. The 37-year-old was already showing some signs of relative decline prior to getting hurt; he’s let pressure reach the passer on 10.1% of his pass sets, his highest rate since he joined the 49ers prior to 2020 (via Next Gen Stats).

Still, Williams’ absence would be a big deal since the 49ers are 4-13 without him in their starting lineup since he joined the team.

The 49ers are averaging the longest time to throw in the NFL since Purdy returned to the lineup. There could be more of an emphasis to get the ball out quick this week, especially if Williams isn’t playing.

But if Purdy does hold the ball, the Eagles could be able to make him pay. The Birds led the NFL in sacks from Week 13 to Week 17 with 20 in five games played.

Some more pass rush numbers via Next Gen Stats:

Nolan Smith (18.1%) and Jalyx Hunt (17.8%) generated the third-highest and fifth-highest pressures rates, respectively, among edge defenders with at least 100 pass rushes from Weeks 10-17.

Jaelan Phillips (34) and Jalyx Hunt (27) have combined for 61 pressures, including 7.5 sacks, from Weeks 10-17 prior to resting in Week 18, the fourth-most by a pass rush duo over that span.

And this success was achieved without Jalen Carter in the lineup for multiple games. Assuming he’s healthy, which appeared to be the case when he played pretty well in Week 17, that’s another boost to the pass rush.

Purdy got banged around in the 49ers’ Week 18 loss and he could get roughed up again in this game.

On that note …

15 – Kyle Shanahan is tempting fate​

Remember when the 49ers whined about not having a quarterback after Purdy and Josh Johnson got hurt in the NFC Championship Game back in January 2023?

Of course you do.

They went through the effort of proposing new legislation to allow for teams to be able to designated one of their inactives as an emergency third quarterback who can play if the first two get knocked out of the game.

And have since proceeded to not even take advantage of that rule! The 49ers opt to keep their third quarterback on the practice squad instead, which doesn’t allow for him to be available as an emergency quarterback on game day.

Shanny was asked about the potential of the 49ers finding themselves in a similar situation to their last playoff visit to Philly:

“If I did that would be same consideration every week. I don’t really chalk it up to that only happens in Philly. … That would take us down somewhere else. With that rule that you don’t get an extra player, I don’t know anyone who could ever choose that, really, unless you’re playing with someone who’s really injured and you don’t think they’ll make it through the game. But to play with one less player throughout the game because of something that, for me, has happened once in 23 years and, other people I’ve worked with, once in 45 years just probably wouldn’t be the best odds.”

Indeed, it’s incredibly unlikely that both Purdy and Jones will get hurt. But in the event that they do, they really have no room to complain about running out of quarterbacks for a second time.

16 – Big Dom’s revenge​

You’ll recall that the 49ers’ last trip to Philly in December 2023 resulted in a sideline skirmish involving Eagles senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer/gameday coaching operations Dom DiSandro and former 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw (who is now on the Denver Broncos) both getting ejected.

Time to get justice for Big Dom.

17 – Bryce Huff revenge game?!​

Huff was a healthy scratch for the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX despite being their top-paid free agent signing. Then the Eagles traded him to the 49ers for a 2026 fifth-round pick that could’ve become a fourth-round pick had he logged eight sacks. Huff posted four sacks in the Niners’ first seven games but then he got hurt and hasn’t produced a sack since. He still has been generating pressure, though.

Via Next Gen Stats:

Bryce Huff generated a team-high 23 pressures across 108 pass rushes on third down this season, over twice as many pressures as the next closest 49ers defender (Keion White, 10). Despite that volume, Huff failed to record a single sack on third down, giving him the most third-down pressures without recording a sack of any defender league wide. As a team, the 49ers recorded a league-low 7.0% pressure-to-sack conversion rate on third down and a league-low 11.8% rate overall.

Would be annoying if he did something meaningful for the 49ers in this game after being pretty useless for the Eagles.

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...-17-things-to-watch-in-sundays-wild-card-game

 

[Philadelphia Eagles]

Poll: Are the Eagles getting better heading into the postseason?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Eagles fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Heading into the playoffs, we want to know how you’re feeling after watching the team so far this year. Every week of the season we will ask fans if they are confident the team is headed in the right direction and more of the most pressing questions facing the coming game. Let us know what you think!

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com...es-getting-better-heading-into-the-postseason