The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off arguably their worst loss of the season in Week 12. After being up 21-0 against the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles eventually collapsed and lost 24-21. The offense was unable to score in the second half, and ultimately, the defense suffered some injuries and gave up a ton of yards to George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. There is no sugarcoating that loss might have cost them the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Los Angeles Rams now have a game lead over the Eagles and are playing lights-out football, as we saw on Sunday night.
This Eagles team has a lot that needs fixing, and there might be too much to fix. Saquon Barkley has not been the same this season, and that could be due to the regression of the offensive line or Barkley himself. No one can honestly tell. Outside of that big game against his former team, Barkley has been quite abysmal this season. After having an almost record-breaking season in 2024, he has not been the same. If you leave off the Giants game, Barkley is averaging just 3.12 yards per carry. So, with several players struggling, what are the keys to the game for this Eagles squad that desperately needs a win?
Fixing the Offensive Struggles
We all know they are struggling offensively. That is clearly evident, and we do not need to go into it. So how do you go about fixing it? Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo needs to lean into getting stars into space. Outside runs and swing passes to Saquon Barkley must be incorporated more into the game plan. The offensive line has not been efficient, and with Lane Johnson still out for a few weeks, it does not appear to be getting better anytime soon.
As for the receivers, stop running an absurd number of hitch routes. They are running them at a top-five rate in the league, and it has not been successful. They must implement more crossing routes into the game plan. Jalen Hurts still has to throw them, but it’s shown to work.
The offensive line has been a linchpin in all of this as well. They have taken a significant step back since last year. Whether that’s injuries or just a regression from how well they played last year, something is up. Either way, Patullo has a lot on his plate and the fans do not have confidence in him to right the ship. Honestly, it’s hard to blame them, given what we have seen over 11 games. This offense might need a miracle to get right in the back half of this season.
The Heavy Lifting
The Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has been doing the heavy lifting for the past few weeks. They finally began to show cracks against one of the best offenses in the league.
Adoree’ Jackson’s concussion led to Cooper DeJean playing outside cornerback, and that led to him giving up 148 passing yards, a season-high. To make matters worse, Andrew Mukuba has a fractured ankle and was placed on injured reserve. Couple that with Reed Blankenship’s injury, and it was a recipe for disaster. The good thing is that Blankenship could be back for the Black Friday game against the Chicago Bears. It is evident how important he is to that secondary after he went down. And the team desperately needs him back.
This unit gets a pass for last week’s game as they made several clutch defensive stands. They kept the team in it until the end, even in a game they should have settled long before then. There are some concerns moving forward, but what they put on tape in the two games prior should not go unignored. This defense is one of the top units in the league, and one performance against a top offense should not change that.
This week is no different against an overperforming Bears team. The defense will be the focal point against a surging offense that ranks eighth in points per game and is coming off a quality win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bears will be at full strength on offense, so the injury report heading into the game will be worth monitoring.
Final Thoughts
After that disaster last week, the optimism surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles has certainly gone down the toilet. The team needed to win by multiple touchdowns, and they were doing just that for a while. At the beginning of the game, they eased mine and everyone else’s doubts, only for it to come crumbling down. Now, they go against the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears. A team that has a negative points differential, but is also the same record as the Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 7-point favorites on this special Friday of NFL action. They should win, but they must show some type of improvement. This team needs to show something on offense. And, they need to do it fast.
This game is a standalone contest, so all eyes will be on the Eagles.
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