Big Blue View
The 1-4 New York Giants have their typical “why can’t we get out of our own way?” problems. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, who are 4-1, have rich people “why don’t we look better while we are winning?” problems.
The two teams meet Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. While Giants fans can offer no sympathy, we turned to Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton to find out about those rich people problems in this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment.
Ed: What is going on with the Philly offense? Points scored are down from 2024. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith don’t seem happy with their roles. Saquon Barkley is on pace for just 900 rushing yards. What gives?
BLG: I agree with Jalen Hurts that it’s not a “capability issue.” This offense can still look pretty good at times. But the Eagles also go through these prolonged stretches where the offense looks entirely hopeless. They’re among lead leaders in three-and-outs and over 20% of their drives this season have resulted in zero yards gained or fewer. It’s impossible to argue the offense is not underperforming their talent.
The 2024 Eagles had a clear identity. The 2025 Eagles haven’t been able to rely on the same formula that heavily relied upon Saquon Barkley. This isn’t because Barkley looks worn down. Rather, it’s the offensive line who seems to be majorly feeling the effects of a massive run game workload last season. On that note, check out this recent quote from starting left tackle Jordan Mailata via PHLY’s EJ Smith:
“To be really honest, I felt like [crap]. It was the worst I’ve ever felt in an offseason. Usually it takes maybe a week or two for the aches and pains to go away. It lasted well over a month and into OTAs. Even [the 2023 offseason after Super Bowl LVIII], that lasted like two weeks.”
Mailata seemed to be dealing with some nagging issues back in training camp. Lane Johnson has missed snaps this season. Landon Dickerson is expected to miss Thursday’s game and perhaps Week 7 as well after suffering another injury on top of the ones he already was dealing with. Cam Jurgens had offseason back surgery and recently suggested he’s not quite 100%. The healthiest offensive lineman is starting right guard Tyler Steen, who was a backup for the Eagles last year.
Even with the offensive line and running game not being what it was last year, the Eagles still have too much passing game talent to not be more effective than they’ve been. It’s perplexing how the offense has failed to get A.J. Brown more involved. One issue for the Eagles is that they’re seeing a lot more zone and Jalen Hurts is struggling against those coverages. He’s been very good against man defense.
Of course, it’s not just about the players. The coaching staff factors in here as well. New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has drawn...
