ClutchPoints
When the Philadelphia Eagles came up short against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, it felt like a fluke.
Now granted, the team had its usual issues and errors on the offensive side of the ball, which, when coupled with a surprising number of penalties, made the game a lot closer than it should have been. But if Nick Sirianni’s squad just made a few more plays, or Vic Fangio’s defense made just one more stop, the Birds likely would have left the evening with a win.
When the Philadelphia Eagles came up short against the Chicago Bears in Week 13, it did not feel like a fluke, as they got pretty consistently outplayed by Ben Johnson’s squad for a full 60 minutes and probably should have lost by more than nine points.
Dashed by the run, penalized above their usual standards, and largely embarrassed by a below-average Bears defense that seemingly knew where the ball was going before Jalen Hurts clapped his hands, the Eagles laid out a blueprint for their own demise down the stretch that will be religiously followed by opponents until they can prove it no longer works.
Fortunately, in Week 14, the Eagles are facing off against a Los Angeles Chargers team that has been defensively porous at times in 2025, especially against teams with a solid running game. Considering Justin Herbert just had surgery on his hand and will either be playing through a pretty major injury or out for the contest, the Eagles’ offense has a perfect chance to get things right with their star players at SoFi Stadium without having to fight tooth and nail for points on every drive in another shoot-out.
When the Eagles’ offense has succeeded in 2025, they’ve gotten things going on the ground.
Sound obvious, right? One of the best rushing teams of all time in 2024, Philadelphia brought back almost the exact same personnel as last season heading into 2025, with only Kellen Moore and Mekhi Becton replaced by Kevin Patullo and Tyler Steen. And yet, the Eagles have only passed into triple digits in five games so far this season, all of which just so happen to be wins.
No, of the Eagles’ eight wins in 2025, all but one saw the team rush for at least 86 yards on the ground, with the lone exception coming against a Minnesota Vikings team that struggled mightily with Carson Wentz under center. In their four losses, by contrast, only one saw the Birds rush for more than 75 yards, with Patullo’s offense getting to 87 in Week 13’s Black Friday loss.
Why aren’t the Eagles running the ball as often? Well, some believe it’s because Hurts isn’t running the ball as often, removing a key element from their signature RPO, and that isn’t incorrect. Hurts ran the ball at least nine times in each of the team’s first four games, scoring four touchdowns...
