- The Philadelphia Eagles’ offense is underperforming due to predictability and a lack of explosive plays.
- Analysts suggest the team’s struggles stem from an inconsistent run game and the absence of a clear offensive identity.
- First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is facing a learning curve, with the scheme appearing stagnant to opposing defenses.
Predictable, inefficient and non-explosive are not terms any NFL offensive unit would want to apply to them.
Unfortunately for the Philadelphia Eagles, as they enter their Black Friday matchup Nov. 28 against the Chicago Bears, all three terms are appropriate descriptions of their offense – a unit that scored 21 points on three possessions against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, only to put up a goose egg the rest of the way.
“It’s just an offense that is wildly, wildly underperforming,” ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky told USA TODAY Sports.
That followed performances of 16 and 10 points in prime time – which begs the question: what’s wrong with the Eagles’ offense?
The answers may sound simple. The reality is anything but.
No run game, no identity … major problems
The drama from wideout A.J. Brown and the halving of running back Saquon Barkley’s production from a year ago are only symptoms of the larger issues.
To Andrew Whitworth, after watching the Eagles’ tape from the Cowboys game, “it screams to me a little different than last year,” when the Eagles put up 40 points in the Super Bowl.
What concerns Whitworth is the lack of an offensive identity in 2025.
“They don’t know if they want to run it. They (tried) to come out (against the Cowboys) and try to throw it and that started falling apart. And it’s like, ‘Man, what’s our answer when we get into crucial moments?’
“They look a little lost there … “Every time they went to call a run, they tried something different. It’s almost like they’re trying plays.”
The biggest difference from a season ago is the lack of a run game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts’ preference of being in the shotgun is hurting the team, although that would be fine if the team was calling designed quarterback runs or run-pass-options (RPOs), Orlovsky said. But they’re not.
“I think that leads to predictability because Saquon’s alignment tells the defense whether it’s a run or pass,” he said.
If Barkley lines up a half-yard behind Hurts, the defense can see that and adjust. The offensive line then has more 1-on-1 blocking assignments that leads to penetration and negative plays. “When you get shotgun run, one guy with penetration kills the play,” Orlovsky said.
In 2024, under offensive coordinator and playcaller Kellen Moore (now the New Orleans’ Saints head coach) the offense executed under-center, double-team runs.
The offensive line also isn’t the same. Left guard Landon Dickerson injured his knee in training camp and started the season on time if not fully healthy. Center Cam Jurgens missed time.
The team is also now navigating the loss of right tackle Lane Johnson, who is on injured reserve. Mekhi Becton signed with the Los Angeles Chargers, leaving a hole at right guard.
“Running game is a fickle thing sometimes,” Whitworth said.
The struggles compound and result in Barkley pressing.
“You can see sometimes where he’s searching for, ‘I want to try to create an explosive,’” Whitworth said.
Learning curve for Eagles’ offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo
First-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s scheme looks stagnant to opposing defenses and failing to unlock the run game is part of it.
Head coach Nick Sirianni has stood by Patullo, who was the pass game coordinator for four seasons before his offseason promotion.
“I’m never into assigning blame,” Sirianni said. “It’s just looking for answers.
“No one’s ever gonna pitch a perfect game here.”
The plays, Orlovsky said, are not the problem. The timing and rhythm of it all are.
“I think the predictability kills them. It’s a significant problem,” Orlovsky said. “As much as the defense has been good, the offense has not.”
The offense suffers from a simplicity in formation splits and route combinations, Prime Video analyst and ex-NFL cornerback Richard Sherman said. Brown helps mask that. Throw in fellow wideout Devonta Smith and the Eagles have as good of a 1-2 punch at receiver in the NFL. Sherman added that NFL fans and media have been spoiled by the Shanahan coaching tree that is known for its creativity and wrinkles.
“It makes it easy for a defense,” Sherman said. “Then you have A.J. Brown who makes it an issue even if you do know the play. They’ve been able to get away with it. But I don’t think they get away with it in the playoffs.”
Smart corners are capable of figuring out what the Eagles are showing pre-snap, Prime Video analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick said. He would like to see Brown – known for running straight-line routes and in-breaking ones – run more out-cuts lined up in the slot to start breaking tendencies down the stretch.
“While he’s physically gifted, he doesn’t run a lot of routes,” Orlovsky said of Brown.
Patullo has been with the Eagles for the past four seasons and has an “intimate knowledge” of the personnel, Fitzpatrick said. He’s learning on the job.
“Have there been some missteps? There definitely have,” said Fitzpatrick. “But I think with coaches as well … you have to continue to see that growth. And for him, it’s this season – we have to continue to see that offense grow and make the necessary changes in the second half of a football game to get this team to be successful.”
How can Eagles fix offensive deficiencies?
What Sirianni wants those on the outside looking in to realize is that successes and failures are all group efforts, not because of any individual.
“When it’s going good, and it’s all about the team, that doesn’t switch when it’s not going as planned and we try to assign blame to one person,” he said. “It’s still always about the team.
“I feel like we’ve got the right people, as players, as coaches, that have had success. We’re all searching for answers to make it more consistent.”
Overall, Orlovsky wants to see the Eagles marry the pass with the run to create play-action explosives and limit negative plays.
“Is it as easy as that? No,” Orlovsky said. “But it’s not as complicated as putting man-on-the-moon type stuff.”
Fitzpatrick is interested in how the team responds after failing to score for nearly three quarters against Dallas.
“I think we’ll find out a lot about what this team is made of on Friday,” he said.
