Three days after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he would be “evaluating everything” in the wake of his team’s 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, Sirianni reiterated that his play-caller will remain the same.
The Eagles, Sirianni said, spent the weekend — and still are — evaluating everything, but offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo will continue his normal duties as the team begins preparations for its Week 14 game Monday night at the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sirianni declined to go into particulars about what the self-scouting and evaluating over the weekend led to during what amounts to a mini-bye week.
“Everything was being evaluated,” Sirianni said. “We’ll think about some different things that we want to do, all over the place, scheme, everything. I don’t think it benefits us for me to share, in particular, what that is.
“Just know this: We want to get this thing fixed more than everybody. We live it, breathe it, and [are] involved in it every waking second of our lives. So that’s what we’re working on right now.”
The Eagles offense under its first-year coordinator has slipped into a prolonged rut after entering the Week 9 bye on the heels of what appeared to be two breakout performances. The Eagles have scored just 62 points in their last four games combined. They have been unable to establish a running game and the passing game has been inconsistent.
Jalen Hurts talks to Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during the second quarter of the Oct. 26 win over the Giants.
Sirianni has not shied away from making changes in the past. In 2021, during his first season as head coach, Sirianni stripped himself of play-calling duties in favor of Shane Steichen. In 2023, the Eagles stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of third-down planning and eventually demoted him in favor of Matt Patricia.
Sirianni on Monday called those instances “different scenarios.”
“It isn’t just one person,” he said. “It’s the ultimate team game. … We’re working through everything. I have a lot of faith in all the players. I have a lot of faith in all the coaches.
“We got to execute it better, we got to scheme it better, all can be true, and we have to call it better. It’s every area that we need to improve on.”
The 2023 season has been brought up a lot during both of the Eagles’ two-game losing streaks this season. The Eagles, you may not need a reminder, started 10-1 before finishing their season by losing five of six and bowing out in the first round of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion.
“I think you saw a lot of the lessons we learned in ’23 resulted in what happened last year,” Sirianni said when asked Monday what lessons from then he may be leaning on.
“You always take lessons in everything. Sometimes that sting of the loss has even more impact, which is why I’m grateful for adversity and looking for an opportunity to get better from the adversity. Most definitely, those have lasting lessons.”
Sirianni again declined to go into specifics about the lessons he learned, but he said he has those things written down regarding what was learned and how it was learned.
“Those lumps that you take, if you allow them to, can knock you down and keep you down,” he said. “Or, those lumps that you take can let you rise up above everything.
“Right now, of course none of us are doing a good enough job right now. We all have to look internally and get better.”
Police confirmed that Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s house was vandalized early Saturday morning, two days before a viral video surfaced Monday depicting objects being thrown in the direction of a home.
According to the Moorestown Police Department, Patullo’s home was vandalized with multiple eggs at about 2:50 a.m. Saturday, hours after the Eagles lost, 24-15, to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday.
Detectives are still working to determine the identities of those involved in the incident, a police spokesperson said.
Patullo, the first-year Eagles offensive coordinator, has shouldered the brunt of the blame for the Eagles’ struggles on offense. A website calling for his firing surfaced. Fans chanted for him to be fired during the game Friday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reiterated Monday what he said Friday after the game: Patullo will remain the play-caller as the Eagles prepare for their Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.
There’s a new king in the NFC, and it’s the team that strolled into Lincoln Financial Field on Black Friday, ran all over the Eagles, and silenced the critics — this writer included — who said its 8-3 record was fugazi.
Yes, if the season ended today, all roads would lead to the shirtless final boss, Ben Johnson, and his 9-3 Chicago Bears. And if that pole positioning holds, they’ll have earned it. Chicago’s final five games look like this: at Green Bay, home vs. Cleveland, home vs. Green Bay, at San Francisco, home vs. Detroit.
In other words, the Bears are holding on to that top seed in a similar way Jalen Hurts held onto the football during that fourth-quarter Tush Push on Friday.
There are six teams in the NFC now with eight or nine wins, and the Eagles — despite the sky falling on Philadelphia and Nick Sirianni fairly being asked about his offensive coordinator’s job status — are one of them.
Only two teams have an easier schedule the rest of the way than the Eagles, according to Tankathon, and neither team is in the aforementioned group.
How likely is the No. 1 seed for the Eagles? FTN Fantasy puts the chances at 3.3%. Not great. But not quite the one-in-a-million odds Christmas faced in Dumb and Dumber.
In fact, considering FTN puts the Eagles’ playoff chances at 93.3%, there’s a better mathematical chance this collapse ends with the Eagles blowing the NFC East and missing the playoffs than the Eagles turning it around and securing the No. 1 seed.
Still, that latter scenario seems pretty unrealistic given the schedule ahead. The Eagles could be facing a Chargers team without Justin Herbert, then they have the lowly Raiders and their minus-129 point differential. After that, the remaining three contests are a difficult road game at Buffalo sandwiched by two Commanders games.
The magic number — any combination of Eagles wins and Cowboys losses — to clinch the NFC East is four. FTN Fantasy has the Eagles at 91% to win the NFC East. The Eagles control their destiny there.
As far as the No. 1 seed goes, it’s out of their hands, thanks to Chicago’s 281 rushing yards and another stinker from one of the highest-paid offenses in the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) practices before the game at SoFi Stadium.
It hasn’t been a fun start to the holiday season for Eagles fans after watching their team lose back-to-back games to the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears.
After two consecutive losses, the Eagles will prepare for a prime-time matchup at SoFi Stadium, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. The last time these teams met was during the 2021 season in a game the Eagles lost, 27-24, at home.
While the Birds are sliding, the Chargers have won four of their last five games. But their latest win over the Las Vegas Raiders saw quarterback Justin Herbert suffer a broken bone in his nonthrowing hand. Ahead of the teams’ Week 14 matchup, the sportsbooks are favoring Philly, who opens as a 3-point favorite.
Police confirm Kevin Patullo’s home was egged over weekend
A viral video making the rounds on social media Monday appears to show Kevin Patullo’s home being vandalized. And according to the Moorestown Police Department, Patullo’s house was indeed targeted over the weekend, but the vandals weren’t throwing rocks — they were eggs.
According to police, Patullo’s Moorestown, N.J., home was vandalized with multiple eggs at around 2:50 a.m. Saturday morning, hours after the Eagles lost, 24-15, to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday.
Detectives are still working to determine the identities of those involved in the incident, a police spokesperson said.
Patullo, the first-year Eagles offensive coordinator, has shouldered the brunt of the blame for the Eagles’ struggles on offense. A website calling for his firing surfaced. Fans chanted for him to be fired during the game Friday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reiterated Monday what he said after the game Friday: Patullo will remain the play-caller as the Eagles prepare for their Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.
Nick Sirianni reiterates Kevin Patullo will call plays
Nick Sirianni said Monday that the Eagles spent the weekend — and are still — “evaluating everything,” but he reiterated what he said after Friday’s game: Kevin Patullo remains the play caller.
The Eagles, Sirianni said, are working through “different things that we want to do” but declined to share any particulars.
“We’re working through everything,” Sirianni said. “I have a lot of faith in all the players. I have a lot of faith in all the coaches.”
Chargers rookie RB Omarion Hampton could return against the Eagles
Chargers running back Omarion Hampton has missed the past seven games with an ankle injury.
After opening his 21-day practice window last week, it appears likely Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton will make his return to the field against the Eagles Monday night.
CBS Sports reporter Matt Zenitz wrote “there’s optimism” the rookie could return to action this week after missing the past seven games with a broken ankle.
“Gosh, he looked good,” Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Hampton’s return to practice last week.
Without Hampton in the lineup, the Chargers have relied on the one-two punch of running backs Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson. It worked out well Sunday, with the two combining for 180 yards rushing in a blowout win against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Hampton, a standout at North Carolina taken with the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, quickly became a key part of the Chargers offense, both rushing and receiving out of the backfield. He slid into the starting role after Najee Harris’ season-ending Achilles rupture against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.
If he returns, Hampton will likely find some open running lanes against the Eagles. The Birds defense is allowing 128.9 rushing yards per game, ninth-worst in the NFL, and just gave up 281 yards rushing to the Chicago Bears.
Former Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles has been weighing in on the team’s offensive struggles.
Nick Foles sees everyone’s frustrations with the Eagles offense, but he’s not ready to pull the plug on Kevin Patullo just for the sake of making a change.
Foles doesn’t believe Sirianni wants to call plays himself, and the solution to the Birds’ offensive woes in the long-term might be outside the building.
So, in the short-term, Foles pitched a few potential solutions, including moving Patullo up from the sideline back into the box, where he’s sat since joining the Eagles in 2021.
“Being a pass game coordinator, [Patullo’s] role was to be in the box, to be in the booth, to oversee what is happening on the field from an up-above perspective, not being on the sidelines with the players and feeling the emotions from the sideline,” Foles said on the most-recent episode of The SZN podcast he co-hosts with Evan Moore. “He was in a controlled environment to see coverages, to see plays, and to make recommendations for the passing game.”
Being on the sideline surrounded by the players provides a different perspective than being up in the box, which is also where Vic Fangio calls plays from. It’s a less distracting environment, and it can be easier to make adjustments as the drive develops instead of waiting to watch tape on delay.
“Kevin Patullo is probably a great dude, a great coach, but there’s an art to play-calling that not everyone has and it’s not showing up this year,” Foles said.
Vikings waive WR Adam Thielen, wants to join a contender
The Vikings are waiving WR Adam Thielen, who approached the team about moving on last week. The team granted the request out of respect for Thielen and will allow him to finish out his final NFL season elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/iSea83ELiK
FOX NFL analyst Greg Olsen agreed with Nick Sirianni’s two-point attempt.
You never start an argument with an analytics zealot because you will always lose. They have data and numbers and history. They generally ignore intangibles such as momentum, atmosphere, competition, site, and psyche.
This matters this week because of the meaningless yet fiery debate, fueled by superb (if somewhat self-anointing) NFL analyst Greg Olsen, surrounding the Eagles’ decision to try a two-point conversion with more than three minutes to play, trailing by nine, to make it a seven-point game. It failed. That meant the Eagles needed two more possessions to win, which was unlikely considering the limited time remaining. It made more common sense to kick the PAT and make it an eight-point game.
Nick Sirianni said, “I’m always going to go for a two in that scenario,” citing his personal research on the matter over several years. Sirianni is winning at a legendary clip, so maybe his studies show something publicly available analytics do not. Those analytics give a slight edge to doing what Sirianni did.
But what Sirianni did virtually assured the loss. By doing so, it removed any real incentive from the defense, which had already been on the field 14 minutes more than the offense. The most realistically hopeful scenario after the missed two-point try was for the defense to hold, for the Eagles to score a TD, then for the Eagles to recover an onside kick, which happens at only about a 5% rate the past two seasons.
The 2 pt conversation is this
Philly trailed by 15
That’s a 2 score game slightly less than 50% of time (2pt success rate)
It’s a 3 score game the remaining %
You want to know as early as possible how many possessions you need.
Seth Joyner does not hold back, calling out Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown:
"A lot of people are going to be pissed at me, and he might even be pissed at me, but in a lot of ways he's a typical wide receiver—21st century wide receiver diva and he's selfish…The Eagles lost… pic.twitter.com/MT70Ni6RWi
The Eagles’ path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC is difficult
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have a difficult path to claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
There’s a new king in the NFC, and it’s the team that strolled into Lincoln Financial Field on Black Friday, ran all over the Eagles, and silenced the critics — this writer included — that said its 8-3 record was fugazi.
Yes, if the season ended today, all roads would lead to the shirtless final boss, Ben Johnson, and his 9-3 Chicago Bears. And if that pole positioning holds, they’ll have earned it. Chicago’s final five games look like this: at Green Bay, home vs. Cleveland, home vs. Green Bay, at San Francisco, home vs. Detroit.
In other words, the Bears are holding onto that top seed in a similar way Jalen Hurts held onto the football during that fourth-quarter Tush Push on Friday.
There are six teams in the NFC now with eight or nine wins, and the Eagles — despite the sky falling on Philadelphia and Nick Sirianni fairly being asked about his offensive coordinator’s job status — are one of them.
Only two teams have an easier schedule the rest of the way than the Eagles do, and neither team is in the aforementioned group.
There’s a lot going on there. How likely is the No. 1 seed for the Eagles? FTN Fantasy puts the chances at 3.3%. Not great. But not quite the one-in-a-million odds Christmas faced in Dumb and Dumber.
In fact, considering FTN puts the Eagles’ playoff chances at 93.3%, there’s a better mathematical chance this collapse ends with the Eagles blowing the NFC East and missing the playoffs than the Eagles securing the No. 1 seed.
Kurt Warner finds a problem, and it isn’t Jalen Hurts
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo during Friday’s loss to the Bears.
NFL Network analyst and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner took a deep dive on the Eagles’ offense following their Black Friday loss to the Chicago Bears, and came away noticing a big issue in the team’s approach on offense.
To illustrate his point, Warner spent 15 minutes on his QB Confidential YouTube channel examining a single offensive play from the second quarter, a failed third down pass to what appeared to be a wide open DeVonta Smith.
From Warner’s perspective, what at first appeared to be a misfire by Jalen Hurts looks more like a failure to plan for defensive pressure. Specifically, the decision for Smith to run a “choice route” that led to a bad throw because he didn’t appear to be on the same page as Hurts facing a Bears’ blitz.
“To me, this is a losing play scheme-wise because you didn’t define what you wanted to do,” Warner said. “You left too much indecision and too much guessing in a critical situation, and it’s something that cost you.”
So why did Warner do a deep dive of the play? It appears to be in reaction to several pundits, including Brian Baldinger, blaming Hurts for making an errant throw on the play.
“Jalen went to exactly the right place and really the only place he can go” in their offense, Warner wrote on social media.
Please don’t… Jalen went to exactly the right place and really the only place he can go in their O vs B0… they just miscommunicated on the route, but JH did everything else right! https://t.co/Mjv0eLs5o9
This is obviously just one play, but speaks to a larger issue my colleague Jeff McLane has written about — a failure along multiple fronts that has led to the Eagles offense dropping from an elite squad to the league’s ninth-worst, averaging just a few more yards per game more than New Orleans Saints.
“If you want to know why the passing route design sometimes looks rudimentary, look at Sirianni, Patullo and their nondescript scheme,” McLane wrote following Friday’s loss. “But don’t forget the quarterback. There are swaths of the playbook that aren’t touched because Hurts isn’t comfortable with certain concepts.”
Running back Saquon Barkley was nursing an injured groin he suffered back in Week 8 against the New York Giants. The injury didn’t prevent him from starting against the Bears and isn’t expected to sideline him against the Chargers.
Defensive end Brandon Graham was also dealing with a groin injury. He played last week, but was only on the field for six plays.
Safety Andrew Mukuba was placed on injured reserve last week after breaking his leg during the loss against the Dallas Cowboys. His season could be over.
An Eagles fan yawns during Friday’s loss to the Bears.
The Chicago Bears?
Thanks to the Carolina Panthers’ upset win over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday, the Bears suddenly hold the NFC’s top playoff spot with five games remaining in the season.
The Eagles remain in the No. 3 spot, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still hold the No. 4 spot and first place in the NFC South thanks to their win against the Arizona Cardinals, which officially eliminated Jonathan Gannon’s squad from the playoffs.
The New Orleans Saints were also eliminated from playoff contention Sunday. Despite their loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday night, the Washington Commanders remain mathematically alive, at least for another week. Though their only path is sweeping the Eagles and winning the NFC East with an 8-9 record.
NFC playoff standings
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As for the NFC East, the situation is a lot tighter for the Eagles than it was just two weeks ago.
The Birds will enter Week 14 just one game up on the Dallas Cowboys in the loss column facing a feisty Los Angeles Chargers team that has won four of their last five games.
That being said, the Eagles still remain in control of the division. Their magic number — a combination of Birds wins and Cowboys losses — is four, and the overall record of their opponents down the stretch is 24-34, including two games against the 3-8 Commanders.
NFC East standings
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Dave Caldwell worked for the Eagles for parts of five seasons after being fired by the Jaguars in November 2020.
A member of the Eagles’ front office staff will be joining a college football program.
Eagles senior personnel director/advisor to the general manager Dave Caldwell will become the University of Florida’s college football general manager, per multiple reports. On3.com first reported the news.
Caldwell will join the staff of Jon Sumrall, the Tulane coach that multiple outlets reported is finalizing a deal to take over the Gators program.
Caldwell joined the Eagles in 2021 after an eight-year stint as general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent time with the Atlanta Falcons (2008-12), Indianapolis Colts (1998-07) and the Carolina Panthers (1996-97) prior to to his Jaguars tenure.
With name, image and likeness realities and the transfer portal taking over college athletics, Power Four programs have increasingly sought dedicated general managers with the experience to handle the acquisition and compensation details of players.
Justin Herbert may be forced to miss Eagles-Chargers
Justin Herbert broke his non-throwing hand Sunday and will undergo surgery.
The Eagles will face the Chargers in a pivotal Week 14 matchup Monday, but Los Angeles may be without their star quarterback.
Justin Herbert suffered a broken left hand during Sunday’s win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters Herbert is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday and might night be able to play the Birds on Monday Night Football.
Herbert was a bit more optimistic about his chances of being on the field.
“I’m treating it as if I’m playing on Monday,” Herbert told reporters.
Herbert suffered the broken left hand in the first quarter, but missed just a handful of plays before returning to the field. He got a lot of support from running backs Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson, who combined for 180 yards rushing Sunday.
That’s not promising for the Eagles, who just gave up 281 yards rushing to the Chicago Bears.
If Herbert isn’t able to play, Trey Lance would get the start for the Chargers.
The interior linemen of the Chicago Bears were quick on their feet, Jordan Davis said. They are “savvy players” who attacked the Eagles, who are supposed to have a bruising defensive front, early and often Friday afternoon.
The Bears brought one of the better rushing attacks in the NFL to Lincoln Financial Field. One cut after another, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai used the space created by Chicago’s front and made the Eagles pay. Swift, a Philly native and former Eagle, had nearly seven yards per carry on his way to 125 yards. Monangai, a rookie seventh-round pick, carried 22 times for 130 yards in the 24-15 win.
The Bears controlled the game and the clock with their two backs. As a team, they racked up 281 yards on 47 rushes, good for 6.1 yards per carry. It was the most rushing yards the Eagles have given up since 2015, and it was the first time since 1960 that two opposing rushers topped 100 yards during an Eagles home game.
“We knew we had to stop the run and then have fun and we just weren’t able to stop the run today,” linebacker Nakobe Dean said.
There was little fun for the Eagles’ defense, which was forced to defend 85 plays partially because of its inability to stop the run and because the Eagles’ offense struggled once again to sustain drives. The margin for error that offense has provided the defense in recent weeks is slim. And when it cracks the way it did Friday, the Eagles never really had a chance.
Jalen Carter likened the Bears’ rushing plan to what the Eagles faced in Week 2 last season vs. Atlanta, when they allowed 152 yards on 28 carries. Bears center Drew Dalman was on the Falcons last season. The Bears showed a lot of “sideways action,” Davis said.
The Eagles took too long to adjust, if they ever did at all. To Dean, they didn’t do a good enough job striking blocks, making reads, or playing off each other. Not being able to stop the run took some of the Eagles’ energy away, Dean said.
“By the time you know it, end of the first quarter, they already had damn near 100 yards rushing,” Davis said.
“We can’t take that long to figure out a remedy for that.”
Philly native and former Eagle D’Andre Swift had 125 rushing yards in his return to Philly.
It mostly was an uncharacteristic performance from the Eagles’ defense. Sure, Dallas roared back in its win Sunday, but that mostly was the Cowboys attacking a banged-up secondary. The Eagles have had occasional problems against the run this season, but not particularly lately. The Bears, however, rarely needed to throw. They won the battle at every level almost every time. They drove the Eagles off the line of scrimmage, got to the second level, and made the Eagles pay for taking poor angles.
Carter took ownership for some of the struggles.
“I blame myself on that,” he said. “There was some runs out there I got drove back or I wasn’t making an effect on the play. We kind of made an adjustment if you started seeing who was playing the first and second downs and then third down.”
What he meant by that was he found himself on the sidelines. The Eagles’ top interior lineman had to come off the field at times on obvious running downs.
“It’s my problems to deal with,” he said. “I ain’t fitting to tell y’all what I’m going through.”
What the defense is going through as a whole is a look-in-the-mirror moment.
Against Dallas, the Eagles allowed 473 total yards, the most in the Fangio era. On Friday, they surrendered 425 total yards and got destroyed trying to stop the run. They had just two tackles for loss.
“Things are going to happen,” cornerback Adoree’ Jackson said. “I always say the sky is not falling. Obviously you want to go out there and be perfect, make every tackle, shed every block, make every PBU, get the picks. Sometimes the game goes this way.”
Davis said he knows the negativity is going to come “from all angles at this point.”
“The reason why this s— stings, it hurts so much for us, is because we know that’s not our standard,” Davis said. “We have to be better. I was saying on the field that comes from all 11 of us. We have to do something different. If you want different results, you have to do something different. Whether that’s a little extra time in the meeting room, extra time in practice, playing blocks better, seeing blocks, we have to do better as individuals to become a better collective.
“We can’t do s— about what we put on the field now. We have to get back in the lab. We have a little bit longer week going into the Chargers game, and we just have to make sure that we get those problems fixed because it’s a copycat league. Everybody sees it; everybody knows that this could be a potential way to attack it. We just can’t let that happen.”
“This game is just going to be a launch pad for us to either get better or we can just stay the same and nothing changes,” Davis said. “I expect the guys on the defense to understand and answer that call.”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson spread his arms out in celebration and walked toward the visiting locker room. The other one used to be his, in 2022 and again in 2024. The trash-talking defensive back, on his third team this year alone, came back against his former team, in his former city, and had the last laugh.
He wasn’t going to be quiet about it.
“I ain’t ever lied to y’all, and I ain’t going to start lying,” Gardner-Johnson said as he walked into the Chicago Bears’ locker room following their 24-15 victory over the Eagles. “I ain’t going to lie to y’all. What’d I say? They’re going to fold.”
The Eagles traded Gardner-Johnson, who led them with six interceptions in 2024, in the offseason along with a sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for Kenyon Green, an offensive lineman who didn’t make their initial 53-man roster.
The Eagles, Gardner-Johnson said in a podcast interview over the summer, were “scared of a competitor.”
Gardner-Johnson, of course, hasn’t had a normal 2025 season. He was released by the Houston Texans in late September after three games. He then landed on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad before the Bears signed him and reunited him with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached Gardner-Johnson in New Orleans.
But he has made an impact with a Bears team that is now 9-3 and in first place in the NFC North. Gardner-Johnson’s departure from Philadelphia was in the spotlight this week not just because the Bears were coming to town but because the Eagles are depleted at safety after rookie Drew Mukuba, the Eagles’ second-round pick, suffered an ankle fracture.
Gardner-Johnson played mostly at nickel and helped stymie a struggling Eagles offense. He finished with three tackles and one quarterback hit. What was he seeing on film entering Friday?
“Stop the run and then make them go the long, hard way,” he said.
The Eagles struggled to run the ball and couldn’t beat an opposing defense missing multiple starters through the air.
“We knew in order to win this game we’d have to compete with their defense and the best defense on the field was going to win this game,” Gardner-Johnson said.
“It’s hard to get wins in this league. To win in a stadium like this, against the defending champs, it shows you that you got to have a lot of confidence in your teammates. This team has a lot of confidence in each other. I don’t think we’re worried about scheme or who we play. We just worry about getting each other’s backs and going out there and fighting for 60 minutes. We’re going to win the game.”
Asked why he said he knew the Eagles would “fold,” Gardner-Johnson said: “Because I’ve been here before. I’ve been here before. You only wear black uniforms if you feel confident.”
Then he winked.
“I told the guys that this is one of those where you got to come in and really pin your ears back and really go play ball,” he said. “It’s going to be a physical game, short week, and it’s about who’s going to be the most physical team, and we showed it today.”
C.J. Gardner-Johnson led the Eagles with six interceptions last season on the way to winning a Super Bowl.
And the special feeling winning back in Philadelphia?
“We can finally close the chapter on something,” Gardner-Johnson said. “It’s good now.”
About three minutes into Gardner-Johnson’s postgame media availability, a teammate handed him a phone. A Bears public relations staffer ended Gardner-Johnson’s session, but he spoke live on a podcast with LeSean McCoy and Emmanuel Acho.
“Was you talking [trash] out there?” McCoy asked him.
“No, I got too much respect for them to even disrespect the players I played with,” Gardner-Johnson replied. “We disrespected them on defense.”
Then McCoy asked: “Was the offense too easy? Predictable?”
Gardner-Johnson leaned in close and winked. For once, there was nothing he needed to say.
A banged-up Eagles team got some good injury news Thursday.
DeVonta Smith, who missed team workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday with chest and shoulder injuries, plus an illness that was noted on Wednesday, was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s walk-through. Smith does not have a game designation entering the team’s Black Friday game vs. the Chicago Bears and is available to play.
The Eagles ruled out three players: Xavier Gipson (shoulder), Myles Hinton (back), and Lane Johnson (foot). Drew Mukuba also is out, but since he was placed on injured reserve Wednesday after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured right ankle, he’s no longer on the 53-man roster and is not listed on injury reports.
With Gipson out, Britain Covey was signed to the active roster Wednesday to take Mukuba’s place. Covey may be back in his role as a return specialist. The Eagles also elevated edge rusher Patrick Johnson and safety Andre’ Sam from the practice squad for Friday’s game. Johnson is a core special teamer and Sam will be active for safety depth.
Saquon Barkley (groin), Reed Blankenship (thigh), Landon Dickerson (knee), and Brandon Graham (groin), all of whom were listed as limited on Wednesday, were full participants Thursday.
Smith likely suffered his shoulder and chest injuries after his acrobatic sideline catch vs. Dallas.
“It was just this spectacular play,” Nick Sirianni said Wednesday. “It looked so easy … the way he just adjusted to it effortlessly and caught it.”
Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith warms up before a Nov. 17 game against the Lions.
While the Eagles’ offense has been maligned for its inconsistency, Smith is having a strong 2025 season. He has 55 catches on 78 targets for 754 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Smith and the Eagles’ offense should have an opportunity to get rolling against a Bears team that is missing multiple starters on defense.
The Bears ruled out linebackers T.J. Edwards (hand/hamstring), Ruben Hyppolite II (shoulder), and Noah Sewell (elbow), as well as defensive end Dominique Robinson (concussion) and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson (hip). The corner opposite Stevenson, Jaylon Johnson, is questionable with a groin injury.
Backup guard Luke Newman also is out.
While the Eagles ruled Hinton, a rookie tackle, out for Friday’s game, he was a full participant with his back injury. The Eagles opened his 21-day practice window on Nov. 19 after the sixth-round pick started the season on injured reserve. They would not have to add him to the active roster until after they play their Week 14 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.
Saquon Barkley isn’t going to become the first running back in NFL history to have a second 2,000-yard season — at least not in 2025. At his current rate, he’ll barely exceed 1,000 rushing yards, a benchmark he hasn’t failed to reach while playing a full season in his NFL career.
What was Barkley going to do for an encore? It was one of the big storylines for the Eagles before the season started. Repeating last season’s success was always going to be difficult. But this? He has just one game over 100 yards after having 11 such performances in 16 regular-season games last season.
The Eagles are struggling on offense, and it’s fair to say their inability to consistently run the ball is the biggest concern of all. There are a variety of reasons. Barkley thinks he’s in “a little funk,” but tackle Jordan Mailata blamed the offensive line’s execution.
There are multiple hands sharing the blame, but regardless of who shoulders it most, Barkley’s drop-off has been precipitous. Here’s a look at some numbers that show the drastic decline:
32.4%
It’s worth starting here because it can help explain everything in some ways. We knew opposing defenses were going to change their approach. The Eagles surely did, too.
Last season, Barkley faced eight or more defenders in the box 20.6% of the time, according to Next Gen Stats. That was 20th in the NFL among qualified rushers.
This season, Barkley is facing eight or more defenders in the box 32.4% of the time, the seventh-highest rate in the NFL.
Saquon Barkley is wrapped up by Cowboys outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in the second quarter in Week 12.
Barkley did much of his damage in 2024 against opposing teams’ nickel packages. This year, the Eagles are facing fewer of those. Teams are matching the Eagles’ personnel, and the Eagles are running a lot of 12 and 13 packages (one running back plus two tight ends and one running back plus three tight ends, respectively).
Defensive coordinators seemingly have decided that they’re going to sell out to stop the run and dare Jalen Hurts and the passing offense to beat them.
Mailata is right that the running game’s issues start with the offensive line. A running back needs blockers, and right now Barkley just isn’t getting enough help in front of him.
There’s a variety of reasons for that, even though the Eagles returned four-fifths of their starting offensive line. First off, the replacement for Mekhi Becton at right guard, Tyler Steen, has not had the same kind of success run blocking. But the four returners haven’t been themselves, and injuries mostly are to blame. Lane Johnson has suffered multiple ailments, the latest a Lisfranc injury in his right foot. Cam Jurgens started the season coming off back surgery and has since suffered a knee injury and a concussion. Landon Dickerson has experienced bad injury luck going back to his collegiate career and probably hasn’t been 100% since high school.
Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata leaves the field after the game against the Cowboys in Week 12.
Last season, Barkley had room to run. This season, he doesn’t. That’s clear in the numbers, too. In 2024, Barkley ran 3.8 yards per carry before being contacted. This season, that number has dropped to 2.3 yards per attempt, according to Pro Football Reference.
“It’s on all of us,” Mailata said Sunday after the Eagles blew a 21-0 lead partially because they can’t run the ball. “You can just watch the film. We always say we’re one block away, and as tiring and as repetitive as that is, that is the truth. I’m tired of saying it, but it starts with us. We’ve got to do a better job of execution, and until we do that, this running game is not going anywhere.”
15 mph
Barkley in open space meant a lot of room to sprint. He finished second in the NFL in 15-plus-mph runs with 73 in 2024. This season, he is eighth with 28 such runs, according to Next Gen, and he’s on pace to finish with just 43 15-plus-mph runs.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley scores during a run in the first quarter against the Giants.
Blocking is a big factor there. But what about Barkley’s burst and his overall health? He touched the ball 482 times last season between rushes and receptions in the regular season and playoffs. His previous high was 377 in 2022.
Barkley’s training regimen is pretty good. But that’s a lot of wear and tear in one season. Barkley said he was healthy on Sunday when asked after the game.
Next Gen’s expected rushing yards model calculates “how many rushing yards a ballcarrier is expected to gain on a given carry based on the relative location, speed, and direction of blockers and defenders.”
The model also calculates a metric called “rushing yards over expected,” which is “the difference between actual rushing yards and expected rushing yards on an individual play or series of plays.”
Last season, Barkley was second in the NFL with 546 yards over expected — an average of 1.6 yards over expected per attempt — behind Derrick Henry’s 562 yards over expected. The third player on the list, Chuba Hubbard, had 270 yards over expected, which shows how otherworldly Henry and Barkley were in 2024.
This season, Barkley is at minus-3 yards over expected and zero yards over expected per attempt. Those numbers rank 32nd in the NFL.
What’s the takeaway here? The blocking hasn’t been good, but Barkley hasn’t been himself at beating defenders, either.
The NFL’s leader in punts after three plays did not have any such three-and-out drives in the first half of Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles built their 21-0 lead behind an offense that moved the ball efficiently through the air and looked more creative than it had in the two weeks prior. They got the ball after halftime and immediately completed a pass to Grant Calcaterra for an 8-yard gain to move the ball to their own 40-yard line.
Then, a penalty that offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo seems to think was a turning point of sorts happened. On the ensuing second-and-2, the Eagles put Matt Pryor on the field in their jumbo set and called a run-pass option that got Dallas Goedert free in space. Jalen Hurts hit his tight end for a 20-yard reception that moved the ball to Dallas’ 40-yard line. But the Eagles weren’t lined up right, and an illegal formation penalty knocked them back to a second-and-7. Two incompletions later, the Eagles punted.
It was a sign of things to come, as penalties — including another that wiped out a 16-yard gain in the fourth quarter and kept the Eagles out of the red zone — helped keep the Eagles off the scoreboard after taking a 21-0 lead 18-plus minutes into the game.
Eagles wide receiver Devonta Smith is tackled by Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson in the third quarter of Sunday’s game in Dallas.
“I think when you look at the first half, it was kind of one of those deals where — and we talked about it today as an offense — we were able to do what we wanted to do, keep on track, keep the pace going, keep ahead of the sticks, and keep it moving,” Patullo said Tuesday. “In the second half, we came out, we went empty, we got a completion, and then we had an illegal formation on an explosive.
“When you have a penalty on an explosive, which flipped the field around on us, it was a 20-yard gain, now all of the sudden you’re behind the sticks.”
Penalties have been a problem for the Eagles, who have drawn the seventh-most flags in the NFL. The offense accounted for seven on its own and four in the second half Sunday.
“We talked about it, we went through all the drives and we’ve got to do a better job as a staff and as a whole unit in general with this stuff of just continuously pressing onto this issue,” Patullo said. “Because it’s been something that’s appeared and we know it’s there and we just got to get rid of it.
“That’s kind of what stopped us in the second half. … We had some penalties, we had some things go on that if they go the other way we’re talking a whole other deal right now. It’s a whole other game, and we know that, and that’s what’s disappointing and that’s what’s frustrating.”
Patullo, who Nick Sirianni said Monday will continue calling plays, said there was “a lot to be encouraged from” with the offense on Sunday.
“But at the same time, when those things happen, when you go into the locker room after the game, the frustration level is high because we know how close we were, and if those things don’t go the way they go it’s a whole other outcome,” he said.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks off the field after the Eagles lose to the Dallas Cowboys 24-21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025.
Penalties, of course, weren’t the only thing that halted the Eagles. They seemed to take their foot off the gas a little bit, and their inability to run the ball showed up once again. Saquon Barkley tallied just 22 yards on 10 attempts. The lack of a running game has hampered the offense for most of the season.
“We’re trying pretty much anything and everything we can to find ways to get him going,” Patullo said. “I know that the guys are excited for something new this week to see if we can get it going.”
The Eagles listed five players as nonparticipants in their estimated practice report following Tuesday’s walk-through ahead of Friday’s home game vs. the Chicago Bears.
Xavier Gipson (shoulder), Brandon Graham (groin), Lane Johnson (foot), Drew Mukuba (ankle), and DeVonta Smith (shoulder/chest) were all listed as out.
Barkley (groin), Reed Blankenship (thigh), and Landon Dickerson (knee), meanwhile, were listed as limited. Adoree’ Jackson, who was being evaluated for a concussion Sunday after leaving the game, was listed as a full participant.
One day after the Eagles offense stalled and was shut out after building a 21-0 lead 18-plus minutes into the game, Nick Sirianni said the Eagles are “searching for answers” for their ailing offense.
But the quest for more consistency won’t include a change to the play-caller.
“I haven’t considered that,” the head coach said when asked Monday if he had considered taking play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
“It’s every piece of the puzzle: coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all those aspects. And so yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling it. Obviously, he’s going to want some plays back, just like every player and myself, we all want plays back.”
The Eagles hurt themselves with self-inflicted wounds. Of their 14 penalties, seven were on the offense. Two of them erased gains of 16 and 20 yards and had a major impact on the game. But even still, the offense that looked dynamic and creative for the first few series went silent. The Eagles didn’t get past the Dallas 28-yard line in the second half. They have consistently failed to run the football and adjust to opponents who take the run away. They have been unable to consistently sustain a passing offense through a full game.
Nick Sirianni (left) says he is sticking with Kevin Patullo (right) as the play-caller despite the Eagles’ offensive issues of recent weeks.
What gives Sirianni confidence that the Eagles can make a course correction this late in the season?
“I feel like we’ve got the right people, as players, as coaches, that have had success,” Sirianni said. “And we’re all searching for answers to make it more consistent. There are some good things, obviously there are some not-so-good things. And we’ve got to find the things that we really can hang our hat on, and then the complements that come off of that.”
Left guard Landon Dickerson said the Eagles were surprised by Dallas’ frequent use of a five-man front. Jalen Hurts said “that’s how they’re built now” after the Cowboys acquired Quinnen Williams and retooled their defense.
The front gave the Eagles fits at times, especially as they tried to establish a running game that never got going. Saquon Barkley rushed 10 times for 22 yards.
Saquon Barkley added value in the passing game on Sunday but continues to have trouble finding running room.
Dallas showed that five-man front a week earlier vs. Las Vegas. So, were the Eagles prepared for it or were they not?
“You go into every week and you’re trying to play the game in your mind as much as you possibly can, not just with how you call it but how you plan it for practice as well, and how you plan for drills,” Sirianni said. “The walk-throughs, the practice, your drill work, you’re trying to identify what you think and what you’re always trying to do is say, ‘How many reps do I need to devote toward this? How many reps do I need to devote toward that?’ And you try to make educated guesses there.”
Which is to say …
“We devoted time for all of them,” Sirianni said. “We knew they had that in their package and their plan. They played a little bit more there, even than anticipated. So, of course, as coaches, you say to yourself, ‘Well, I wish I would’ve gave them a couple more reps on this one.’
“Now, you’re limited as far as how many reps you actually have at walk-through, at live, at drill work. … No one’s ever going to pitch a perfect game here. Looking back at it, yeah, sure, I wish I would’ve given us a couple more reps there.
“We prepared for the things that we thought we were going to get, some more than others, and then sometimes it doesn’t play out that way when you look at it after the game.”
The Eagles matched their high for penalties in the Sirianni era with 14. As mentioned, seven of them were on the offense and a few of them wiped out key plays.
The Eagles had three false starts. They also had an illegal formation penalty out of the jumbo package with Matt Pryor on the field as an extra blocker.
Nick Sirianni’s team shot itself in the collective foot with multiple pre-snap penalties against the Cowboys.
Sirianni said it’s “hard to sustain the success of a game when you have those.”
It has made a struggling offense’s problems even worse.
“Any time it’s penalties like that, or any time it’s ball security, or any time it’s the fundamentals, or something within ‘tough, detailed, together,’ I’m going to put that on myself,” Sirianni said.
“Just point-blank, I have to do a better job of coaching it and finding different ways to make sure it gets through.”
