If you were waiting with bated breath for Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to appear in front of a camera Monday afternoon and reveal his exact plans for Sunday’s season finale vs. the Washington Commanders, you are probably new around here.
Sirianni was unsurprisingly noncommittal when asked if he intended to roll out his starters for the final regular-season game or rest them with the No. 2 seed in the NFC — and a guaranteed home playoff game if you win your first one — still up for grabs.
“It’s not a decision I have to make today or even tomorrow,” Sirianni said Monday, a day after the Eagles’ 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills coupled with Chicago’s loss kept the Eagles alive for the No. 2 seed in the conference.
The Eagles need to beat Washington at Lincoln Financial Field and hope the Bears lose at home to the Detroit Lions in order to leapfrog Chicago into second place in the NFC. Both games will kick off at 4:25 p.m. Sunday, so the Eagles won’t have any additional insight before kickoff. In addition to the possible second home playoff game, the second seed would mean hosting a banged-up Green Bay team in the wild-card round and avoiding a more difficult NFC West opponent.
“Things are still up in the air as far as seeding goes,” Sirianni said. “It’s pretty similar to where we were last week.”
The Eagles, of course, played their starters as normal on Sunday following a week when resting and seeding were topics of conversation at the NovaCare Complex.
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles can clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a win over the Commanders on Sunday and a Bears loss to the Lions.
“We’ve done it both ways,” Sirianni said. “We’ve had opportunities to rest; we’ve had opportunities to continue to get a better seed and played.
“You go through your process, but every season is a little bit different, every team is a little bit different. We’ll end up doing what we think is best for the team.”
Given the advantage the No. 2 spot provides, it’s fair to wonder why the Eagles wouldn’t pursue it vigorously.
Sirianni pointed to the past when asked that question Monday. The Eagles rested their starters in the season finale last year, when they were locked into the No. 2 seed. When the Eagles reached the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, they played their starters in the finale to win, earn the top seed, and create a bye for themselves.
Bye weeks and extended rests have gone pretty well for Sirianni’s teams. The Eagles are 11-4 in games that come at least 10 days after their previous contests (including playoff games). That’s a winning percentage of .733, which is more than Sirianni’s career winning percentage of .699 (including playoffs).
“This is a marathon of a season,” Sirianni said. “Yes, your seeding is not locked down yet, but you are thinking, ‘Hey, can I put ourselves in the best position seeding-wise,’ while also you’re thinking to yourself how important byes are and creating them if you don’t earn the right for the first-round bye. Those are all things you got to think through and go through.
“I think a lot of guys would say last year that that was a big deal, being able to have a built-in bye last year to set us up for what we ultimately did last year.”
Time will tell how the Eagles decide to approach Sunday.
The Eagles may believe they can have it both ways — resting some starters and playing others, while still being in a good position to beat Washington. The 4-12 Commanders are a weaker opponent that could be starting third-stringer Josh Johnson at quarterback.
“You guys don’t know what we’re doing yet,” Sirianni joked. “We’re leaning and getting all the information.”
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Jalen Hurts sat at his locker stall and nodded as Nick Sirianni spoke. The quarterback listened intently to his coach until he ended the conversation with an adage that summed up the Eagles’ defensive-minded 13-12 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“Hey,” Hurts said to a parting Sirianni, “a win’s a win.”
They mostly have defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit to thank. Special teams should get kudos as well. And lastly, they should give gratitude to Bills coach Sean McDermott, who shockingly went for two and the win despite the ineptitude of the Eagles offense in the second half.
For more than three quarters, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was rendered mortal by the Eagles defense. But he flipped a switch and drove the Bills to two touchdowns in the final frame as Hurts and Co. kept going three-and-out.
McDermott’s team would have had all the momentum going into overtime. But Fangio’s group answered the bell once more and hurried Allen into throwing his two-point conversion attempt wide of receiver Khalil Shakir.
It might have been the wind that followed a steady rain at Highmark Stadium, but a collective sigh of relief seemed to release from an Eagles sideline full of offensive players holding their breath. Namely, Sirianni, Hurts, and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
The second half was that bad, especially when you consider the Bills’ suspect run defense. The Eagles ran 17 plays and gained just 17 yards before Hurts knelt in the victory formation. They produced one first down. Hurts didn’t complete any of his seven pass attempts.
In the first half, the offense seemed to build off the improvements shown in the previous two games. The offense wasn’t exactly high-powered, but it was effective as the Eagles took a 13-0 lead into halftime. But Sirianni and Patullo seemingly took their foot off the pedal.
“We weren’t in a mode of saying, ‘Hey, 13-0 is enough,” Sirianni said. “Not against this quarterback, not against this offense. And so I don’t think our mindset was ever that. But I’ve got to do a better job there in that scenario. I’ll put that on myself.”
This wasn’t the first time this season that the Eagles have watched a double-digit lead evaporate, or the first time the offense has had disparate halves, or the first time the coach’s conservatism has come under question.
Sirianni can add another victory to a remarkable 43-2 record when the Eagles win the turnover margin during his five years at the helm. The offense didn’t give the ball away once, while the defense forced an Allen fumble.
But Hurts seems to be coached into doing anything to avoid turnovers. He had four throwaways and gave himself up for one sack on his eight drop backs in the second half.
“I don’t think it’s a conservative thing to have good ball security and be mindful that the turnover margin directly correlates with winning,” Hurts said. “That’s a truth of the game, and that’s a well-known fact of what we’ve been able to do and how we’ve been able to play over the last five years collectively.”
But how can an offense that gained 174 yards — 110 of them through the air — look almost the polar opposite after a 15-minute break? The Bills made some adjustments in their run defense, according to guard Landon Dickerson. Tackle Fred Johnson said their defense became more “exotic.”
The Eagles ran on first and second down on four of five drives, though. Hurts threw from under center only once — after Saquon Barkley ran for 5 and 10 yards on the first two plays of the second half. On the Eagles’ next 15 plays, they picked up just 2 yards.
Barkley kept running into heavy lines and stacked boxes. Certain Eagles, notably center Cam Jurgens and tight end Dallas Goedert, couldn’t sustain blocks with Bills defenders flying downhill. This was a unit ranked 31st in run defense.
“I don’t know if they had a bead on it, but we just didn’t take advantage of our situations well enough,” Jurgens said. “We can put that on our shoulders and do a little better, especially do better when we’re calling these runs, and we need to make things work.
“And I know I missed a couple blocks I want back.”
There were good moments on the ground through Barkley’s first two carries of the second half. He had 66 yards on 13 rushes up until that point. But he gained just 2 yards on his final six rushes. The Eagles just don’t have consistent enough blocking to run at will and there seemed to be times when Hurts needed to check out of calls against bad looks.
Saquon Barkley fell short of the big game many expected of him against the porous Bills run defense.
“We kind of went back to a consistent theme of playing really well one half and not well the other half, not putting a full game together,” Barkley said. “And, obviously, we know we’ve got to get better at that. Easier to get better from it when it’s a win.
“But, personally, I feel like when it’s like six minutes left, you want to end the game with the ball in your hands and we didn’t do that, I didn’t do that. I take responsibility for that.”
Barkley shouldn’t. He’s the least of the problems. But for all the positives in that realm since the Chargers game, the Eagles seem to be back to square one on the ground. And there’s obvious concern that the offense has regressed heading into the postseason.
“We’ve got to mix in some of the play-action things that we’ve done so well in the last couple weeks and not wait there again. That’s on me,” Sirianni said. “You know, I know what the first play is going into every series.”
Patullo’s first-half play calling had some rhythm. Receiver A.J. Brown was getting open and Hurts was finding him. The Eagles turned Allen’s fumble into seven points with another red zone conversion and a touchdown pass to Goedert.
But there were some head-scratching moments as well, like the third-and-9 draw to Will Shipley or the third-and-8 screen to Goedert at the Bills’ 13-yard line. As Sirianni noted, Buffalo wasn’t going away. The Eagles needed to pounce when they had chances.
And they needed to double down in the second half. How often was the defense expected to save the offense? Predictably, Fangio’s group relented — until it didn’t, thanks in part to McDermott, one of La Salle High School’s most esteemed alums, throwing caution to the wind.
Wins don’t get asterisks, of course. That was a solid team the Eagles beat, a sort of litmus test for how they stack up against one of the AFC’s best. The Eagles have a defense that can match almost any offense, and a decent special teams.
Nick Sirianni attempted to accentuate the positive after the win.
But the Sirianni-Patullo-Hurts offense has been a running (pun intended) joke. After 16 games, it would be ridiculous to think it’ll finally find its way in the postseason. The Eagles can scrape by as long as they don’t turn the ball over, and that may be enough.
“You’ve got to feel pretty good, right?” Sirianni said when asked about the state of the Eagles. “Three-game winning streak. In this league, three-game winning streaks are hard. Winning 11 games is hard. Winning the division is hard. And so, you feel really good about some of the things, but there’s also an opportunity to self-scout yourself and do some different things there.
“We’ll see what we do this upcoming week. I think there’s still an opportunity for us to get the [No.] 2 seed.”
There was at the time Sirianni spoke, and that possibility held up later in the evening, after the Chicago Bears lost to the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles’ only path to the No. 2 seed is to defeat the Washington Commanders while the Bears lose to the Detroit Lions. Both games will be played at 4:25 p.m. next Sunday. Sirianni may also want to play his starters to give his offense another outing against the Commanders’ subpar defense.
But it seems like some issues won’t ever be properly resolved until the offseason.
After two dreary episodes, Hard Knocks finally got to film an Eagles win as the team snapped its three-game losing streak against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The HBO documentary series released its third episode focused on the NFC East on Tuesday night, bringing a behind-the-scenes look at each team’s preparations for Week 15 of the NFL season.
The latest episode looked into Saquon Barkley’s dissatisfaction with the running game, Lane Johnson’s injury rehab, the team’s reaction to Brandon Graham’s big day, and more.
Here’s what you may have missed from Episode 3 of Hard Knocks …
Barkley wants to ‘open up the playbook’
It’s not breaking news to say that Barkley has underperformed so far this season. No one expected another offensive player of the year campaign or another 2,000 yards rushing — but no one expected the Eagles’ running game to rank in the bottom half of the league either.
With the Eagles seeing an uptick in rushing success in the team’s loss to the Chargers, Hard Knocks made sure to give Barkley more screen time this week.
In a quick interview, the veteran running back chalked up the team’s failures on the ground, and on offense in general, to poor execution by the team on early downs.
“What I see this year for me personally is that I don’t think I’ve lost a step,” Barkley said. “We’ve had glimpses of it, glimpses of when we’re on, we’re a really hard offense to stop. Now we just need to be consistent. If you’re able to get to second-and-manageable and not second-and-long, you get more runs called and it opens up the playbook a little bit more.
“Establishing the line of scrimmage and making sure I’m doing what I need to do to set linebackers up and set defenders up to put us in a position to be successful.”
Barkley isn’t wrong. The Birds lead the league in three-and-outs. Luckily, they faced an opponent which, at least for one week, eased those concerns — more on that in a bit.
Eagles tackle Lane Johnson (65) hasn’t played since the win over the Detroit Lions on Nov. 16.
Paving the Lane for a return
Eagles fans — and likely the players as well — have been awaiting the return of future Hall-of-Fame right tackle Lane Johnson. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound lineman has been rehabbing a Lisfranc injury in his foot and had missed the previous three games before Sunday.
Hard Knocks took a camera crew to Johnson’s home, showcasing the former Oklahoma star’s well-known personal gym and his workout routine on his path to recovery.
“Last few games haven’t gone our way,” Johnson said. “Not being out there, not being a part of it, it’s frustrating. I hate it, I absolutely hate it. But I’m attacking the rehab process as diligently as I can.”
Day by day. Rep by rep. Getting closer to getting back on the field.
While there is no official timetable for his injury, Johnson hinted at a return against the Commanders this Saturday.
“Day by day, rep by rep, I am getting close to getting back on the field, maybe next week,” Johnson said. “Usually, after a few losses, its very motivating. And we have everything in front of us.”
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips (left) and defensive end Brandon Graham have added a new element to the Eagles defense.
‘A resurgence of my career’
If you didn’t know much about one of the newest Eagles, linebacker Jaelan Phillips, Hard Knocks provided a perfect rundown on the former Miami Dolphin.
After suffering an Achilles tear in 2023 and an ACL tear in 2024, the Birds’ trade-deadline acquisition has had to overcome a lot to get where he is today — a difference-maker for the defending Super Bowl champions.
“When you go through multiple injuries, obviously there can be a lot of self-doubt, a lot of tough times,” Phillips said. “It’s just a blessing to be able to be back on the field and be with a team that has so much fun playing together.”
Added linebacker Nakobe Dean: “I mean, J.P., he came in and fit just like a glove. His personality matched everyone’s personality. We’re a young defense, we like to have a lot of fun.”
Speaking of fun, Phillips seems to be having a blast with the Birds so far.
Phillips, who could be playing his way to a contract extension, was shown practicing his best gladiator impression in Green Bay, dancing during practice, and singing the Eagles fight song against the Raiders — a breath of fresh air for a team previously mired in frustration.
“When I first got here, I said it was the best thing to ever happen to me,” Phillips said. “Because I am a person who realizes what a great opportunity this could be, to be able to come into Philadelphia to this amazing team with this great energy I feel like is just a resurgence of my career.”
Game time
In the lead-up to Sunday’s game, Hard Knocks took a peek inside the Eagles QB room as Jalen Hurts attended a meeting with fellow quarterbacks and position coach Scott Loeffler.
“This quarterback thing is so [expletive] easy to play whenever all the [stuff’s] going right,” Loeffler told Hurts, who was coming off the worst game of his career. “This is the time that we need to step up to the plate, when the [stuff] hits the fan.”
During the game, fans were able to see Barkley’s earlier words about the running game come to life almost immediately. Dominating on the ground and controlling the line of scrimmage did, in fact, open up the rest of the offense. After the Eagles’ final touchdown Sunday, Hard Knocks captured a joyful moment between Hurts and Nick Sirianni after A.J. Brown’s touchdown up the seam in the third quarter.
“I got you, baby,” Hurts said to Sirianni.
“I know, listen,” Sirianni responded. “You better say great [expletive] design.”
“Great [stuff],” Hurts said, before being jumped by Sirianni. “I put it up the seam.”
“I know you did,” Sirianni said.
Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni had fun with this play call 🦅 @Eagles
But the true highlight of the game came on defense.
Old man Graham, who returned to the team after a brief retirement at age 37, recorded two sacks against Pete Carroll’s Raiders, with Phillips and Sirianni doing the vet’s signature celebration in unison.
It is ridiculous to think that the Eagles might consider benching their Super Bowl MVP quarterback with four games left in the season and a division title all but assured.
Yet, Sirianni and his coaching staff have a long list of equally ridiculous things they must consider.
It is ridiculous to think that an offense with the defending Super Bowl MVP at quarterback could go five straight games failing to score more than 21 points.
It is ridiculous to think said offense could score the fifth-fewest points in the NFL during that five-game stretch.
It is ridiculous to think that the four teams that have scored fewer points than the Eagles since Week 9 are all teams that have either A) benched their quarterback (Saints, Vikings), B) played with a backup quarterback (Washington), C) or continued to start Geno Smith at quarterback rather than benching him.
It is ridiculous to think that the Jets have outscored the Eagles by seven points over the last five games while shuffling Tyrod Taylor and Justin Fields at quarterback.
In his weekly interview on Eagles flagship station 94.1 WIP after the team’s 22-19 loss to the Chargers on Monday, Sirianni dismissed the notion that he might make a change at quarterback.
“No, I think that’s ridiculous,” Sirianni said. “I know every time I go out on that field with Jalen Hurts as our quarterback, we have a chance to win the game. That’s something that’s been proven. We’ve won a lot of football games.”
But you know what’s really, truly, magnificently ridiculous to think? That any quarterback could play as poorly as Hurts has played in back-to-back losses to the Bears and the Chargers without prompting some level of discussion about whether or not he should continue to start. As good as Hurts has played in his two Super Bowl appearances, that’s how bad he has played over the last couple of weeks.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is shown with A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts against the Chargers on Monday night.
In the Eagles’ loss to the Chargers on Monday, Hurts did something that only 10 other quarterbacks have done over the last 10 seasons. Here’s the list of names of quarterbacks who have thrown four interceptions on 40 or fewer pass attempts with no touchdowns while averaging six or fewer yards per attempt:
Max Brosmer (2025)
Sam Howell (2023)
Trevor Lawrence (2021)
Davis Mills (2021)
Jake Luton (2020)
Sam Darnold (2018 and 2019)
Nathan Peterman (2017)
Andy Dalton (2017)
Apart from Lawrence, all of those guys eventually either lost their job as starter or never really had it to begin with. It took a couple of years for Darnold and Dalton. But it certainly wouldn’t sound ridiculous now to know that people were talking about benching them at the time. In fact, the two words that might best describe all eight of those players are, “Eminently benchable.”
The rebuttal from Sirianni, et. al. is as follows. None of those eight players have been to two Super Bowls, and they’ve certainly never won one. None of those eight players have ever come close to factoring into an NFL MVP discussion. With the possible exceptions of Lawrence and Darnold, none of those players have ever come close to the quarterback Hurts was in the first nine weeks of the season, let alone at his peak.
If you are going to ding Hurts for throwing four interceptions in his most recent start, you have to credit him for throwing only one in his first nine starts of the season. The Eagles offense didn’t set the world on fire in those first nine games, but it was the kind of unit that plenty of NFL teams would be thrilled to have. They scored 30 points three times, twice against potential playoff opponents (Rams, Bucs). We’ve seen this offense be plenty good enough with Hurts under center this season.
Nobody was talking about benching Patrick Mahomes in 2023 when the Chiefs lost five of eight games and averaged under 20 points per game between Weeks 8-16. It’s a good thing, too. Mahomes recovered to win his last five starts, four of them in the postseason, the last three of them on the road, including a 25-22 victory over the 49ers in the Super Bowl.
Again, so the argument goes.
Sirianni’s head is in the right place. No team in modern NFL history has benched a quarterback this late into a season and gone on to win a Super Bowl. Nick Foles and Jeff Hostetler caught lightning in a bottle, but they were injury-related replacements. It’s absolutely ridiculous to think that the Eagles’ Super Bowl odds would improve with Tanner McKee at quarterback. That’s true even if you limit the discussion to the aptitude of each player. When you broaden the scope to include the ramifications within the locker room and the organization of benching a player of Hurts’ caliber, the discussion does seem more than a tad silly.
What isn’t silly is the thought process of those fans and media members who have floated the prospect of a switch to McKee. The Eagles aren’t going to win a Super Bowl with Hurts playing as he has in recent weeks. Something is broken, and Sirianni and his coaching staff need to figure out a way to fix it. Hurts doesn’t need to be a world-beater to be a quarterback who can lead these Eagles to a second straight title. But he needs to be functional.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni defended his quarterback this week when asked about the possibility of benching Jalen Hurts.
“You always praise the things that they do well, and you correct the things that you want them to improve,” Sirianni said on Wednesday when asked about his approach to coaching Hurts. “That’s our job as coaches. The tone or the energy or whatever you do, won’t get too much into that. You may not coach everything exactly the same as far as demeanor. There’s a time to yell, there’s a time to bring [it] up, but it always goes back to, and I think there’s an art to this, it always goes back to the standard. Did you meet the standard, or did you not meet the standard? Then there’s an art to how you correct it in the sense of that. But it always goes back to the standard. Did you meet it? Great, and you’re going to praise that. Did you not? Then you correct it.”
They need to correct it fast. The Raiders and Commanders are two opponents who won’t offer an opportunity for any excuses. These next two games are an opportunity for Hurts to quiet the noise and get himself back into a rhythm that can carry over into the postseason. If that doesn’t happen, you’ll only need one word to characterize the thought of the Eagles in another Super Bowl.
Adoree’ Jackson’s interception of Justin Herbert with 10 seconds remaining in the second quarter Monday night was gift-wrapped thanks to Jaelan Phillips getting a hand on Herbert as he released the ball. But there was another present: Kimani Vidal’s 15-yard personal foul.
It set the Eagles up on the Chargers’ 30-yard line. After a miserable half, they were in field goal range to at least cut Los Angeles’ 10-6 lead to 10-9. They had two timeouts to try to advance the ball and give Jake Elliott an even more manageable field goal.
Instead, Jalen Hurts took a shotgun snap, looked only to his left, where three receivers were running routes near the sideline, and launched the ball intentionally out of bounds. Elliott trotted onto the field and missed from 48 yards out — just his second miss of the season on a field goal inside 50 yards, although he missed an extra point a week earlier.
Any analysis of what went wrong could theoretically stop right there. SoFi Stadium is indoors, and Elliott knows it’s a kick he needed to make.
“They need to stop,” Elliott said of his misses. “I feel like I’m striking the ball well. Last week, obviously, windy conditions. But no excuses here indoors. It’s frustrating.”
Elliott was rightly frustrated with himself, but he had reason to be frustrated with his team for not making the kick any easier on him. The Eagles had two timeouts, but the play they called looked more like a time-waster than one with a real chance at advancing the football.
Four of the five route-runners were near the sideline. The fifth, Jahan Dotson, wasn’t even to his break before Hurts fired the ball out of bounds.
Here’s a screenshot of where the receivers were when Hurts released the ball:
The play the Eagles ran before attempting a field goal before halftime Monday night. (Screenshot from NFL Pro film review.)
It was a low-percentage play that the Chargers covered easily. Perhaps the Eagles were simply just comfortable with the distance for Elliott, who had already converted from 41 yards and 30 yards in the first half and entered Monday 9-for-10 on kicks inside 50 yards.
But why, with two timeouts, was there not any effort to use the middle of the field to try to make the attempt a little bit easier for Elliott?
“We’re trying to advance it,” Nick Sirianni said when he was asked Wednesday. “The way we tried to advance it was to the sideline, and it didn’t work. We have plays in our offense to be able to advance it, without getting too much [into it], in the middle, and then we have plays in our playbook that try to advance it on the sideline. We chose the one on the sideline and it didn’t work.”
The three points would have been critical, but it’s not the only reason the Eagles lost. Still, the inability to get points before halftime when they are available has been an ongoing theme for the Eagles.
On the year, the Eagles have started a possession inside 1 minute, 20 seconds on the clock before halftime eight times and have zero points to show for it from those scenarios. (They have started four possessions just before the two-minute warning and have come away with points on three.)
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has been conservative this year in late-half situations.
Every situation and every game is different. The Eagles had two of them vs. Denver. The first possession came with 1:19 left and the ball on their own 11-yard line. They went three-and-out, but they forced a Broncos punt on the ensuing drive that gave them another possession starting at their own 5-yard line with only eight seconds left. Hurts took a knee. No harm, no foul there.
But it’s worth exploring a few of these late-clock examples in which points were possible. In Week 3 vs. the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles had a woeful first half of offense. But they got the ball on their own 35-yard line, trailing 19-7, with 10 seconds left on the clock and three timeouts. They opted to have Hurts kneel and go to halftime. They eventually won the game, but only because of two blocked field goals. Three points may have been critical.
Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7, the Eagles got the ball back at their own 16-yard line with 59 seconds left and all three timeouts. To their credit, they came out firing. Hurts connected with DeVonta Smith on first down for 6 yards. Then, without huddling, the two hooked up again for a 16-yard gain to the Eagles’ 38-yard line. The Eagles took their first timeout with 34 seconds left.
Hurts threw incomplete on the next play and was sacked on second down to bring up a third-and-13 from the Eagles’ 35-yard line. There were 23 seconds on the clock when Hurts was tackled, but Sirianni decided to let the clock expire rather than calling a timeout to run another play. The Eagles hit halftime with a 14-6 lead and kicked off to Minnesota to start the second half.
“In that particular case, it was time to let that drive end and go to the locker room,” Sirianni said the next day, after the Eagles’ 28-22 victory. “Third-and-13 is not a guarantee. I believe in our team and believe in our guys at all costs, but you’ve also got to play smart.
“Third-and-13 in that situation where you’re not in a guaranteed, ‘Hey I’m getting points if I convert this third-and-13.’ I’m still going to have work to do once I do get this third-and-13.’ The risks kind of outweigh the potential benefits from it. At that point, you don’t get it and then you have to punt.
“Obviously, I wanted to go and get points, which is why you saw the drive go as it was, but once we did take the sack, we played that how I wanted to play that. I have no regrets there.”
Coach Nick Sirianni walks off after the Eagles lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sirianni is somewhat obsessed with situational football. He has studied end-of-half scenarios — not just his own, but other situations around the league. Each scenario in a given game has different context, including how the offense is playing at that time.
The Eagles have pushed the envelope in these spots in the past, but they have gone conservative at times this year.
Against Dallas in Week 12, the Eagles, leading 21-7, started a drive with two timeouts and 17 seconds left in the first half at their own 28-yard line. They called a handoff to Saquon Barkley that went for 1 yard and let the clock expire. Perhaps a chunk run would have resulted in a timeout and some aggression from the Eagles to try to score points, but how often have chunk runs been reliable? And if the point was to just get to halftime, why not just kneel?
Points weren’t guaranteed, but they were possible.
The Eagles, of course, lost that game by three. Just like they did Monday.
It doesn’t get much worse than a prime-time loss headlined by a five-turnover performance from your starting quarterback. Especially when Hard Knocks is there to film it.
The HBO documentary series released its second episode on the NFC East on Tuesday, bringing a behind-the-scenes look at each team’s preparation for Week 14 of the NFL season.
The latest episode looked into the Eagles’ wide receiver room, Zach Ertz’s unfortunate injury, and what players were saying on the sideline during Monday night’s deflating loss.
Here’s what you may have missed from Episode 2 of Hard Knocks …
Brown feels the love
If you have listened to sports radio throughout the season, you have likely heard about A.J. Brown.
Described by some as a diva receiver, the seventh year All-Pro wideout received a large amount of screen time from Hard Knocks this week, starting with some of his charity work at a local Acme.
“Shopping’s on you today?” one Philadelphia resident asked.
“It’s on me,” Brown responded. “Go get you another steak.”
“Just spreading holiday cheer and just paying for customers’ groceries,” Brown said in a later interview. “Trying to make someone’s day.”
Brown appeared to make one shopper’s day in more ways than one.
After he met a pair of customers and told them their groceries were on his foundation, one of the women thanked the Eagles wide receiver and finished by telling Brown, “You’re fine.”
In case Brown didn’t hear her, she leaned in and whispered in his ear, “I said, ‘You’re fine.’” Brown thanked her before the two shared a laugh.
“She kind of surprised me,” Brown said during an interview. “I read her lips perfectly fine the first time, but it just didn’t register in my brain. And then she leaned in and whispered it again, and I was just in shock. But that was a cool moment.”
A.J. Brown paid for fans' groceries to spread some holiday cheer ❤️ @Eagles
After checking in on DeVonta Smith’s Pilates workout, and reliving some of Nick Sirianni’s college highlights (more on that in a bit), the episode moved to the wide receiver room for a conversation between Smith and Brown about a fear you wouldn’t expect to hear out of an Eagle.
“If you get on a plane,” Smith said, “you [are] not afraid of heights.”
“It ain’t like we got a choice,” Brown responded. “What are you going to do, drive?”
Smith shared an interesting strategy for surviving a plane crash, which we wouldn’t recommend trying.
.@devontasmith has a plan if he ever needs to get off a plane 😂
The Washington Commanders’ portion of the show focused on Zach Ertz, the former Eagles tight end and Super Bowl LII champion.
Former Eagles tight end Zach Ertz scoring a touchdown against Washington in 2017.
The 35-year-old is second all-time in receptions for the Birds, and was candid with the documentary crew about not knowing how long he has left in the game.
“I try and exhaust myself in this career as much as I can,” Ertz said. “I don’t know how much longer I’m going to play in my whole career, it’s just been focused on the task at hand and how I can be better as a player.”
In meetings, coaches even poked fun at Ertz’s increasing age — comparing the tight end, who recently rose to top five all-time in career receptions for his position, to a clip of then 89-year-old Bryan Sperry scoring a touchdown in a 2015 Kansas football alumni scrimmage.
It was a hard watch, especially for those who knew what was coming next.
During the team’s 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Ertz suffered a season-ending ACL injury — with Hard Knocks providing an up-close view of the ordeal, letting fans witness Ertz’s raw emotions leaving the field.
“I think it like hyperextended in the back,” Ertz said. “I don’t think I can get up by myself.”
The former Eagles star may have played his last down of football after leaving the field in tears.
A game to forget
The second episode ends with the Eagles’ overtime loss to the Chargers, the team’s third straight defeat in what some worry will be another end-of-season collapse.
In the week leading up to the game, Sirianni focused on motivation as the team looks to get back on track. But his own college highlights brought excitement to the team, especially Brown.
“You want to know his personality? Just watch these highlights,” Brown said as the episode showed Sirianni catching touchdown passes — and celebrating — at Mount Union College. “And that’s how he coaches and how he wants to be on the sideline, but he may have to calm down — like he is the coach.”
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw four interceptions against the Chargers on Monday night.
As for the actual game, one many Birds fans likely don’t wish to relive, Hard Knocks makes sure to cover every excruciating detail — starting with Hurts’ two turnovers on one play in the second quarter.
“Damn, man,” Smith said. “We can’t get all the way down there and do that.”
Later, in the fourth, following Saquon Barkley’s 52-yard touchdown on a fake Tush Push, the show shifts focus to a potential go-ahead touchdown Brown dropped in the back of the end zone, leading to overtime.
“I’m more than capable of making those plays,” Brown said after the game. “Jalen trusts me in any situation. I made some plays, but I wasn’t great when it mattered.”
Before the Eagles took the field on offense in OT — trailing by three and needing a field goal to tie it or a touchdown to end the game — Barkley had this to say to Brown and Smith.
“One of us three, all right?” Barkley said. “It’s that simple.”
After Smith’s huge third-and-16 conversion to get the Eagles across midfield, the hype built even further.
“We are about to score,” Brandon Graham said from the sidelines. “You hear me?”
Of course, the game ended on Hurts’ fourth interception of the night on a pass to Jahan Dotson, and the Eagles fell to 8-5.
The Eagles will be back in prime time as they try to stop a two-game skid from turning into three against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Monday Night Football.
Here’s everything you need to know about the team’s Week 14 matchup …
How to watch Eagles vs. Chargers
The Eagles kick off against the Chargers at 8:15 p.m. on ABC and ESPN, with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on the sidelines. For fans looking for a more monstrous viewing experience, ESPN will be producing an animated Funday Football alternative cast on ESPN2, DisneyXD and Disney+ set in the Monsters, Inc. universe.
If you prefer Merrill Reese and Mike Quick on the call, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP-FM. And if you want to watch the game with fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
For the Chargers, quarterback Justin Herbert is questionable after undergoing surgery to repair a fracture in his left (non-throwing) hand earlier in the week. Here’s a look at the final injury report for both sides.
Eagles
Out
DT Jalen Carter, shoulders
T Lane Johnson, foot
Questionable
S Marcus Epps, shoulder
T Myles Hinton, back
Chargers
Out
TE Tucker Fisk, ankle
Questionable
RB Omarion Hampton, ankle
QB Justin Herbert, left hand
DT Otito Ogbonnia, elbow
Eagles vs. Chargers odds
As of Saturday afternoon, the Eagles were 2.5-point favorites at FanDuel and DraftKings. Both sportsbooks have set the projected point total at 41.5.
With their win over the Eagles on Black Friday, the Bears moved ahead of the Birds in the NFC standings.
Playoff picture
With five games remaining in the regular season, the 8-4 Eagles hold a two-game lead over the NFC East and hold the third seed in the NFC. At 2-11, the Giants are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, and the 3-9 Commanders can be eliminated from the divisional race with a loss or an Eagles win this week. The Cowboys, at 6-6-1, stand the best chance of taking the division lead from the Eagles, though Dallas’ loss to the Lions on Thursday night gave the Birds a bit of extra cushion.
NFC East standings
!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}})}();
The Bears and the Rams, both at 9-3, sit ahead of the Eagles in the NFC’s playoff seeding. The Birds have a tiebreak advantage over the Rams thanks to their 33-26 win over Los Angeles in Week 3, but the Bears hold the head-to-head advantage over the Eagles after last week’s loss.
NFC Standings
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
Police confirmed earlier this week that offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s Moorestown home was vandalized after the Eagles’ loss to the Bears on Black Friday.
But the Birds’ defense also struggled in the team’s 24-15 loss to Chicago at Lincoln Financial Field last Friday, giving up 281 rushing yards. After holding opponents to fewer than 400 yards of offense in each of its first 10 games, Vic Fangio’s defense allowed both the Cowboys and the Bears to eclipse 400 yards of total offense in back-to-back games. Can the defense recover from back-to-back poor performances and contain the Chargers without Carter?
Injuries will also play a part in Monday night’s game for the Chargers. Jim Harbaugh’s team is preparing for Herbert to be their starting quarterback against the Eagles after he had surgery on his fractured left hand on Monday, though his status was listed as questionable on Saturday’s injury report. Herbert’s right throwing hand is healthy, but will a recovering left hand impact Herbert’s abilities on the field? Or will the Eagles see backup Trey Lance on Monday night?
75.9% – The rate of trips to the red zone that have resulted in touchdowns for the Eagles this season.
While the Eagles’ offensive struggles have been well documented, the Birds are leading the league in efficiency when they get inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. They have converted 22 of their 29 red-zone trips into touchdowns this season.
Our writers are split on their predictions for Monday night. Here’s a snippet of each of what they’re thinking — but you can click their names for a more in-depth breakdown …
Jeff McLane: I’m sure fans hate whenever I pick the Eagles. I get the joke. But I like their chances against a limited quarterback, and definitely if Lance starts. I don’t think the offense will rise from the near-dead, but I anticipate noticeable changes off the mini-bye that will aid their chances. I also like Hurts indoors. | Prediction: Eagles 25, Chargers 19
Jeff Neiburg: Justin Herbert is wearing a cast on his left hand, and the Chargers have a passing attack that should play into the Eagles’ hands, as long as they’re able to stop the run and get Herbert into third-and-longs. That may seem like a big ask without Carter, and it is, but the Eagles have had a solid enough run defense for most of the season to think Vic Fangio and Co. will make sure the last performance was just a one-game blip. | Prediction: Eagles 23, Chargers 20
Olivia Reiner: On one hand, I find it hard to believe that this Eagles team, with all of its talent, will lose three straight games for the first time since 2023. On the other, these matchups aren’t exactly favorable for the Eagles, even with an injured Herbert factored into the equation. | Prediction: Chargers 27, Eagles 24
Matt Breen: Omarion Hampton is trending to play Monday night, giving the Chargers a two-headed rushing attack against the Eagles. Does that remind you of anything? … This seems like a tough spot. | Prediction: Chargers 27, Eagles 17
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have lost four of their last eight games.
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Here’s what our columnists are saying about the Eagles this week, starting with Marcus Hayes, who argues that Jalen Carter’s injury will intensify the pressure on Jalen Hurts …
Marcus Hayes: “The Eagles can win three of their remaining games, four if they win Monday night. That would give them 12 wins and a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC, since they’ve beaten the Rams and Lions, and since the Bears have a much more challenging schedule left to play. But no longer can the Eagles expect their defense to win games for them, as Hurts squeezes the football and stares, mystified, into opposing secondaries.” Read more.
David Murphy: “The reality of the NFL is that good teams struggle. It is a counterpunchers league, led by a bunch of maniac coaches who won’t rest until they figure out what you are doing and how to beat it. Andy Reid did not suddenly become a worse offensive coach over the last three seasons. Patrick Mahomes is still the same Patrick Mahomes who threw for 5,250 yards in 2022. Nobody in Kansas City or elsewhere is seriously questioning whether one of them is the problem. The Eagles made it look easy last year. But last year was an anomaly. The competitive environment this season is much closer to the norm.” Read more.
Mike Sielski: “That narrative — that [A.J.] Brown is only about Brown and his selfishness damages the Eagles — has never held up under much scrutiny. Should he stay off social media more? Of course he should. But they have a 53-18 record (regular-season and postseason), have won a Super Bowl, and reached another since acquiring him. At least 29 other teams in the NFL would sign up for that level of damage. Read more.
Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert broke a bone in his non-throwing hand last week against the Raiders.
What the Chargers are saying
At 8-4, the Chargers are in the current playoff picture in the AFC as the top wild-card team and trail the 10-2 Broncos for the lead in the AFC West. According to NFL.com’s playoff probabilities, a win against the Eagles would give the Chargers a 76% chance of making the playoffs, while a loss drops their postseason odds to 50%.
Herbert’s status under center is still in question, but the Chargers have prepared this week as if he will be the starting quarterback. Herbert had high praise for Vic Fangio’s defense as he prepared to face the Birds this week.
“He’s had a ton of success in this league,” Herbert said. “Back at his time with the Broncos, we saw him twice a year and we had a lot of respect for him then … The guys that they have on that side of the ball are game-wreckers and you have to be aware of those guys, and at the same time they are really well-coached, and it makes for a dangerous combination for a defense.”
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Fangio’s coverage schemes: “I was born at night, but not last night. Vic’s going to have different ways to leverage coverage to where it’s not one-on-one at all times … But as far as the matchup, I like Ladd [McConkey] against anybody.”
Wide receiver Quentin Johnston on Herbert’s injury: “I forgot he was dealing with something the way he’s playing. But that’s just the type of guy he is. Very, very tough guy. He was still at practice, throwing very accurate, so he honestly looked like he hasn’t lost his touch. So right now, just getting him through practice and getting him through the week and prepared for Sunday.”
Defensive end Khalil Mack on the Eagles’ offensive line without Lane Johnson: “Nameless, faceless objects. You understand who they are and what they’ve been able to accomplish and the level of football they play at, so it’s going to be a hell of a challenge.”
Guard Tyler Steen, center Cam Jurgens, and guard Landon Dickerson make up 60% of the Eagles starting offensive line.
What the national media is saying
Back-to-back losses from the Birds has placed them under the microscope of national network analysts and pundits, who are trying to diagnose what’s wrong with the reigning Super Bowl champs. On his New Heights podcast, former Eagles center Jason Kelce said the team will be in better shape once his former teammate Johnson returns from injury to his spot at right tackle.
“Lane Johnson coming back will be huge,” Jason said. “Even though [backup Fred Johnson] has done well, especially in pass [protection]. I think the run game is close, I know it hasn’t manifested yet. It’s frustrating watching because you know it can be so much better. I think with the health that is starting to come, it will only improve.”
Here’s what else the national media had to say about the Birds…
Travis Kelce on how pre-snap motions might help the Eagles offense: “You watch the Chiefs play, you see me moving around all the time. I move from one side of the line to the other side of the line, and what that does for the defense is it changes passing strength, it changes rules on how they’re going to pass off routes, it changes how they have to fill gaps.”
Dan Orlovsky on the Eagles’ first-down struggles: “If you struggle as an offense on first down, it makes second down much harder, and then therefore third down much harder. Until they play better as an offensive line and play better offensively on first down, that’s not going to get fixed.”
Hard Knocks has come to Philadelphia … in more ways than one.
The famed HBO documentary series premiered the first episode of its in-season special Tuesday, bringing NFL fans a behind-the-scenes look at each team in the NFC East.
The episode is the first of eight, with subsequent releases planned each Tuesday night until Jan. 20.
The premiere gave viewers a look into Nick Sirianni’s leadership, the Eagles’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and explanations for crucial missed plays against the Chicago Bears.
Here’s what you may have missed from the first episode of Hard Knocks: In Season With the NFC East …
The Eagles have lost two in a row — and four of their last eight games — as Nick Sirianni continues to look for answers.
‘Thankful for adversities’
Before any flashy credits or highlights came across the screen, Hard Knocks provided coverage on the reigning champion Eagles, just not in the way Philly fans like.
The show opens with a conversation between Sirianni and Brandon Graham inside the Eagles’ practice facility. Discussing the Eagles’ upset loss to the Cowboys, Sirianni celebrates having to overcome adversity while commenting that players need to focus more on improving instead of complaining.
“Little setback,” Sirianni said. “No one wants to go through adversity until they go through it and be like, ‘Man, I needed that [expletive].’ Like last year, we had to go through that. Unfortunately, we had to go through ’23 to get to where we got last year.
“Same [expletive] here. Sometimes we get like, ‘Man, I don’t like what I am going through right now.’ Then fix it.”
Replied Graham: “It’s good, because it’s shaping up to see who you are, too.”
Following a quick introduction to the docuseries by narrator Liev Schreiber, which included tongue-in-cheek remarks about the Tush Push while the Impressions’ “Keep on Pushing” played in the background, the episode’s focus transitioned back to the Birds’ 21-point blown lead at AT&T Stadium.
Listening to the Cowboys’ sideline, lowlight after lowlight is shown of the Eagles’ poor second-half performance — rubbing salt in a still-fresh wound for Philly fans.
The show checked in with the Cowboys, Giants, and Commanders — who all seemed to show more positivity than the Eagles throughout the episode, despite having a worse record, a head coach fired, and an injured starting quarterback, respectively — before cycling back to left tackle Jordan Mailata addressing media criticism on 94 WIP.
The former seventh-round pick claimed that criticism toward Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, the offensive line, and Saquon Barkley has brought the team closer together — echoing Sirianni’s previous comments regarding adversity.
“It’s bringing us closer,” Mailata said. “It’s bringing us closer, man. We know what we have, and we’ve just got to keep going to work. When crap hits the fan, what I know how to do best is just go back to work and put your head down, and you go out there, and you have another chance on Friday — just play your heart out.”
Sirianni brought the point home in a continuation of his talk with Graham when he doubled down on his positive outlook on the Eagles’ struggles.
“I’m always thankful for adversities because I see every adversity as a way to come together as a football team,” Sirianni told Graham. “It’s not that you’re enjoying it or it’s pleasant going through it, but I am sure thankful for the adversities I went through to be where I am today.”
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has received much of the blame from fans, but quarterback Jalen Hurts took responsibility for the team’s loss to the Bears.
Hurts takes the blame
Hard Knocks also brought fans directly into the Birds’ preparation leading up to the team’s 24-15 loss to Chicago on Black Friday. The episode showed a focused Sirianni projecting the Bears logo on the screen at a team meeting, and Hurts delivering his signature “keep the main thing the main thing” line.
There were also small glimpses into Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line meetings, Scot Loeffler’s quarterback room, and Kevin Patullo’s presentation to the offense — providing insight into the team’s sense of urgency in fixing that side of the ball.
“When we look back, we don’t want to say, ‘Oh woulda, coulda, shoulda,’” Patullo said. “[Expletive] that. We’ve got to fix it now.”
When the show reaches the moment when the Eagles have their chance to fix it — last week’s matchup with the Bears — viewers get a glimpse into what actually went wrong for the Birds against Chicago.
First on the docket was Hurts’ uncharacteristically errant pass to DeVonta Smith in the second quarter — one that turned a would-be touchdown into a field-goal attempt — which we now know was caused by a missed hand signal Hurts sent Smith before the snap.
“When I pointed like this — that’s my fault, I thought you was going to settle down,” Hurts said to Smith after the play. “… [Expletive], that’s a play I’ve got to make.”
Hard Knocks showed the conversation between Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith after Hurts missed a critical throw vs the Bears. pic.twitter.com/jdqYj33aGg
“Y’all keep doing what y’all doing,” Hurts said while addressing his wide receiver group and offensive line. “Here we go, we’re going to finish the next one, that’s a play I make.”
On the verge of scoring once again, another mistake prevented a score — a fumble during a Tush Push play in the third quarter, for which Hurts once again took the blame.
“That’s me,” Hurts said after the play. “[Expletive] I did. Trying to secure the ball and he came straight in there and gutted it out. That’s on me, I’ve got to protect the [expletive] ball.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown had his best game of the season against the Bears, but the Eagles still lost.
Keep an eye on these two
Hard Knocks, known for its drama and fireworks, surprisingly did not feature anything from A.J. Brown after his recent comments regarding the Eagles’ struggle on offense.
But after Brown scored coming out of halftime against the Bears, the star wide receiver did share a brief interaction with Patullo — an interaction that may interest those who want to learn more about the pair’s relationship.
“I told you,” Patullo said after Brown’s touchdown. “You told me, I told you.”
As the series and the Eagles’ offensive woes continue, interactions between Brown and Patullo will continue to be scrutinized. And all Eagles fans can do is hope that Patullo and Brown keep telling each other whatever it takes to put more points on the board.
It’s OK if you don’t want to admit how many times you listened to “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters — Spotify will tell us, anyway.
Spotify Wrapped — the music platform’s annual, aesthetically pleasing deep dive into users’ listening habits — is back again with the feature dropping Wednesday morning.
The 11-year-old feature is both beloved and feared by users for its unflinchingly honest view into users’ favorite music over the last year-ish. So much so, last year, U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey admitted that he manipulated his Wrapped results to be Bruce Springsteen-forward.
Features include users’ most-listened-to songs, artists, and albums, as well as the duration of time spent listening to music. There are also some bragging rights involved — in the past, users within an artist’s top 1% of listeners could access a special video message and sometimes purchase exclusive merch.
Across social media, users share parodies of their Spotify summary, saying things like “You spent 25,684 minutes this year complaining about Nick Sirianni.” Know Your Meme says the meme format dates back to about 2017.
Wrapped is considered one of Spotify’s signature calling cards and a major driver for user engagement and customer retention. This year, it dropped at the same time some users are boycotting Spotify entirely citing ads heard on the platform and its CEO’s investments.
Here’s more on that and Wrapped 2025:
When did Spotify Wrapped results drop?
Spotify Wrapped was released on Wednesday morning.
Historically, the feature usually drops the week after Thanksgiving, around the first week of December.
How do I see and share my Spotify Wrapped results?
Once Spotify Wrapped is live, here’s how you can see your results. Use the service’s mobile or web browser versions. It is not available on the desktop app.
Here are the steps:
Open Spotify on your phone. A prompt to see your 2025 Wrapped should be visible from the homepage of the app. If it isn’t, or you’re using a web browser, visit www.spotify.com/us/wrapped.
Find the “Wrapped” section in the top navigation bar, a featured playlist, or by typing “Wrapped” in Spotify’s search bar.
This year’s Wrapped results include a “report” and assign listeners to a club based on their listening habits, like the Serotonin Club or the Grit Club. It also has a visual component that shows artists racing for the top of your streams month by month. With bold black and white designs and colorful fonts, it walks you through your listening journey, featuring your total minutes spent listening to music, top songs, artists, genres, and podcasts. One new feature includes users’ “listening age” based on how trendy their picks are among generations.
Each slide of the Wrapped Story has a “share” button at the bottom. Click that button to save each individual slide to your camera roll or post on social media. At the end of your Wrapped Story, there will be a second opportunity to save your Top Artists summary.
What’s the time frame for Spotify Wrapped data?
It’s fuzzy. While Spotify spokespeople previously said data was analyzed between January and October, the streaming platform said in 2023 that Wrapped was still counting past Halloween.
The announcement sparked light controversy among audiophiles — the last week of October was once treated like the ultimate good-music-curating season to ensure impressive results.
Spotify users would also treat November and December like open season, free to blast holiday music on repeat without fear of it reflecting on their “cultural report card.”
But with an indefinite cutoff date, users remain left in the dark when it comes to how their listening habits will be reflected when Wrapped drops. Last year, the company again promised that data collection would happen past Halloween, but hasn’t disclosed a firm deadline.
We don’t know exactly when listening data stopped being collected this year. But we can guess it was sometime in mid- to late November.
Can I modify my results? What does ‘excluding from my taste profile’ really mean?
Where’s the fun in that?
There’s no way to modify your Wrapped results (unless you’re the aforementioned U.S. rep and opt to photoshop them). You get what you get, guilty pleasure songs and all — unless you plan ahead.
Spotify has a feature you can opt out of, including some elements from your listening data.
While using Spotify, users can click the ellipses next to a playlist and select “exclude from your taste profile.” For example, you can exclude your nightly “10 hours of ocean waves” playlist or your kid’s Disney playlist to keep those tracks from influencing your weekly Discover playlists and annual Wrapped data, Spotify says.
The caveat here is this only works for playlists, not individual songs, artists, or albums. A loophole could be curating a playlist of every sleep song, white noise track, guilty pleasure bop, or kids’ music that isn’t yours and excluding that entire playlist from your taste profile. But you’d have to do this ahead of time.
You can’t make edits to your Wrapped results after the fact.
What can I do with my Spotify Wrapped data?
You can post it on social media to brag about your incredible taste, obviously.
Beyond that, there are several third-party sites you can link your Spotify account to that will analyze your Wrapped data and roast you even more.
How Bad is Your Spotify is an AI bot that will judge your music taste. And be warned, it’s kind of harsh. Some results include: “Your spotify was tay-tay-fangirl-cling-clang-pots-and-pans-music-ponytail-pop bad,” “Your spotify was bon-iver’s-impact-escape-room cabincore bad,” and “Your spotify was folklore-evermore-dumbledore-witch-pop-escape-room-has-a-1975-lyric-tattoo bad.” You get the idea.
Receiptify reports your top songs in the form of a shareable shopping receipt graphic, while Instafest conceptualizes a music festival lineup based on your top artists.
What’s up with the Spotify boycott?
In recent months, Spotify’s received backlash over reports that its CEO, Daniel Ek, invested $693.6 million in the European defense technology start-up Helsing. The tech has been criticized for its role in driving the military-industrial complex and ethical concerns over surveillance technology.
Around the same time, reports came out that Spotify — and other streaming services — were running ICE recruitment ads. A spokesperson for the company said the ads were part of a wider ad campaign by the U.S. government running across multiple platforms.
Rolling Stone reported that the Spotify users hearing the ads were using the streaming platform’s free ad-supported tier and that other streaming platforms running the same ad campaign included Amazon Music, Hulu, Max, YouTube, and Pandora as early as April. Apple Music did not run the ads, but it’s a paid-only service with no free ad-supported tier.
Is there a version of Spotify Wrapped for Apple or Amazon Music?
Yes and no. For the first time last year, Amazon Music launched 2024 Delivered, its clapback to the Spotify Wrapped experience. The feature gives a graphic breakdown of users’ listening habits. Amazon Music users can access it by opening the Amazon Music app and tapping a banner that says “2025 Delivered” in their Library.
Apple Music has a feature called Replay, which is available all year and allows users to see a detailed view of their listening habits. Similar to Wrapped, Replay has a “year-end experience.” The Replay year-end experience debuted in 2023. Critics said at the time that Apple’s version lacked in the shareable experiences and themes that Spotify does so well.
YouTube Music also offers a “year in review” recap with breakdowns of users’ top songs, albums, artists, and total listening time over the year.
But none of them feel quite like Wrapped, which is praised for its extra pizazz.
The Eagles gave up 281 rushing yards to the Bears on Friday, the ninth-highest total they’ve allowed in team history. The defense also allowed Chicago to make history of its own: DeAndre Swift and Kyle Monangai became the first pair of Bears running backs to each rush for 100 yards in a game since 1985.
The Eagles’ ground offense didn’t enjoy nearly as much success. Saquon Barkley gained a modest 56 yards on 13 carries and extended his touchdown drought to four games. No other Eagles running back received carries.
The Birds (8-4) have a chance to rebound on Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers, although their consecutive losses have resulted in a significant drop across power rankings. Here’s where the Eagles stand heading into Week 14 …
The Ringer: Fifth
Despite giving the Eagles the highest ranking of any list, Diante Lee, who dropped Philly one spot, believes that the team’s conservative philosophy has hindered its ability to win games and develop young players.
“Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni seems to have convinced himself that he’s solved the game of football. He’s got a formula for his team: Avoid turnovers, keep the game simple on offense, and let the defense carry the team home in the second half,” Lee wrote.
“But that formula has caused the entire franchise to stagnate. Outside of young star cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, is there a single player who looks better now than he did a year ago? Outside of a drive or two per game, have we seen anything that looks cohesive from this offense? And most concerning, is there any reason to trust that this team will even have an extra gear come playoff time?”
The loss to the Bears dropped the Eagles four spots in ESPN’s rankings. Tim McManus’ primary concern was the effectiveness of their rushing attack.
“The reigning Offensive Player of the Year has had a difficult time getting going in 2025. He is on pace for 1,048 rushing yards, just about half of his production from his record-breaking 2024 season (2,005),” McManus wrote. “He has faced more stacked boxes and is running behind an offensive line that hasn’t been as buttoned up as last season’s group. The ground game is vital to Philadelphia’s operation. The Eagles need to figure out how to unlock Barkley if they have designs on making another run.”
Barkley is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry this season, a dramatic decline from the 5.8 yards the Penn State alum averaged last season.
Jeff Stoutland’s offensive line has been hit with several injuries this season.
CBS Sports: Seventh
CBS Sports dropped the Eagles just two spots, but pointed out the decline of the team’s offensive and defensive lines.
“They won a Super Bowl being dominant on both lines. This year, it isn’t close to being that good,” Pete Prisco wrote. “What happened to the defense against the Bears?”
The Eagles finished behind the No. 4 Seattle Seahawks, No. 5 Green Bay Packers, and No. 6 Bears, who all won their Week 13 matchups.
The outlet criticized Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s utilization of their offensive skill position players and expressed doubt that the situation could improve.
“It’s hard to remember a team getting less out of its offensive talent than the 2025 Eagles. They returned four Pro Bowlers, the Super Bowl MVP, and one of the NFL’s best receiver duos in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith from last year’s offense,” Frank Schwab wrote. “That group is 19th in points scored, 24th in yards gained and 22nd in success rate. Just about every player is performing well below their career standards. And three months into the season, it’s unlikely to fix itself and it’s getting harder to trust the Eagles going deep in the playoffs.”
In Thanksgiving fashion, Chad Graff and Josh Kendall shared the most positive takeaway from every team’s game this past week. But they struggled to find one for the Eagles, and the Birds tumbled six spots from No. 3.
“The Bears defense is just OK, yet the Eagles managed only 317 yards of offense and 15 points at home on Black Friday,” Graff and Kendall wrote. “But we’re looking for positives today, and if this offense can get sorted out — which admittedly feels like a big ask 13 weeks into the season — Philadelphia should be fine.”
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have already lost four games this season, more than they lost all of last year.
Sports Illustrated: 10th
The biggest drop of the week took place at Sports Illustrated, where Conor Orr moved the Eagles from third to 10th, although it seems like at least some of the blame lies with Birds fans. There wasn’t any analysis about the team, just a mention of the “uniquely pathetic” vandals who egged Patullo’s house.
Eric Edholm mentioned a litany of issues concerning the Eagles’ play and suggested that the NFC East title was back in play.
“Even the tush push doesn’t feel like a team strength now. There are multiple issues with this offense, but the bottom line is that Jalen Hurts must play better. The presumption is that the Eagles have the defense to make a deep playoff run, but the way they defended the run vs. Chicago suggested this unit isn’t nearly as impregnable as its reputation suggests,” Edholm wrote.
“We haven’t seen a repeat divisional champ in the NFC East since the Eagles won their fourth straight crown in 2004, and this year’s Philly team is doing everything it can to extend the drama as long as possible.”
As a result, the Eagles dropped four spots in NFL.com’s rankings and were leapfrogged by the Packers, Bears, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, and Buffalo Bills.
USA Today’s ranking represented the Eagles’ lowest placement across the board. The outlet dropped the Birds five spots and pointed out the negative correlation between A.J. Brown’s success and the team’s success.
“WR A.J. Brown is averaging 7.3 catches and 91.3 receiving yards (with three TDs) in Philly’s four losses,” Nate Davis wrote. “In his seven other games, all wins, he’s averaging 47.7 yards and 3.9 receptions (with three TDs). So, tell us again how important it is that you get the ball, A.J.?”
On Friday, the Mississippi native had his best game of the season, achieving season highs in receptions (10) and yards (132). Brown also caught both Eagles touchdowns in the loss.
