The frustration between Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown finally went from talk to action on the sidelines.
Following a drop from Brown that led to a consequential three-and-out, Sirianni sprinted toward Brown to tell the two-time All-Pro receiver to run off the field to avoid a penalty. Fox cameras showed Sirianni and Brown in a passionate argument soon after, and the pair eventually was broken up by Big Dom DiSandro, the Eagles’ chief of security.
“Now on the sideline,” play-by-play commentator Kevin Burkhardt said. “Nick Sirianni going at him a little bit, Big Dom says ‘Hey, take it easy. We’re good.’”
Sideline reporter Erin Andrews caught up with Sirianni at halftime, and asked the coach about the tense moment with the star wide receiver.
“Emotions run high, especially in the playoffs,” Sirianni said, according to Andrews. ”Of course, after this game, we’ll go back to loving each other. But, look, this is just the way it is. We’re just fine, thanks.”
Added analyst Tom Brady: “I just don’t think you can expect everyone to be super balanced and chill. You’re a warrior; you’re a gladiator down on the field. Emotions are running high every single play.”
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown’s drop here in the second quarter led to a tense exchange between he and head coach Nick Sirianni.
Fox NFL analyst and Hall of Famer Michael Strahan also weighed in, but he had a different perspective on the exchange.
“I don’t understand why Sirianni is running down there yelling at one of his star players,” Strahan said at halftime. “I don’t think that brings out the best in your player. … In my opinion, as a player, I wouldn’t have taken very well from my coach on the sideline.”
Brown finished with only three catches for 25 yards and failed to record a reception after his confrontation with Sirianni.
Big play Dom
Despite fielding Brown and DeVonta Smith at wide receiver, Big Dom had the biggest highlight catch for the Eagles.
Early in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts was forced to throw the ball away, sailing the rock over the head of Brown straight into the arms of DiSandro.
Brady, in analyst fashion, reviewed Big Dom’s technique.
“Tough catch,” Brady said. “Where’s his hands, Dom, with the grab. Look at him, He can’t believe it’s coming his way. I don’t like the body catch. I want to see hands, thumbs together when the ball is there. The body catch I don’t love.”
Every time the Eagles step into the arena with the 49ers, DiSandro seems to take center stage — the security chief was ejected in 2023, the last matchup between the teams after breaking up a scuffle between Smith and San Francisco linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Big furs have been popular on the Eagles’ sideline over the years, with Chris Long and Josh Sweat, among others, donning similar coats after securing Super Bowl victories in 2017 and 2025. Andrews will be the only person donning one on the Eagles’ sideline this year.
Andrews’ jacket, theorized by internet sleuths as a faux fur Auter product, will run you around $950 if you want it for yourself. We’ve got more reactions to the coat here.
Perfect no more
Early in the first quarter, Burkhardt and Brady were eager to sing the praises of Sirianni, pointing out his perfect home playoff record.
“Two Super Bowls in five years,” Burkhardt said. “One championship, in the playoffs every year, second-most wins of all time in first five years of any coach.”
“There’s always an expectation with winning,” Brady responded. “That’s when you come to the next season, like they did after winning the Super Bowl this year, ‘Oh, everything’s going to be perfect.’ And the reality is, it’s never perfect. You’re always trying to solve problems in the NFL. Every year is a little bit different. How he kind of inserts himself in different roles is what I appreciate. A head coach’s role is really special in what he’s able to do for this club.”
The compliments aged poorly, as Sirianni suffered the first home playoff loss of his career in a matchup featuring plenty of penalties and drama on the sideline.
When it comes to tailgating, Philly is among the best to do it. Whether it’s grilling camel or belly dancing in the snow, Eagles fans know how to step it up for the playoffs — and this year’s pregame tailgate for the Birds’ wild-card matchup with the San Francisco 49ers didn’t disappoint.
Here’s what you missed from the tailgating lots …
Darius Slay back in Philly
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team, appearing on the sideline before the game and even in the parking lots.
The former Birds cornerback posed for photos with fans at the 4th and Jawn tailgate ahead of Sunday’s game. Standing beside his wife, Slay looked at the crowd of Birds fans and smiled as they yelled out “Big Play Slay” and erupted in Eagles chants.
Darius Slay may no longer be part of the Eagles — but that’s not stopping him and his wife Jennifer Slay from supporting his former team. pic.twitter.com/XsSPgLKuRp
Although Slay was released last offseason before signing with the Steelers, he still means a lot to Eagles fans after spending five seasons in Philly, capped off by a Super Bowl victory in February.
“Darius Slay means everything,” said 30-year-old Chris Mallee. “He’s kind of a blue-collar guy like all the people coming to the games. He’s someone that keeps his head down and works really hard, family oriented, he’s a really solid guy.
“We definitely miss him here but we’re glad he’s doing well.”
How do fans feel about Darius Slay making an appearance at the Eagles tailgates pic.twitter.com/G2Akdi8KOQ
Slay was released by the Steelers last month, and subsequently claimed by the Buffalo Bills. However, he informed the Bills he was considering retirement and did not report to the team.
At the same time Slay was hanging with Birds fans Sunday, the Bills were in Jacksonville for their own playoff game. They came back in the final minutes to beat the Jaguars, 27-24, and advance to the divisional round.
John Hirschbuhl and Doug Steinbrecher’s Philly Football Finger caught the eye of George Kittle during his rookie year.
Kittle’s favorite middle finger
Most players who have played in Philly have had at least one memorable interaction with Eagles fans. And George Kittle is no different. The veteran tight end was one of several 49ers players to discuss his relationship with the fan base, and even shared his favorite story, which had to do with a giant middle finger he saw his rookie year.
“There were like four 10-year-old kids holding a seven-foot-tall papier-mâché middle finger that had a rotating thing on it that made the middle finger come up,” Kittle told reporters. “That was the coolest thing, I’ll never forget it. That was my rookie year and I was like, this is excellent.”
That middle finger was back on Sunday.
John Hirschbuhl and Doug Steinbrecher have been building the Philly Football Finger for 25 years. The finger gets displayed for every home game and they bring it with them on the road twice a year.
“George Kittle happened to see it, enjoyed it, sent a police officer over to tell us how he appreciated coming to Philadelphia and how the fans are a little bit nuts here,” said. “We all love football. That’s what it comes down to.”
Kittle was carted off Sunday after suffering what was later reported to be an Achilles injury.
Walking through C Lot, you’ll likely find fans playing cornhole, grilling, and throwing a football around as they prepare for the day’s game. You may also see a grown man wearing a beak on his head as he drags a 49ers helmet through the parking lot with a leash.
That’s 64-year-old David Schofield, also known as “Beak.” He has been “walking the dog” for 21 years.
“The rescues, we just like to bring them out here in the sun and get them some exercise,” Schofield said of his “helmet dog.”
Schofield has made this into a pregame ritual, and owns a helmet for each NFL team.
“It started with a road trip in Buffalo when we took a helmet home to smash,” he said. “But, it was a good helmet so it didn’t smash too easily. So, I ended up putting it on a dog leash. Hence the birth of the helmet dog.”
The playoffs are finally here. The Eagles officially kick off their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field against the San Francisco 49ers.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of their wild-card matchup.
How to watch Eagles vs. Niners
Eagles vs. Niners will kick off on Fox at 4:30 p.m. ET. Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady will call the game from the booth, and Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be on the sidelines.
If you’d rather listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick call the game, the radio broadcast can be found on 94.1 WIP, and if you’re not heading to the Linc, but want to watch the game with your fellow Birds fans, here are a few spots to check out.
There will be six games played over the next three days. Here’s the full playoff schedule for the wild-card round …
NFC
(4) Rams vs. (5) Panthers | Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Fox
(7) Packers vs. (2) Bears | Saturday, 8 p.m., Prime Video
(6) Niners vs. (3) Eagles | Sunday, 4:30 p.m., Fox
Bye: (1) Seahawks
AFC
(6) Bills vs. (3) Jaguars | Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
(7) Chargers vs. (2) Patriots | Sunday, 8:15 p.m., NBC
(5) Texans vs. (4) Steelers | Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Bye: (1) Broncos
Who could the Eagles face in the divisional round?
First, the Birds need to take care of business on Sunday, but if they do, they could face one of three potential remaining NFC teams: the Los Angeles Rams, the Carolina Panthers, or the Chicago Bears. They could not, however, face the Seattle Seahawks or Green Bay Packers.
The lowest advancing seed will play the top-seeded Seahawks in Seattle. And because the Panthers and Rams — the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds, respectively — play one another, a team with a lower seed than the Eagles is guaranteed to advance. The Packers (or Niners, if they beat the Eagles) could also be in that spot.
If the Packers beat the Bears, Green Bay would be the lowest remaining seed and would face Seattle. The Eagles would then play the winner of the Panthers-Ram game, and would get to host that team in the divisional round. However, if the Bears win, the Eagles would travel to Chicago for the divisional round, with the Panthers-Rams winner heading to Seattle.
Because the Eagles-Niners game is the final NFC wild-card matchup, the winner won’t have to wait to find out its opponent.
The Eagles could get offensive tackle Lane Johnson, left, back for Sunday’s wild-card game.
Final injury report
It sounds like the Eagles won’t know until Sunday whether or not right tackle Lane Johnson, who has been out since Week 11 with a Lisfranc (foot) injury, will make his return to the offensive line. Johnson, interior lineman Brett Toth (concussion), and outside linebacker Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) are all listed as questionable for the Birds’ wild-card game. Ojulari was the only of the three who practiced fully on Friday. Johnson and Toth were limited all week.
On the flip side, the Eagles will be getting several banged-up players back in time for the playoffs. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (hip), linebacker Nakobe Dean (hamstring), edge rusher Jaelan Phillips (ankle), tight end Dallas Goedert (knee), and safety Marcus Epps (concussion) were all full participants in Friday’s practice and are expected to play.
Meanwhile the 49ers have quite a few injuries, including to several starters. Veteran tackle Trent Williams, linebackers Dee Winters and Luke Gifford — after the team put LB Tatum Bethune on IR earlier this week — and cornerback Renardo Green are among those listed on the injury report for Sunday’s game. The following players are all questionable:
WR Jacob Cowing (hamstring)
LB Luke Gifford (quadricep)
CB Renardo Green (ankle)
WR Ricky Pearsall (knee, ankle)
DL Keion White (groin, hamstring)
T Trent Williams (hamstring)
LB Dee Winters (ankle)
Eagles-Niners odds
The Birds are a 5.5-point favorite at DraftKings and a 4.5-point favorite at FanDuel as of Friday afternoon. The over/under on both sites is set at 44.5.
As for the Super Bowl, the Seahawks are the betting favorite to win it all. At FanDuel, the Eagles have the fourth-best odds, at +800, behind Seattle, the Rams, and the Broncos. At DraftKings, the Eagles have the fifth-best odds, at +950, also behind the Patriots.
Kevin Patullo is in his first year as the Eagles offensive coordinator.
Storylines to watch
What is the state of the Eagles’ offense? With Johnson potentially set to make his first start since Nov. 16 against the Detroit Lions, the banged-up offensive line could get a big boost.
In the starting offense’s final game of the year in Buffalo, they played one of their best first halves and worst second halves of the year. Which version will show up at the Linc on Sunday? And what will that mean for the future of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo?
More storylines to watch:
Saquon Barkley is extra excited for this weekend’s showdown with Niners running back Christian McCaffrey, whom he calls “one of the best to ever do it.”
Jeff McLane: “There’s a push when it comes to the Eagles’ underperforming offense vs. the 49ers’ subpar defense; but I give the edge to a great Eagles defense over a very good, but not great 49ers offense.” | Eagles 23, Niners 17.
Jeff Neiburg: “It hasn’t been an encouraging season from the Eagles’ offense, to put it mildly, but the 49ers are down multiple linebackers and don’t have an abundance of talent in the secondary. If the Eagles don’t beat themselves, which you can’t rule out, they should be able to establish a running game that gets the offense back on track.” | Eagles 24, Niners 20.
Olivia Reiner: “Maybe the Eagles can finish what the Seahawks started last week and continue to punish the 49ers on the ground. Maybe Jalen Hurts and the passing attack can exploit the 49ers’ thin inside linebacker corps with passes over the middle of the field. Neither have been characteristic of the offense this season, though. Or, maybe, the defense will stifle Shanahan’s offense while Nick Sirianni, Kevin Patullo, and the Eagles offense do just enough to get by. It wouldn’t be the first time.” | Eagles 24, Niners 20.
Matt Breen: “The Niners had a great finish to the season before their dud against the Seahawks, but they just seem too banged up to hang with the Eagles.” | Eagles 24, Niners 13.
The national media is divided over this one, but there’s a definitely lean toward the home team. Here’s a look at how they are predicting Sunday’s game …
Nick Sirianni opted to rest his starters in Week 18 despite a chance to get the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
What we’re saying about the Eagles
Our columnists had plenty to say about the Eagles this week, including Mike Sielski, who believes their toughest opponent is not any team in the bracket, but themselves.
“From Eagles fans to the players themselves, there has seemed to be an ever-present blanket of expectations weighing on them. It’s as if the only thing that would make anyone happy and relieved at any moment this season would be another Super Bowl victory — a benchmark so lofty that it virtually guarantees people will be worried at best and miserable at worst unless the Eagles win every game 49-0.”
Here’s more from our columnists …
David Murphy: “The pertinent question for Kevin Patullo and the Eagles now is what the offense will look like moving forward. This is a weird time of year. Sunday’s wild-card game against the 49ers could be the start of a month of football that leaves us memory-holing our four months of angst. Or, it could be the start of the offseason, and a litany of questions that sound way closer to January 2024 than January 2025.”
Marcus Hayes: “It was Zack Baun. The best linebacker in football over the last two seasons. The man tasked Sunday with covering and tackling Christian McCaffrey, the best offensive player in football, and George Kittle, the league’s best tight end. In a city that still worships linebackers like Chuck Bednarik, Seth Joyner, and Bill Bergey, Baun somehow remains largely anonymous.”
Mike Sielski: “There’s more than one way to be an excellent head coach, even if one of those ways gets a little more attention, a little more scrutiny, a little more credit these days. The film can tell you how good a coach Kyle Shanahan is. What Nick Sirianni does well sometimes isn’t so easy to see. Come Sunday, may the best savant win.”
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is a big Vic Fangio fan.
What the Niners are saying
Kyle Shanahan is one of Vic Fangio’s biggest fans. Shanahan is such a big fan, that he’s tried to hire Fangio in San Francisco “all the times that there’s been an opportunity.”
“I mean, Vic schematically, he has always been the best to me,” Shanahan said. “As good as anyone there is. Has a very sound scheme that he doesn’t need to change up very much. It just naturally changes with how he does his coverages, how he does his fronts, the personnel groupings he does. He’s very good at getting a bead on what you’re trying to do and making you adjust.”
Sunday should be an extremely hostile environment for the Niners. Tight end George Kittle recalled a few of his craziest stories on Thursday.
“I just thoroughly enjoy it because it’s so unique every single time,” Kittle said. “I’ll never forget my rookie season, the year they won the Super Bowl, it was my first time playing in the Linc. There were like four 10-year-old kids holding a seven-foot tall papier-mâché middle finger that had a rotating thing on it that made the middle finger come up. That was the coolest thing, I’ll never forget it. That was my rookie year and I was like this is excellent.”
Kittle isn’t the only member of the 49ers offense looking forward to playing in the Linc. Kyle Juszczyk is also ready to take on Eagles fans.
“It’s more difficult [going into a hostile environment] but the payoff is better,” Juszczyk told reporters. “There’s nothing like that feeling of going into a hostile territory and getting a win. Yeah, it’s a little bit more difficult, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
After finishing the regular season with an 11-6 record, the Eagles are preparing for the first round of the NFL playoffs, where they’ll will host Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers in what is expected to be a windy wild-card matchup.
Here’s how those in the local and national media are predicting Sunday’s game …
Inquirer predictions
As always, we start with our own writers. Here’s an excerpt from Jeff Neiburg’s prediction:
To see what our other beat writers are expecting from this NFC playoff matchup, check out our full Eagles-49ers predictions here.
Eagles safety Sydney Brown (left) tackles 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey during the two teams’ last meeting at the Linc in 2023.
National media predictions
Here’s a look at who the national media is picking for Sunday’s game …
ESPN: Six of nine panelists are picking the Eagles to win and advance.
CBS Sports: CBS Sports is also leaning toward the home team, with four of seven experts choosing the Birds.
USA Today: In a clear sweep, all six panelists like the Eagles Sunday.
The Athletic: They turned their picks over to a panel of 11 NFL insiders — coaches and high-ranking executives — and the majority (six) think the 49ers will upset the Eagles.
Bleacher Report: Bleacher Report picks against the spread, and their crew is leaning toward the 49ers, with five of seven analysts taking the away team and the 4.5 points they’ll be getting from the Eagles.
Yahoo! Sports: Frank Schwab has the Birds beating the Niners, 20-14.
Sporting News: Vinnie Iyer is picking the Eagles to win, 23-20.
Sports Illustrated: Six of the 10 MMQB writers have the Eagles advancing past the 49ers, and two (Gilberto Manzano and Andrew Brandt) have the Birds advancing to the Super Bowl, with Brandt picking them to win.
Donna Kelce made her reality television debut on Peacock’s The Traitors, with Thursday’s premiere including the first three episodes of the fourth season.
“People think I’m this sweet little old lady,” Kelce said to start the first episode. “They’re not going to know what’s coming.”
If you’ve never seen the show, which features reality stars, actors, comedians, and other celebrities, here’s our write-up of the rules and background. And here’s a recap of each episode from Week 1 …
On the way to Alan Cumming’s famous Scottish castle, Survivor’s Rob Cesternino asked Kelce what her two sons, Travis and Jason, thought of her being on the show.
“They’re so excited,” Kelce said. “They’re huge fans. Jason is the one that got me involved. We just literally, one weekend, during playoffs, we binged it. It was great.”
Immediately, her fellow contestants were worried about the potential for “murdering” — or eliminating — Kelce, “America’s mom.”
“No one’s going to murder her. The Swifties will kill you,” The Real Housewives of New York City’s Dorinda Medley said.
The show’s first twist was to name a secret Traitor, a position that comes with a certain set of extra powers. In the first episode, Cumming asked each contestant to come up and take a look inside a box with their name on it. One box had a card in it, and the person who got that box was the secret Traitor, identified in plain sight, kept secret from the other Traitors. The secret Traitor then wrote a shortlist of people from which the other three Traitors could choose a murder victim. That secret Traitor was Kelce — but you don’t find that out until the third episode.
Episode 2
During the first challenge, the contestants had to collect coffins to add money to the prize pot and determine who earned a shield, or immunity, and who was eligible for murder.
Contestants on one of the boats debated whether to put a coffin in Kelce’s casket and put her up for murder. Most of the Faithfuls, or non-Traitors, didn’t want to, but Traitor Candiace Dillard Bassett urged the group to do so. “I think it would shake this castle if we murdered Donna,” Dillard Bassett said.
“I know I’m going to see you tomorrow, because nobody would do that,” Big Brother’s Tiffany Mitchell said.
However, Kelce was not on the secret Traitor’s shortlist and was not murder-eligible — because she wrote the list. One person who was on it? Traitor Rob Rausch, who immediately put his sights on finding out who the secret Traitor was.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Kelce quickly drew suspicion from others across the castle due to her behavior.
“Only someone who feels safe doesn’t feel like they need to make connections,” Mitchell said.
Donna Kelce made her reality TV debut Thursday night on Peacock’s “The Traitors.”
This is a bit unfair. Most of the contestants have some previous knowledge of one another or even active friendships from previous shows. Kelce is not a reality star and only knew Ron Funches, who she said worked with Travis on a show before. Of course she was quiet!
“Looking around the breakfast table, I have so many suspicions, but also I am fangirling right now. It is so amazing to be in a situation with all these celebrities. I’m so happy to be here. Any extra day in the castle is bonus,” Kelce said.
Ultimately, the first murder victim was Big Brother‘s Ian Terry — he didn’t even make it to the first breakfast.
After the challenge, Kelce roused up more suspicion from Monét X Change after she didn’t have a person to name as a potential Traitor. She suspected The Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Porsha Williams with Funches earlier. Kelce said she wanted to keep her strategy close to the chest, but on a show like this with so many big personalities, that just draws suspicion.
At the first Roundtable, where contestants vote to eliminate another player, Survivor’s Natalie Anderson tossed Kelce’ name out first, and Donna defended herself by saying she’s alone so of course she’s more quiet. Ron laid out the case for Williams, but Dillard Bassett, who knew her from Housewives, defended her, and threw the heat back on Kelce, saying she’d make a great Traitor. Kelce replied that Dillard Bassett would also make a great Traitor, because she’s put together and articulate.
Actor Michael Rapaport got so worked up about a shield issue from earlier, that he used “we” when referring to the previous night’s murder. His use of “we” immediately turned the conversation to him being a potential Traitor. Most of the table seemed pretty confident he was not actually a Traitor, but they found him so annoying and distracting — Anderson called him a “bad Faithful” — that they considered voting for him anyway, which would absolutely have been the right call in this situation for the viewers at home, who would no longer have to listen to him speak.
Episode 3
Kelce narrowly survived the first Roundtable, with Williams receiving the most votes and being eliminated. But Williams confirmed that she was a Faithful in the truth circle, so Kelce was not out of the woods.
She clearly learned from her mistakes, because she said in a confessional she needed to put herself out there more, and made an effort to talk to everyone afterward and at breakfast and share her ideas.
It was too little too late though, because immediately after the next murder in the morning before the challenge — this time it was Cesternino — the contestants went back to the Roundtable. And with minimal new evidence to draw from, Kelce was the obvious candidate. Kelce tried to pin the evidence back on Rapaport, who everyone already didn’t like, by saying that “92% of the time” the Traitors try to go for shields, to provide a convenient excuse for why they haven’t been murdered.
Michael Rapaport is one of the contestants on “The Traitors.”
But ultimately, Kelce was doomed from the end of the last Roundtable, received the most votes, and was sent home midway through the third episode.
“I know that I’m the sacrificial lamb, and I know that I had a blast meeting every single one of you,” Kelce said in the circle of truth. “On that note, I think I’m going to go, but you got yourself a Traitor!”
Honestly, she was set up to fail. The secret Traitor was an interesting idea to mix up the game, but the other Traitors were annoyed by the concept of a secret Traitor who had control over their decisions, and Rausch actively wanted to identify and eliminate that person. Dillard Bassett and Rausch were both very vocal at the Roundtable against Kelce, but if they’d all four been Traitors together from the start, there likely would have been more teamwork.
The biggest matchup in Sunday’s wild-card playoff game might be Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense vs. Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers offense. But in another universe, Fangio could have been back on the other sideline alongside Shanahan.
Fangio had a brief tenure as defensive coordinator with San Francisco from 2011-14 under Jim Harbaugh, but he left the team when Harbaugh was fired at the end of the 2014 season.
Shanahan revealed that he has tried to bring Fangio back to the Bay numerous times since then, but something’s always gotten in the way, including in 2022, after DeMeco Ryans left to become head coach of the Texans. Shanahan hoped to hire Fangio to replace him, but two days earlier, Fangio ended up signing with Miami.
“I’ve tried all the times that there’s been an opportunity,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday in Santa Clara, Calif. “Just, he’s always been with someone else when that’s happened. I mean, I tried really hard in ’17 when we first came here and I tried like two other times on separate occasions.
“Vic’s a guy that I’ve always respected, gone against a number of times before I became a head coach, so that’s why I respect him so much and through the process have been able to become friends with him.”
A number of successful defensive coordinators have coached under Shanahan, including Ryans and current defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who returned to the Niners in 2025 after a stint as head coach of the Jets.
Vic Fangio was the 49ers defensive coordinator from 2011-14.
But Shanahan calls Fangio the best he’s ever seen. In four games against Fangio, Shanahan’s offenses have averaged 10.3 points and 290 yards.
“I mean, Vic schematically, he has always been the best to me,” Shanahan said. “As good as anyone there is. Has a very sound scheme that he doesn’t need to change up very much. It just naturally changes with how he does his coverages, how he does his fronts, the personnel groupings he does. He’s very good at getting a bead on what you’re trying to do and making you adjust.
If someone told you 18 weeks ago that the Eagles would be kicking off the playoffs at home with a healthy roster, you probably would have been quite excited.
On the other hand, if you read and listened to what the national media has said about the team’s rocky road, you might be less cheerful.
As the team prepares for its wild-card matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (4:30 p.m., Fox29), here’s a look at some of the recent chatter surrounding the Birds, from their evolving run game to the current revolving door of NFL head coaches — and how that could impact Philly …
Hurts, by design
There has probably been a time while watching the Eagles this season when you’ve wondered where some of those great play calls from last season went.
A significant piece missing from the playbook, and one many fans have been clamoring to see deployed more, is designed runs for Jalen Hurts. The fifth-year quarterback posted career lows in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in 2025, with 45 fewer rushing attempts than last year.
According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Eagles have been working toward increasing Hurts’ rushing attempts just in time to face a 49ers defense dealing with a number of injuries to its linebacker unit. Veterans Eric Kendricks and Kyzir White (a former Eagle) could start Sunday.
“The Eagles have quietly expanded Hurts’ rushing volume in recent weeks,” Barnwell wrote. “With the offense seemingly picking up one third-and-long per game with a quarterback draw. Leaving sneaks, scrambles and kneels aside, Hurts had just 10 designed runs through Week 10. The Eagles then gave him 17 designed runs over the next six games, yielding 100 yards and seven first downs. After a week of rest and with the stakes raised, I would expect to see more Hurts in the QB run game, which adds another efficient play to the offense and helps make life easier for Barkley.”
Nick Sirianni has the best winning percentage and third most wins of any coach in Eagles franchise history.
The NFL’s coaching carousel
This week, including Black Monday, saw several NFL head coaches fired. Mike McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski, excused from their duties with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns, respectively, headline a lengthy list of talented play callers, but no name looms quite as large as John Harbaugh.
Let go on Tuesday after 18 years with the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh, the former Super Bowl winner and AP Coach of the Year, will be a hot commodity.
Nick Wright, host of Fox Sports’ First Things First, believes that if the Eagles struggle Sunday, Howie Roseman could boot Sirianni for a chance at landing the newly single Harbaugh.
“If Philly loses in bad fashion, I think that is the exact type of perfect fit for Harbaugh,” Wright said. “Harbaugh, I don’t want to say he’s not a schematics guy, but he’s not an offensive coordinator or a defensive coordinator, he’s a culture CEO head coach. Howie Roseman wants to pick the coordinators anyway. He’s not going to be in the offensive game plan the way some of these young, brilliant head coaches would want to be as it is. We have seen them be very bold with championship-caliber and championship-winning head coaches.”
“I do think Jeffrey Lurie and Howie Roseman are the type of people that will say, ‘Is he better?’” Wright finished. “If we can get the guy who’s better, shouldn’t we do that? I just think they are fearless in that.”
If firing Sirianni a year after winning the Super Bowl for a coach that last saw playoff success during the Barack Obama presidential administration sounds ludicrous, just remember that Wright is the same guy who picked the Chiefs to three-peat and said the Eagles had a “Jalen Hurts problem.”
Kevin Patullo is in his first season as the Eagles offensive coordinator.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also believes a coaching shakeup may be in Philadelphia’s future, with many around the league questioning Kevin Patullo’s job security after a difficult year as the Birds’ play caller.
“Some around the league are wondering about the future of Kevin Patullo because of the offense’s struggles,” Fowler wrote. “Patullo has clout in Philadelphia because of his strong relationships with key players and a long-standing position as a Nick Sirianni confidant. The offensive line’s quality of play has certainly not been the same as last year’s, which is bad timing for Patullo. The offense ranks 24th in yards per game, which is tough considering the overall talent of the group.”
Patullo might not be the only assistant coach on his way out, with Fowler also reporting that certain defensive coaches might have earned themselves a promotion elsewhere.
“Additionally, defensive backs coach Christian Parker should be in the mix on the coordinator carousel,” Fowler wrote. “Teams are intrigued by him. And defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has coordinator experience and has helped in developing DTs Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, which could lead to opportunities elsewhere.”
The Eagles’ offense has been the team’s biggest question mark throughout the season. So when Sirianni announced that the team’s offensive starters would sit out the Eagles’ Week 18 matchup vs. the Commanders, it drew plenty of criticism — especially with the No. 2 seed still on the line.
Following the team’s 24-17 loss to the Josh Johnson-led Commanders, criticism intensified even further, but not in the mind of Hall of Fame quarterback and two-time MVP Kurt Warner. Speaking on ESPN’s The Rich Eisen Show, Warner explained his belief that, despite the offense’s inadequacies, fewer reps and more rest was the right way to go.
“Sometimes it pays such huge dividends early in the playoffs when you get a chance to rest and recover,” Warner said. “When other teams are beat up and going through physical games, I just think that lends itself to the advantage for the Philadelphia Eagles, even though I’m with you, I don’t know what we’re going to get from the offense. I don’t know what they’re going to try to do offensively, but San Francisco’s defense hasn’t been great. They haven’t been able to get pressure, giving up some yards in the run game.
“So I just feel like, from a matchup standpoint, as struggling as this Philly offense has been I feel like it’s a good matchup for Philly against that defense to start the playoffs.
The fourth season of The Traitors officially premieres Thursday night on Peacock, and it will feature a few Philly-adjacent stars, including Donna Kelce.
Whether you’re a reality TV aficionado or just hearing about the show for the first time, here’s everything you need to know about the show before you tune in …
What is ‘The Traitors?’
If you’ve never seen The Traitors, it’s basically a big-budget version of the party game “Mafia.” It’s also similar to The Mole, which, like The Traitors, is a spinoff of a Dutch-language show. It’s wildly popular globally, with over two dozen countries having their own version, and nearly a dozen more international spinoffs on the way.
In the American version, host Alan Cumming whisks the cast away to his castle in Scotland, and selects a handful of players to serve as “Traitors,” who then have to “kill” — or eliminate — the other contestants, known as “Faithfuls.” At the end of every episode, there’s a roundtable, where contestants interrogate and confront one another to pick one player to banish, with the goal of eliminating all of the traitors. In the middle, contestants compete in challenges to grow the cash prize pot, which can get up to $250,000. The Faithfuls win if they can eliminate all the Traitors and make it to the end, but if any Traitors make it to the finale, they keep the prize money for themselves.
Past contestants include former Bachelor stars like Gabby Windey and Peter Weber, iconic Survivor contestants like Boston Rob and Parvati Shallow, and members of the Real Housewives franchise like Phaedra Parks and Dolores Catania. Zac Efron’s brother, Dylan, won Season 3 of The Traitors despite no past reality TV experience, so Donna wouldn’t be the first nepo-Traitors winner. There’s also usually a random old British guy.
Host Alan Cumming won an Emmy for outstanding reality competition program for “The Traitors.”
Who is in the Season 4 cast?
For Philadelphians, Kelce might be the biggest name, but Olympic figure skaters with local ties (Johnny Weir, Coatesville, and Tara Lipinski, Sewell, N.J.) will also factor into this season, ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.
“That was so much fun, just being able to do that, especially at my age, it was just a blast,” Kelce told the Kansas City Star. “The [Scottish] Highlands are absolutely gorgeous. The people were so kind. And it just was kind of like a dream to be able to do something like that and to interact with individuals on such a high level.
“And it was a little bit daunting when it comes to some of the missions, but it was fun. It really was. It was a good time.”
Here’s the full cast list:
Donna Kelce
Johnny Weir
Tara Lipinski
Lisa Rinna, Real Housewives
Dorinda Medley, Real Housewives (and Traitors Season 3)
Rob Cesternino, Survivor
Natalie Anderson, Survivor
Tiffany Mitchell, Big Brother
Ian Terry, Big Brother
Yam Yam Arocho, Survivor
Monet X Change, RuPaul’s Drag Race
Colton Underwood, The Bachelor
Mark Ballas, Dancing with the Stars
Porsha Williams, Real Housewives
Candiace Bassett, Real Housewives
Maura Higgins, Love Island
Eric Nam, singer
Ron Funches, comedian
Rob Rausch, Love Island
Kristen Kish, Top Chef
Stephen Colletti, actor
Michael Rapaport, actor
Caroline Stanbury, Real Housewives
Can Donna Kelce win ‘The Traitors?’
“Missions” plural? Could Mama Kelce be sticking around for a while?
Shortly after she was revealed to be a part of the cast, the three Kelce boys — Jason, Travis, and their father, Ed — discussed the matriarch’s chances on the show … but only after the brothers explained to dad what the show was all about. However, once they explained the game, Ed’s response was to snore.
“I haven’t got a [expletive] clue,” he said when asked about Donna’s chances. “I don’t know, I’m not a reality TV show type of person.”
Before their mother joined The Traitors cast, the Kelce brothers revealed they were fans of the show, but neither thought they would do well, especially if picked to be a traitor.
The first three episodes of the show will premiere on Peacock Thursday at 9 p.m. ET (although last season, they usually ended up dropping early, at around 8:30 p.m.). New episodes will premiere each subsequent Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. There will be 12 episodes total, including the reunion show, which is hosted by Andy Cohen.
Here’s a look at the full schedule:
Jan. 8: Episodes 1-3
Jan. 15: Episodes 4-5
Jan. 22: Episode 6
Jan. 29: Episode 7
Feb. 5: Episode 8
Feb. 12: Episode 9
Feb. 19: Episode 10
Feb. 26: Episode 11 (the finale) & Reunion
If you can’t wait, a pair of clips showing the contestants’ arrival at Cumming’s castle were recently unveiled.
On Tuesday evening, a few days ahead of the Eagles’ wild-card round matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, Center City bar Ladder 15 received an email, with a group of 100-200 people looking to book out the space over the weekend.
The only problem? It was a large group of Niners fans, looking for a place to take over on Friday night in preparation for Sunday’s game at Lincoln Financial Field.
Manager Steve Dowling, who handles event bookings at the bar, sent the email to fellow manager Joe Chilutti, who was at Tuesday’s Flyers game against Anaheim. The two lifelong Eagles fans quickly agreed they could not betray the city in a time like this.
“After very little consideration, we cannot in good conscience host anything that has to do with the 49ers,” the bar wrote back in response, in an email they shared on Instagram. “We’re Birds fans til the end. We Bleed Green. We Back our team even when it comes at a cost. Only reason I wish you luck, is because the 49ers are going to need it.”
“Was there a little part of me that felt bad sending that email? Somewhat, but minuscule,” Dowling said. “But what I felt better about was that we were backing our city.”
That said, turning down a large group did mean turning down a fair amount of money. Chilutti knew they couldn’t sell out by taking in a big group of opposing fans on playoff weekend, and Ladder 15 happily made that sacrifice — but he decided to post it on Instagram in hopes of making a funny moment out of it, and maybe attracting a little more attention to the bar.
The post quickly went viral on social media, and Chilutti’s phone has been blowing up ever since. Even if it hadn’t, though, no regrets.
“Obviously money’s green to us, and we love it and we need it in order to survive as a business,” Dowling said. “But in a weekend like this, going into the playoffs, the only green we really want to see is Birds green.”
Wild-card weekend is on the horizon, and a crucial contest awaits the Eagles as they prepare to host the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday.
After succumbing to the Washington Commanders, 24-17, in their regular-season finale, the Eagles (11-6) received the NFC’s No. 3 seed. The sixth-seeded 49ers (12-5) are coming off a 14-3 loss to the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks. As a result, an NFC playoff rivalry between San Francisco and Philadelphia will reignite.
On the latest episode of New Heights, former Eagles center Jason Kelce expressed his optimism surrounding the Birds’ upcoming matchup. Meanwhile, Travis Kelce addressed the question of whether he will return for another season with the Kansas City Chiefs, or join his brother in retirement.
Resting up
The Eagles elected to give most of their starters a break in Week 18, but suffered a disappointing loss to the Commanders with mostly backups on the field.
Jason Kelce defended Nick Sirianni’s decision to rest his starters, despite the Eagles missing the opportunity to enter the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. Detroit’s win over Chicago, along with an Eagles victory last week, would have improved Philadelphia’s standing.
“To be honest with you, I felt pretty confident that the Eagles backups would beat the Commanders, and I think that they should’ve,” Kelce said. “They didn’t finish the game well. They started off pretty good. … But it looks bad in hindsight. Because of the Chicago loss, we got the egg on our face because we didn’t play our starters, and we could’ve had the two seed, most likely.”
Drawing from his own experience, Kelce emphasized the advantage of having a well-rested squad to face the 49ers, who are a bit banged up after playing their starters in Week 18. The Eagles’ 2023 season, Kelce’s last before retirement, ended with the battered Birds suffering a 32-9 defeat to Tampa Bay in the wild-card round.
“The last time we played our guys in a game like this [in 2023], it ended up costing us some meaningful people,” Kelce said. “At this point in the season, when you have the opportunity to avoid somebody getting hurt, and you don’t know for certain that playing guys is going to help you, I don’t know that it benefits you that much. At the end of the day, you still have to go through good teams to win the Super Bowl. … Now, we get a week of rest. Our whole offensive line has been so banged up, and a lot of those guys got the opportunity to get healthier.”
In the end, Kelce doesn’t believe the fate of this year’s Eagles will come down to whether or not they beat the Commanders, even if the loss did potentially cost them an extra home playoff game.
“I don’t think that the Week 18 [loss] is going to determine the outcome of this team,” Kelce said. “When we play up to our potential, with the defense we have and the offensive firepower we have, I think we can beat anybody.”
Was Sunday’s loss to the Raiders Travis Kelce’s final NFL game?
Travis shares postseason thoughts
Also on Wednesday’s episode, Travis Kelce admitted to ending the 2025 campaign with an “embarrassing feeling” as the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
But it was far from a lackluster season for the Kansas City tight end on an individual scale. Jason congratulated his brother for putting his name into NFL record books, including becoming only the third tight end to surpass 13,000 career receiving yards.
When it came to whether he will retire, Travis, 36, said that he had not yet made up his mind.
“I’ve talked to a few people in the [Chiefs] facility already in my exit meetings, and they know where I stand now,” the younger Kelce brother said. “There’s a lot of love for the game, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that. It’s a tough thing to navigate. But at the same time, if my body can heal up and rest up, and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 21-week run — I would do it in a heartbeat.
“So right now, it’s just finding that answer, and seeing how my body feels after this game, when it all settles down.”
