You know the Philadelphia Eagles are down bad when even the tush push results in failure.
The Eagles made everything look easy last season. Especially the tush push, which was so effective that there was a league-wide vote to ban it. One play in an ugly Black Friday performance illustrated the difference between last season’s Eagles and this season’s version, which is frustrating everyone in Philadelphia.
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In the third quarter, the Eagles lined up for a Jalen Hurts sneak at the Bears’ 12-yard line on third-and-1. That play has been nearly automatic for them. This time. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright came around the end, got his hands on the ball as Hurts pushed forward and ripped it out. Wright then dug to the bottom of the pile and managed to recover the fumble.
Everyone expected a first down. The Bears got the ball instead.
That’s the 2025 Eagles. They lost 24-15 to the Chicago Bears at home on Friday in a startling letdown, four days after blowing a 21-0 lead to the Dallas Cowboys in another startling loss. The Bears were simply better in every single way on Friday.
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After the Bears scored to take a 24-9 lead in the fourth quarter, the Amazon Prime Video broadcast showed Eagles fans leaving. They booed for three-plus quarters, then couldn’t even handle watching their team flail around anymore.
The Eagles are 8-4 and still in first place of the NFC East. A lot of teams would be happy with that. But the Eagles aren’t pleased. Neither is anyone else in Philadelphia.
Eagles fall behind in first half
The Eagles looked awful in the first half, and the fans let them know it. At least until they started leaving in the fourth quarter.
The offense was terrible again. The Eagles managed only two first downs before halftime and held the ball for just nine minutes. DeVonta Smith had a 30-yard catch, and the rest of the half produced just 53 yards.
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Why wasn’t the passing offense clicking Friday?
“Execution,” said A.J. Brown, who’s leveled his fair share of public complaints this season. “Execution.
Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles were dealt their second two-game losing streak of the season. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
(Mitchell Leff via Getty Images)
The defense wasn’t any better. The Bears figured out early that they could run right at the Eagles and knock them off the ball. Chicago had 142 yards rushing in the first half, averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. It was stunning to see the Eagles get manhandled. Early in the fourth quarter both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai had 100 yards rushing. The Bears hadn’t had two backs with 100 yards in a game since 1985, when Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did it. Chicago finished with 281 rushing yards. The Eagles’ defense, which looked great in wins against the Packers and Lions in Weeks 10 and 11, couldn’t stop the Cowboys during their comeback last week and were mauled by the Bears on Friday.
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The Eagles were loudly booed as they left the field for halftime, but they weren’t getting blown out. The Bears had entirely outplayed Philadelphia for a half but led just 10-3. But given how poor Philadelphia was playing on both sides, it was just a matter of time before the game slipped away.
Even when the Eagles finally found a way to do something good, they managed to draw boos. After the second half began with a three-and-out and a Hurts interception, Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a nice touchdown. It was the Eagles’ first touchdown since taking a 21-0 lead over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. And then Jake Elliott missed the extra point, keeping the Bears in front 10-9.
Everything the Eagles do this season, even the highlights, seems to somehow lead to frustration.
Can the Eagles be fixed?
When asked earlier this week if he would consider taking play-calling duties from oft-criticized offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, head coach Nick Sirianni said he wouldn’t.
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After the latest egg the offense laid Friday, Sirianni reiterated that.
“We’re not changing the play-caller,” he said of Patullo.
It’s approaching the point, however, where he might not have much choice, if the Eagles want to change their trajectory. The status quo won’t be good enough to get them far in the playoffs.
The play-calling has been ripped for being uncreative. The execution hasn’t been very good, either. Saquon Barkley is a shell of what he was last season. He had 56 yards on 13 carries and still has just one 100-yard game this season. The passing game has been below average. There was a key play in the first half on Friday in which DeVonta Smith got wide open on a smart play call, which has been rare. Hurts apparently thought Smith was going to stop, Smith kept going and Hurts’ pass was well behind his receiver and incomplete. Philadelphia settled for a field goal.
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When Sirianni defended Patullo, he said it wasn’t just one thing holding back the Eagles.
Finally, there’s something that Eagles fans and Sirianni can agree upon. Everyone who watched the Black Friday game could see the Eagles’ issues are multifold. Handing off play-calling might help, but it wouldn’t fix everything. It wouldn’t make Barkley look like he isn’t feeling the effects of handling 482 touches last season, or magically get consistency out of a defense that led the NFL in yards allowed last season but entered Week 13 ranked 20th in that category. The Eagles might be able to plug some leaks before the postseason starts, but it’s nearly December. If many of their issues were salvageable, they would have been fixed by now.
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The Eagles are almost surely going to be in the playoffs. But Philadelphia won’t be happy with a quick exit this season. Given what the Eagles looked like on Friday, it’s hard to see any other outcome.
