PHILADELPHIA -- With key starters expected to rest for the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders (4:25 p.m. EST, CBS), the relevant data is in on the 2025 Eagles offense -- and it's not particularly pretty.
The highest-salaried offense in the NFL ranks 24th in yards per game (311.5), 23rd in passing (192.3 YPG), 18th in rushing (119.3 YPG) and 19th in scoring (22.6 PPG).
Philadelphia is dead last in third-and-punt rate (29.2%) and 25th in first downs/touchdowns per game (18).
The last image of the starters heading into the postseason will be of a group that mustered just 16 yards in the second half against the Buffalo Bills and punted on five consecutive possessions. And yet the Eagles escaped with a win -- their 11th of the season.
It begs the question: Can the Eagles repeat as Super Bowl champions with the offense playing this way?
The fact that it's even a question speaks to the quality of the defense under Vic Fangio, who has orchestrated one of the top units in football for the second consecutive season. Philadelphia ranks third in opponent scoring (18.8 PPG), fourth in defensive efficiency (67.72) and seventh in QBR (50.7) despite playing a first-place schedule that featured a number of top-tier quarterbacks including Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Matthew Stafford.
The formula has been to limit turnovers on offense (the Eagles are tied for fifth with 14 giveaways) and take advantage of red zone opportunities (they rank first with a touchdown conversion rate of 71%) to complement their dominant defense.
That approach has led to the second-most one-score wins (8) in the NFL and also some bizarre stats, such as the Eagles being 9-0 when Jalen Hurts throws for under 200 yards this season (2-5 when Hurts throws for over 200 yards) and 2-0 when he throws for 0 yards in the second half, as he did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and again against Buffalo.
And yet the coaching staff pushes back on the idea that it leans conservative, even when nursing double-digit leads.
"By no means are we ever saying, 'Hey, that's good. Take your foot off the pedal.' We're trying to press still and go and continue," said coach Nick Sirianni, adding that they don't start thinking about working the clock until they're well into the fourth quarter.
But there are times, such as last week against the Bills, when the Eagles want to rely on the run and just haven't been able to do so. The combination of stacked boxes, spotty playcalling and a regression in offensive line efficiency has limited Saquon Barkley's effectiveness. Handing the ball to him was like hitting an easy button for this group in 2024, when he set the record for single-season rushing yards, including playoffs.
Barkley faced eight-plus defenders in the box on 31% of his carries this season compared with 20.6% last season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He had 46 runs of 10-plus yards in 2024 compared with 28 this season. Hurts, meanwhile, will finish with career lows in rushes (105) and yards (421) since taking over as the full-time starter in 2021.
The limited success on the ground on early downs has created more third-and-longs, shrinking the playbook and putting more stress on a passing game that hasn't always been up for the challenge.
Philadelphia has been tinkering with different approaches -- Hurts has been under center more during the second half of the season, and the Eagles shot from 15th in empty set looks to second since their Week 9 bye -- with varying degrees of success. Sirianni took on a more active role with the offense following the Week 13 loss to the Chicago Bears, further assisting first-year playcaller Kevin Patullo. And he suggested after Sunday's game against the Bills that he could have helped Patullo more with getting to certain plays in the second half, perhaps an indicator he will ramp up his in-game communication on offense come the postseason.
Asked whether the offense can reach another gear in the playoffs, Sirianni pointed to last season, when that group hit its stride in January and February, complete with a 55-23 win against the Commanders in the NFC Championship Game and a 40-22 win against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
"You're constantly on this quest to get better. Even last game, there's things and there's lessons that came out of last game that -- obviously, we're all pissed that we didn't execute and coach as well as we needed to in the second half of that Buffalo game, but I really looked at it as like, 'Man, there's some opportunities here that we can really get better from,' as we went through it as coaches. That's got to be the constant mindset you have," Sirianni said.
"The best teams are playing their best football by the end of the year and that's the teams that continue to excel through the playoffs and continue to go through the playoffs."
The key difference between last season and this season, though, is the Eagles rode the league's No. 2 rushing offense into the 2024 postseason and saw their passing game get hot when called upon. This time around, neither facet of the operation is functioning at a high level.
Every NFC team has flaws, making it possible for this talented Philadelphia team to make it through the conference despite its offensive inconsistencies. But if the Eagles fail to show improvement, the more likely scenario is their title defense will be cut short because of it.
