With the NFL Regular Season wrapping up, the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves as a top-three seed in the NFC.
Despite their elite defense, many fans are uncertain of whether or not their offense is good enough for another Super Bowl run.
Second Half Offense
For the second time this season, the Philadelphia Eagles won a game where Jalen Hurts did not complete a pass in the second half. The first time was in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Most recently they did it in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills.
In the Bills’ matchup, the Eagles led 13-0 at halftime and won 13-12. Although leaving with the win, there was an alarming lack of urgency from the Philly offense. Fans are beginning to notice, and the blame is falling on not only the coaching staff but also quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Despite popular opinion, quarterback play is not to blame for the near breakdown against the Bills. In eight dropbacks in the second half, Hurts was faced with heavy pressure and no open receivers.
While the blocking could undoubtedly have helped kick-start the offense, it’s essential to realize that all eight passing attempts came in obvious passing situations, such as third-and-long.
With such a predictable play call, the Eagles can’t expect much success, and it is clear why they only had one first down conversion in the back half of Sunday’s matchup.
Defense Wins Championships
One of the biggest cliches in sports, but couldn’t be more true. Elite defenses have defined some of the greatest football teams of all time.
2024 Philadelphia Eagles
Last year in the playoffs, the Eagles forced 13 turnovers and committed only one. That was en route to a Super Bowl victory, in which the defense shut down the Kansas City Chiefs for almost three full quarters. While the Eagles’ offense was also historically great, shutting out a team for almost 45 minutes nearly guarantees a win.
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2015: “No Fly Zone.”
Just 10 years ago, the Denver Broncos had one of the most complete defenses in recent history, headlined by Von Miller, who won Super Bowl MVP. Denver also had other iconic names like DeMarcus Ware, Chris Harris Jr, and Aqib Talib.
While Hall of Famer Peyton Manning led the Broncos, many fans forget how awful he played in his final season. Manning threw for nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions and the Broncos benched him for Brock Osweiler during the regular season.
2013: “Legion of Boom.”
Any football fans from the 2010s can tell you, the Legion of Boom was one of the scariest defenses of all time. Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, and Richard Sherman talked a big game and delivered on their word.
When facing the best offense in the league in Super Bowl 48, they held the Denver Broncos to eight points. Seattle also scored defensive points within the first seven seconds of the game on a safety, before Malcolm Smith scored a pick-six in the second quarter on his way to winning Super Bowl MVP.
The 2025-26 Philadelphia Eagles
While these are just some of the more recent elite defenses to win Super Bowls, teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, and the ’85 Chicago Bears are all-time defenses that went on great playoff runs.
If the Eagles’ offense can’t replicate its 2024 form, they’ll have to rely on their young, gritty defense to get the job done. Luckily, they’re defenders already have some playoff experience.
From Brandon Graham‘s Super Bowl strip-sack in 2018 to Cooper DeJean‘s birthday pick-six last season, the Eagles hope to create more iconic moments in pursuit of back-to-back Lombardi trophies.
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