From the moment former Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore agreed to be the new head coach of the New Orleans Saints, questions regarding the OC vacancy became the new hot topic.
Soon after, it was announced that Kevin Patullo, the Eagles’ passing game coordinator, would be promoted to offensive coordinator. This announcement was met with immediate concerns, primarily because promoting someone from within did not go well in 2023.
Now, 13 weeks into the 2025 NFL Season, Eagles fans are experiencing Déjà vu. Many of the Eagles’ offensive inefficiencies can be attributed to predictable, basic, and stale playcalling. Kevin Patullo has been repeatedly compared to the Eagles’ 2023 offensive coordinator, Brian Johnson.
That year, Johnson and Head Coach Nick Sirianni led a team that infamously collapsed in the late stretch of the season. They lost five of their last six regular-season games, blew the division lead over Dallas, and got blown out in the Wild Card round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Should fans be justified in thinking that this offensive mess is all on Kevin Patullo?
2025 Season
The Eagles took off early in the first game of the 2025 season, against the Dallas Cowboys, scoring 21 points in the first half. However, they only added a lone field goal in the entire second half. Despite winning the game 24-20, the final score left much to be desired.
Ending games unsatisfactorily has turned out to be a common theme throughout the entire season.
The Eagles made a miraculous comeback win against the Los Angeles Rams, in which the offense was getting destroyed in the first half before catching fire in the second, and it still took a blocked field goal to escape with a win.
Philly took a commanding lead over the Buccaneers the very next week, but stalled in the second half and barely escaped with a 31-25 win, mostly thanks to a Bucky Irving injury, who was playing lights out all game prior.
The very next week, the Eagles had scored 17 unanswered points by the 4th quarter against the Denver Broncos. The Broncos then proceeded to score 21 unanswered points and finished off their miraculous comeback victory.
The Eagles then got blown out the very next week against the New York Giants, a game that fully exposed the ineptitude of the Eagles’ offensive scheme.
Eagles’ Defense Carrying
Following a couple of admittedly strong offensive performances, the Eagles returned from the bye week and put up two incredibly underwhelming offensive performances against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. In both games, the Eagles were held to under 20 points while their defense bailed them out and held their opponents to under 10 points, narrowly escaping with a 10-7 victory and a 16-9 victory.
But the defense was no match for the Dallas Cowboys’ offense. The next week, the Eagles took a 21-point lead against the Dallas Cowboys. The second half saw a complete unraveling offensively. Injuries, penalties left and right, tons of three-and-outs, and a missed Jake Elliott field goal left the door wide open for the Cowboys to come back and win.
And most recently, the Eagles’ offense looked completely lost against the Chicago Bears on Black Friday. Caleb Williams and the running game completely dominated, and the offense had no answers.
So What’s Happening?
There’s one common theme between all of these games: The Eagles cannot play a complete game of Football.
So many times, the Eagles have either blown a lead or come very close to blowing a lead. Dallas twice, Tampa Bay, and Denver all involved a huge lead turning into a scary situation.
Every NFC North opponent outside of the Minnesota Vikings saw sloppy offense with penalties galore. The first Giants game was a complete offensive meltdown. The Eagles have only had two strong offensive performances.
In short, the Eagles’ offensive playcalling and coaching have been predictable and ineffective. While Patullo has rightfully been criticized, responsibility lies with the entire staff.
Philadelphia Players Must Pull Their Weight
The offensive line’s blocking, especially in the run, has been easily exploited. Left tackle Jordan Mailata and center Cam Jurgens have struggled to execute. Right tackle Lane Johnson and left guard Landon Dickerson have struggled to stay healthy.
A.J. Brown struggled a lot early on in the season. Even when the Eagles were winning, they were not involving Brown nearly as much as they should have. He would voice his frustrations online, and fans called him out on it, but many people are starting to see the justification.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has struggled at times, continuing to not be as strong in the pocket and holding onto the ball for too long. He’s also missed some critical throws, especially downfield. In last night’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the wheels seemed to fall off a little bit; Hurts threw four interceptions.
Saquon Barkley’s production has fallen off a cliff. He’s not nearly as explosive or exciting as he was a year ago, averaging only 3.7 yards per carry. For reference, last year he averaged 5.7. This isn’t entirely his fault. The blocking, as stated previously, has been sub-par, and the playcalling involves shoving him up the middle and praying for a miracle.
Undisciplined
Penalties have also been a huge problem. The Eagles have committed 97 penalties, including 20 false starts. Brown leads the team in penalties with seven.
But even though the players haven’t produced as much, this level of a lack of chemistry, communication, and unforced errors shouldn’t be happening. This offense is nearly identical to last year’s, with 10 out of 11 starters returning.
The Eagles are near the top of the NFL in three-and-outs and are struggling with time of possession, meaning they’re punting the ball a lot and tiring out their defense by not draining the clock.
Coaching is the Eagles’ Biggest Detriment
Ultimately, coaching is playing a huge part in the Eagles’ lack of success offensively. Sirianni’s insistence on keeping Patullo in as playcaller is highly suspect.
The biggest issue Patullo has had is his inability to adjust. As stated previously, the offense has a tendency to start off hot, but it lets go of the gas and makes zero adjustments, giving its opponent an opportunity to take advantage and jump back into the game.
The playcalling itself is also stale and predictable. Analyst Emmanuel Acho has gone into detail about this, explaining how the Eagles only have two running formations, making their run/pass options incredibly predictable.
So where does that leave Eagles fans? In short, everything is wrong with this offense, and pointing the finger at one individual or a reason is irresponsible. However, the overall philosophy and identity of a team come down to a coach’s culture and preparation.
At the end of the day, this Eagles team’s season-long struggles stem from a lack of a clear offensive identity and adequate preparation. Something will need to change very soon if Philadelphia wants to save their season.
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