For the third straight week, the Philadelphia Eagles walked off the field with the same punch-in-the-gut expression, many of the same problems, and reminders that whatever they were in mid-November is nowhere to be found now. Three weeks ago, this team was 8–2 with a 21–0 lead against the Dallas Cowboys; now, they are 8–5 and do not resemble the team that won Super Bowl LIX, even a little bit.
An overtime loss to the Chargers becomes another chapter for a team that’s spiraled beyond excuse.
The Eagles needed one clean closing drive. They didn’t get it. Herbert, who deserves a lot of credit for his gritty performance operating with one hand, did enough, both throwing and more importantly, extending downs with his legs.
One of the many flaws of the Eagles has been that even when they outplay their opponent in certain areas of the game, win time of possession, and have more yards, the margin is too thin. A team that knew how to win and close out games last year cannot get out of its own way in 2025.
The Chargers opened the night with a touchdown drive, then spent most of the night struggling offensively as much as the Eagles were. The Eagles' defense was as stingy as they have been all season. Jordan Davis played one of the best games of his career, racking up six pressures, four run stops, and 1.5 sacks. He wrecked an undermanned Chargers interior line almost at will.
Byron Young was as good as he's been all season. He finished the game with eight tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a TFL. Adoree Jackson was decisive and sticky in coverage all night. Marcus Epps, taking over for Sydney Brown, played well. Cooper DeJean strapped Chargers WR Ladd McConkey all night.
This was a winning performance by the defense, both on the stat sheet and in the eye test. But the Eagles' D needs to hold teams under 17 to have a shot. Anything more is asking too much from their anemic offense right now. Unfortunately, this is where the season ends.
Starting up front with the offensive line, Jordan Mailata has struggled all season, and against the Chargers, it was more of the same. Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson have been hurt and laboring throughout the season. Lane Johnson was out again, and the record without him continues to haunt. The penalties piled up, and every time the Eagles managed to gain a little momentum, they stopped their own progress and had points erased.
Saquon Barkley ripped off a 52-yard dash for his 12th career touchdown run of 50+ yards, on what looked like a quasi-fake tush push.
It was a reminder that when he actually gets a hole, he can still take it to the house. He has not lost a step. Including that run, the Eagles had 25 carries for 134 yards, a 5.4 yards-per-carry night. That’s typically the foundation of a win, but this isn’t a normal season for the Birds. Barkley didn’t sugarcoat the struggles.
“That one stings," Barkley said. "We know we got to be better. We keep continuing to beat ourselves and not doing the little things right, not focusing on the details.
"Last year was last year, like we keep saying, and now we just got to move on. We know this one is going to sting, we got a short week. One of my favorite coaches used to always tell me, ‘So what, now what?’ And I think that’s the mentality we got to take for this coming week. We lost this game, we know we can be better, but you move on and get ready for the Raiders.”
Wide receiver A.J. Brown topped 100 yards for the third straight game. The Eagles are 0–3 in those games. That sentence alone feels like a perfect snapshot of the Eagles this season.
The offensive operation continues to look and feel like Pee Wee football at times. The numbers agree and paint an even uglier picture.
Many have complained about their constant usage of hitch routes, but shotgun is as big an issue.
Jalen Hurts finished with a 27.3 QBR, threw four interceptions, lost a fumble, and had an all-around bad game on the field. HOF quarterback Troy Aikman touched on it all night during the broadcast. He pointed out missing underneath routes and third reads that were open as outlets for gains. A mound of self-inflicted damage and lost opportunities.
Hurts has been fighting it since the bye, and the numbers back it up, per Jeff Kerr:
Afterward, much like Brown, Hurts didn’t dodge responsibility.
“I had my hand on the ball, and I didn’t make the play," Hurts said. "There’s no excuses.”
A month ago, this looked like a team that was capable of a deep January run despite its many offensive flaws. Now they’re fighting themselves more than the opponent. A good defensive effort was wasted. A run game that showed life, wasted. And yet another reminder that without Lane Johnson, the Eagles do not win too often. Without discipline up front and a quarterback in rhythm, the margin collapses fast. The Eagles won by relying on their defense and playing turnover-free football. Not many fans liked the formula, but it was far more effective than what we see now.
As always, thank you for reading!
Follow me on X @DavidNeiszPHL
