Eagles never fully got it together in regular season, switch needs to be flipped in postseason

Through 17 games of the regular season, it never felt like the 2025 Eagles reached their full potential. After nearly every game, we were left thinking and desiring that next week would be “the week” they finally turned it on. And if they had a suitable performance, we were once again left hoping that they would carry that momentum into the next week.

Miraculously, that never happened.

The Eagles failed to really ever play a complete game against a competent opponent. A lot of times, the games were tales of two halves. Wins left something to be desired for many weeks. Losses were self-inflicted.

Now, 129 days after they started the NFL season at Lincoln Financial Field against the Cowboys, the Eagles will host the 49ers on Wild Card weekend.

If there was anytime for the Eagles to flip the switch and get things going, it is obviously right now.

The Eagles are suited to do so in the health department. With the starters not playing in Sunday’s meaningless loss to the Commanders, where, to the chagrin of many, they lost out on the two-seed, we know 21 of the Eagles’ 22 starters are good to go against San Francisco. The only question remains Lane Johnson, who has missed the last seven games with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot. The expectation is that he will return for the playoffs.

Johnson is just one of many members of the offensive line who have been dealing with injuries all season. The o-line has been inconsistent this year, which led to a poor run game and exacerbated the Eagles’ offensive attack.

The offense ended the year scoring just 21.1 points per game, 21st in the NFL. They averaged a measly 5.2 yards per play, 19th in the league. Rushed for just 4.2 yards per play, 23rd in the NFL, and picked up 6.6 yards per play, 14th.

Compared to last year’s numbers, the Eagles were sixth in offensive points per game (26.7), 11th in yards per play (5.6), fifth in yards per carry (4.9), and ninth in yards per attempt (7.1).

The two big changes from 2024 and 2025: the offensive line’s health and the play caller.

The Eagles’ struggles on offense cannot be pinned on just the factor of change. It is life. Things change. But the combination of injuries along the line and the transition to a new play-calling scheme clearly slowed things down. Jalen Hurts often did not have time, Saquon Barkley did not have room to run, and it killed drives leading to one of the NFL’s highest three-and-out totals.

The defense, while strong enough to win the Eagles ballgames, was asked to do too much too often. The Eagles are not in this position without that group, but they were leaned upon far too often.

It comes down to the execution on the field. Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo can scheme and call what they want. Good or bad play call, if there is no execution, there is nothing.

In their losses this season, they blew two leads to the Broncos and Cowboys, beat themselves up against the Giants, were dominated by the Bears, turned the ball over five times to the Chargers, and the back-ups fell to Washington. Four of the six losses were self-inflicted.

This Eagles team is good enough to take down anyone in front of them. If anyone is going to beat them in the playoffs, it is going to be themselves.

But this team clicks it on in the postseason. Last season, we were having semi-similar conversations about this offense’s effectiveness. What did they do? They put their heads down and dominated their way to a Super Bowl title, scoring a combined 95 points in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl.

Everything resets in the playoffs. Everyone is 0-0. It is a new season. A fresh start. And for the Eagles, they are pretty much 100% healthy. Not everyone can say that. Especially the 49ers.

The postseason presents a big, dark, and vacant room with a lot of noise outside of it. The Eagles need to do something they have yet to do this season: flip on the switch.

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