Eagles Question of the Day:<\/p>\n
Who or what is the X-factor to the Eagles beating the 49ers on Sunday? Head over to The Feed<\/a> and weigh in with your answer and explanation!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links \u2026<\/p>\n What drives the Eagles defense? Meatballs – ESPN<\/a> 5 unanswered questions as the Eagles begin their playoff quest to win another Super Bowl – BGN<\/a> Will a successful postseason be enough to save Kevin Patullo\u2019s job? – NBCSP<\/a> Albert Breer\u2019s 2025 NFL Playoffs Preview, and Why Each Team Can Win the Super Bowl – SI<\/a> The NFL tried to ban the tush push \u2014 in some ways, the Eagles are doing it for them – The Athletic<\/a> Buckle up, Philly | Brandon Graham pens letter to Eagles fans – PE.com<\/a> Final 2025 NFL offensive line rankings – PFF<\/a> Nikki Bella and Eagles\u2019 Cooper DeJean Casually Dating – TMZ<\/a> 49ers sign former Cardinals linebacker ahead of playoff matchup against the Eagles – Niners Nation<\/a> Cowboys need a new direction on defense, these 2 coordinators would do that – Blogging The Boys<\/a> Washington Commanders and OC Kliff Kingsbury mutually agree to part ways – Hogs Haven<\/a> NFL mock draft 2026: Updated projection with only 2 QBs in first-round – SB Nation<\/a> NY Giants head coaching search: John Harbaugh fired by Baltimore Ravens – Big Blue View<\/a> 2026 NFL head coach openings: Ranking the best available jobs – NFL.com<\/a> Social Media Information:<\/p>\n BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen<\/a><\/p>\n BGN BlueSky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter<\/a> | BlueSky<\/a> | Threads<\/a><\/p>\n BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio<\/a><\/p>\n
Interestingly, of all the players surveyed, the only ones who have tried Vic Fangio\u2019s meatballs are those who actually won the award. It\u2019s something they want to earn. \u201cIt\u2019s like an unspoken thing,\u201d said corner Adoree\u2019 Jackson. \u201cI don\u2019t want to say you play for the meatballs, but you know if you do well it\u2019s a good thing because it\u2019s recognized by everybody — everybody claps it up, it\u2019s one of those things because not just your coaches, but your brothers out there on the field get to see the hard work you put in. \u201cI heard they were good but I don\u2019t want to try them until I get \u2018em. That\u2019s one of those things I harp myself on: That\u2019s for them. You might offer it to me, cool, but I didn\u2019t get that mother—er.\u201d This is the first year Fangio has done something like this, and while no one was overstating the significance of a fun gesture such as the \u201cMeatball Award,\u201d for some players it\u2019s a sign that the coordinator is opening up more. He\u2019ll show his sense of humor from time-to-time by imitating a player\u2019s sack celebration or cracking a joke (normally with an outdated reference). He has long made a point to talk to his players about their finances because, as Graham put it, \u201cHe doesn\u2019t want to see us out here broken and then we can\u2019t even pay for our treatment after playing football for a long time. He wants to make sure we\u2019re taking care of everything, our bodies, our finances, our minds.\u201d But for the most part, it\u2019s all business. His practices can be exhausting and his meetings long and intensive as he pores over every detail of opponent film that could unearth an edge. His communication style is to be short and pointed and that can carry a sting.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a balance between playing reckless and playing cowardly. Can Nick Sirianni and the offense locate that equilibrium? Can they be appropriately aggressive in their play calling, personnel usage and overall philosophy? Can they dictate terms to the defense rather than being solely reactive? Will Sirianni actually try and score points at the end of the first half and call plays that throw the ball beyond the sticks on 3rd and long? There is a feeling out there that the Eagles have been snowing the rest of the league during the regular season, biding their time until the playoffs. I don\u2019t believe it. They are what they are. That said, there are buttons they can push. The only question is whether they\u2019re smart enough, and willing enough, to push them.<\/p>\n
It was hard to watch this offense most of the season. In eight of their last 13 games, they scored fewer than 20 points. There\u2019s no one thing they did consistently well. Despite one of the best running backs in the league, the ground attack was uneven. Despite two 1,000-yard receivers they averaged fewer than 200 passing yards per game. Despite a Super Bowl MVP quarterback they had the 8th-fewest passing first downs in the league. It wasn\u2019t all Patullo. There were injuries, there were penalties, there were mistakes that weren\u2019t on him. But his inability to get the offense into a rhythm and keep defenses off balance was glaring. But I still think he might be back. Jalen Hurts has lamented for years the revolving door he\u2019s had with play callers since he was in high school. Patullo is his sixth play caller in the NFL, and if Hurts feels like he\u2019s going back to square one every offseason, when he has to get used to a new scheme, a new system, a new voice in his headset, that carries a lot of weight in the NovaCare Complex.<\/p>\n
X-factor: Saquon Barkley. Repeating last year\u2019s feat would\u2019ve been too much to ask, but few figured he\u2019d rush for 865 fewer yards, or 1.7 yards less per carry. Most NFL folks would tell you that\u2019s a result of what\u2019s around him. \u201cIf he goes off again,\u201d said one DC who faced him this year, \u201cthat\u2019ll change everything.\u201d Indeed. If the line coalesces again, perhaps with Lane Johnson back, and Barkley gets hot, it\u2019d give Nick Sirianni\u2019s staff a better shot to lean into Fangio\u2019s unit and play the type of game that could get them to another Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
Something else to consider: The Eagles have been more effective than in previous seasons at passing the ball near the goal line. For whatever warts plagued the offense, they led the NFL with a 70.5 percent conversion rate in the red zone. Hurts has passed for a career-high 16 touchdowns in that area. Of those 16 touchdowns, three have come from 2 yards and in. Before this season, Hurts passed for four touchdowns from that distance in the previous four seasons combined. Tight end Dallas Goedert set a career high with 11 touchdowns this season, eight of which have come in the low red zone. He\u2019s even scored off a wrinkle of the tush push. \u201c(O)ur red zone philosophy has changed a little bit,\u201d Goedert said. \u201cWe used to run a lot, run the ball, a lot of quarterback sneaks, things like that down there. We\u2019ve tried to find ways to get me the ball, which is really cool.\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been in Philadelphia for 16 seasons, and I\u2019ve seen the lows. The 4-12 season in 2012, heartbreak in the playoffs. Now, it\u2019s the golden era of Eagles football. After living through it all, I couldn\u2019t walk away when the organization was at its best. These opportunities don\u2019t come around often. The end goal is obvious \u2026 a return trip to the Art Museum steps. That road starts Sunday, playing in front of the best fans in the world. Driving into the stadium, we see those massive tailgates. We feel the electricity of the Linc when it\u2019s packed, no matter the weather. You give us energy like no other place in the NFL. Who knows what the future holds? All that matters is what you do with your opportunities, and this is one I couldn\u2019t pass up. The biggest moments are what we live for. Well, the biggest moments are here, and there\u2019s only one thing to do. Buckle up.<\/p>\n
7) Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles\u2019 offensive line had a rollercoaster regular season, suffering multiple injuries in 2025. However, even when they were fully healthy, the unit did not resemble the Philadelphia offensive line of past years. That was especially true for left guard Landon Dickerson, who had a down year. The Alabama product was excellent in 2024 but finished the 2025 regular season with a 60.3 PFF pass-blocking grade, which ranked only 51st among 81 qualifying guards. [BLG Note: The 49ers rank 5th.]<\/p>\n
Nikki Bella and Cooper DeJean have whipped up speculation that something is going on between them \u2026 and TMZ has learned there\u2019s for sure a spark. A source with knowledge tells TMZ \u2026 the WWE star and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback have been spending some time together and even been on dates \u2026 but Nikki is still very single and enjoying life.<\/p>\n
The San Francisco 49ers are adding a linebacker after news that Tatum Bethune would miss the playoffs with a groin injury. The team is signing linebacker Kyzir White, per Jordan Schultz. White mutually agreed to part ways with the Tennessee Titans on December 2. He\u2019s been a free agent since. A hamstring injury limited White to 20 snaps this season.<\/p>\n
Jim Schwartz: Next, we have Jim Schwartz. What makes Schwartz an ideal choice is that he has the experience to lead a capable defense. Schwartz has held the title of defensive coordinator in the NFL for 17 seasons. Hiring him would also be a major boon for the development of Donovan Ezeiruaku and James Houston, who the Cowboys are counting on to take a leap next season. Myles Garrett just broke the NFL sack record with Schwartz as his coordinator. He should be able to help Houston and Ezeiruaku. He also has a prior relationship with Jadeveon Clowney, who has expressed interest in returning to Dallas in 2026. Schwartz will implement a Wide 9 to allow his edge rushers to keep containment and work downstream, and you\u2019ll see more twists and games along the defensive line to create confusion to opposing offensive lines. Schwartz is also known to be more varied with his defense depending on his opponent that week. This would contrast with Eberflus\u2019 seemingly rigid approach to each week.<\/p>\n
For several days now, there have been rumors in the media about Kliff Kingsbury being out in Washington even if he didn\u2019t get hired to a head coaching job first. Those rumors appear to be true, with ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter reporting that Kingsbury and the Commanders have mutually agreed to part ways. Head coach Dan Quinn had already taken over playcalling duties from DC Joe Whitt Jr. midseason, and is expected to look for a new DC. Now he will need two new coordinators in his third season with the Commanders. Kingsbury was brought in as the Commanders offensive coordinator in 2024 after reportedly backing out of an agreement to become OC for the Las Vegas Raiders due to the length of the contract. He found immediate success in \u201824 with NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels leading his offense, but injuries to Daniels and other starters in the 2025 season hurt the offensive production and the team\u2019s record. Changes were expected; now one big one has been made, and more are on the way.<\/p>\n
As a new year begins, 14 NFL teams remain alive in the chase for Super Bowl LX. For the other 18 teams, the offseason has already begun. Coaches and general managers are losing their jobs, interviews are being lined up for their successors, and fans are scouring the internet for every little bit of hope. Hope that when this time of the year rolls around next season, their teams will be the ones still alive in the chase for Super Bowl LXI. Of course, the 2026 NFL Draft is a big driver of that hope. So let\u2019s take a look at how the draft could unfold, now that the order for the first 18 picks has been set. For this exercise there are no trades, and at the end of the draft we look at what teams without a first-round pick might do when they are on the clock.<\/p>\n
The Baltimore Ravens have fired long-time head coach John Harbaugh. The New York Giants have reportedly had conversations regarding Harbaugh with respect to their vacant head coaching position. It\u2019s expected that the Harbaugh would be the top candidate, hurdling former Browns coach Kevin Stefanski. While nothing has been announced yet, Harbaugh could be scheduled for am immediate in-person interview as an unemployed candidate. The Ravens have become the seventh team to have a head coaching vacancy after firing Harbaugh. The Giants have widely been regarded as having the top opening, but the Ravens are clear competition for the top candidates — save Harbaugh.<\/p>\n
2) New York Giants. Maximizing Dart and a handful of other young talented players on both sides of the ball will be the mandate for the next coach, but providing steady leadership and sustained success will be just as imperative. With the exception of Brian Daboll\u2019s first season, which yielded a playoff berth and a first-round win, the Giants have been largely adrift since Tom Coughlin left 10 years ago, cycling through coaches at a clip that team president John Mara has long said is not the way to build a winner. Most of the Giants\u2019 recent hires have been first-time head coaches, including the recently ousted Daboll, so it\u2019s fair to wonder if they will turn toward experience this time, and whether coming from the offensive side of the ball is a must. Another draw for this job? The Giants\u2019 draft position, which gives them the fifth overall pick in Round 1. It\u2019s difficult to know how this will end up. General manager Joe Schoen is leading the coaching search, a signal he is likely to be retained, although there has been no such official announcement from the team yet. Mara is undergoing cancer treatment, and it is unclear to what extent he will be involved in the hunt.<\/p>\n