Eagles Question of the Day:<\/p>\n
Are you willing to put an emotional hedge bet on the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 moneyline to beat the Eagles? Why or why not? 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 NFL head coach carousel, coordinator intel on all 32 teams – ESPN<\/a> Eagles playoff preview: From Kevin Patullo to Jalen Hurts, 5 questions that could decide the postseason – PHLY<\/a> One potential fatal flaw for every team in 2025 NFL playoffs – NFL.com<\/a> NFL Injury Report: Lane Johnson returns to Eagles practice, 49ers are banged up – BGN<\/a> Eagles-49ers preview: Five things to watch when the Eagles have the ball – PhillyVoice<\/a> Why the best 49ers defense is the Eagles offense – Niners Nation<\/a> \u2018He\u2019s always been the best:\u2019 Kyle Shanahan on what makes Vic Fangio an all-timer – NBCSP<\/a> Eagles will again rely on Jalen Hurts\u2019 \u2018clutch gene\u2019 as they embark on another playoff run – Inquirer<\/a> NFL playoffs: Key matchups to watch in each NFC wild-card game – The Athletic<\/a> Eagles believe they have their offensive identity back heading into postseason, so what is it? – NJ.com<\/a> Cam Jurgens feels well-rested after a week off | 49ers vs. Eagles Daily Updates – PE.com<\/a> One or more playoff teams could be lurking for John Harbaugh – PFT<\/a> Cowboys DC search could include under-the-radar candidate – Blogging The Boys<\/a> NFL\u2019s most disappointing teams: Nuclear and restrained options to fix Lions, Chiefs, Cowboys, more – SB Nation<\/a> Washington Commanders Coaching Tracker: Mike McDaniel fired by the Dolphins – Hogs Haven<\/a> Mike McDaniel firing could impact NY Giants\u2019 John Harbaugh pursuit – Big Blue View<\/a> Dolphins \u2018expect\u2019 to make GM decision \u2018by tomorrow\u2019 – The Phinsider<\/a> Help Support My Sister\u2019s Family Through This Loss – GoFundMe<\/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
It has been a tough year for NFC East coordinators. Washington, Dallas and New York fired four of them combined. That places the spotlight on Philadelphia and how it approaches its offensive coordinator position. Some around the league are wondering about the future of Kevin Patullo because of the offense\u2019s struggles. Patullo has clout in Philadelphia because of his strong relationships with key players and a long-standing position as a Nick Sirianni confidant. The offensive line\u2019s quality of play has certainly not been the same as last year\u2019s, which is bad timing for Patullo. The offense ranks 24th in yards per game, which is tough considering the overall talent of the group. Additionally, defensive backs coach Christian Parker should be in the mix on the coordinator carousel. Teams are intrigued by him. And defensive line coach Clint Hurtt has coordinator experience and has helped in developing DTs Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, which could lead to opportunities elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Can Kevin Patullo steady the ship? Of all the defining questions that face the Eagles going into the postseason, the preeminent uncertainty revolves around the Eagles offensive structure and whether the group can elevate enough in the high-leverage moments to come. It\u2019s fair to acknowledge this sentiment isn\u2019t a new one for the Eagles offense. Hurts and his teammates went into last postseason with legitimate questions about the efficiency of the passing game and whether the group would have sufficient answers against teams that sold out to stop Saquon Barkley\u2019s historic rushing pace. Unlike last year, though, this season\u2019s group doesn\u2019t have a core identity or a consistent schematic approach going into the postseason. It\u2019s something that has seemingly placed more of an onus on Patullo and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to correctly identify specific advantages each week rather than leaning on what the offensive nucleus does best regardless of the opposition, which helps explain the oscillation between game plans focused on empty formation one week to games spent primarily out of under-center looks with heavy personnel packages. \u201cI think game-by-game, you\u2019re just doing whatever you need to do to win the game,\u201d Patullo said Tuesday. \u201cSo, we will do anything and everything we have to, to put our players in a position and give them a chance to execute and win the game.\u201d Especially against playoff-caliber defensive coordinators in the coming weeks, the margin for error for Sirianni and Patullo will shrink going into the postseason. They\u2019ve navigated this path before \u2014 and perhaps the Eagles defense is good enough to make potential offensive struggles a moot point as it did for stretches in the regular season \u2014but there\u2019s a good chance things will hinge on Patullo and the Eagles offense being able to shift gears, starting Sunday against a depeleted 49ers defense.<\/p>\n
3) Biggest weakness: Disappearing offense. Thank heavens for Vic Fangio\u2019s defense; otherwise, the Eagles would be sitting at home instead of defending their Super Bowl title. Kevin Patullo\u2019s offense is a frustrating amalgam of head-scratching play calls and botched execution. The lack of creativity given the playmakers at hand is maddening (enough with the hitch routes!). In the 16 games Jalen Hurts started, the Eagles punted after three plays on 29.2 percent of their offensive drives, the highest rate in the NFL. Going entire halves with a goose egg, as they did against Buffalo in Week 17, is unbecoming of a Super Bowl-caliber squad. Philly is averaging 311.2 yards per game (24th), 22.3 points per game (19th), 192.3 pass yards per game (23rd) and 116.9 rushing (18th). Those are not figures that portend a deep postseason against top-tier opponents. The offensive line injuries have played a massive role in the struggles, and the plan to have Lane Johnson back for the postseason will be a welcome sight. If the O-line can stay healthy, Philly has the weapons to keep its repeat hopes alive. But if Nick Sirianni\u2019s offense goes in the tank again, it\u2019ll be a quick exit, even with a championship-worthy defense.<\/p>\n
Lane Johnson returned to practice for the first time since suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 11. There were initially some conflicting reports on Johnson\u2019s status for this weekend but then Brian Baldinger tweeted that Johnson WILL be playing<\/a>. Of course, that tweet has since been deleted. But NFL insider Adam Schefter also sounded pretty sure Johnson will suit up. It sure seems like Johnson will at least try to give it a go \u2026 but we\u2019ll see if he\u2019s able to make it through the entire game, assuming he does play.<\/p>\n
5) The Eagles need to find something to hang their hat on offensively. So to recap all of the above, the 49ers can\u2019t rush the passer, they\u2019re coming off one of the worst tackling performances of the entire season (league-wide), their corners are theoretically bad matchups for the Eagles\u2019 receivers, and the Eagles are rested while the 49ers were on the wrong end of a physical beatdown a last Saturday. On paper, there are any number of ways the Eagles\u2019 offense can take advantage of this Niners defense. They\u2019re bad across the board. The Eagles\u2019 offense has been tough to watch throughout the season, with predictable, uncreative schemes, ultra-conservative approaches with the lead, and in some cases underperforming players. We\u2019re into January, and they still don\u2019t have an identity. They need to find something that works for them early, and make that their identity, if only for one game, and then figure it out from there.<\/p>\n
Seattle\u2019s offense is objectively better than Philadelphia\u2019s, which is why I believe the 49ers\u2019 defense will look much better on Sunday. The real key to this game will be the difference between the 49ers\u2019 offense and Philadelphia\u2019s very stingy defense. No matter how inept the Eagles\u2019 offense can be on Sunday, they will still score points (not 30). If the offense has to scratch and claw for every positive gain like Saturday against Seattle, the 49ers will lose. Furthermore, on late downs, the Eagles rank 25th in the NFL with a success rate of 40.69%. That number is just ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders. The Eagles\u2019 fourth-quarter success rate ranks 27th in the NFL. The Eagles have scored 30-plus points four times against the Raiders, Giants, Rams (blocked FG TD pushed them over), and Tampa Bay. If the 49ers offense catches flak for scoring 30 and 40 points against sub-par defenses, I\u2019d say the Eagles deserve the same criticism. The 49ers\u2019 defense can keep the offense in the game. The 49ers\u2019 offense against the Eagles\u2019 defense is the true matchup that will decide Sunday\u2019s Wild Card game.<\/p>\n
The chess match between Shanahan, one of the NFL\u2019s top offensive minds, and Fangio, one of the best defensive coaches in the game, will be the featured attraction Sunday when the Eagles face the 49ers at the Linc in a wild-card round game. \u201cI mean, Vic schematically, he has always been the best to me,\u201d Shanahan said. \u201cAs good as anyone there is. Has a very sound scheme that he doesn\u2019t need to change up very much. It just naturally changes with how he does his coverages, how he does his fronts, the personnel groupings he does. He\u2019s very good at getting a beat on what you\u2019re trying to do and making you adjust. \u201cI always respected Vic\u2019s defense a ton, whether it was at Chicago playing him or whether it was at San Francisco playing him.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Champagne showered behind him in the Eagles\u2019 postgame locker room following their Super Bowl LIX victory, Jeffrey Lurie raved to reporters about Jalen Hurts\u2019 \u201cclutch gene.\u201d Hurts, then 26, dazzled under the bright lights of the Superdome, earning Super Bowl MVP honors after he totaled 293 yards (221 passing, 72 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Lurie, the Eagles\u2019 owner, noted that his quarterback seemed to amp up his play when the stakes were the highest. That so-called clutch gene, according to Hurts, is truly inherent. \u201cSome things are in you,\u201c Hurts explained Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Key matchup: 49ers two-deep defenses vs. Eagles run game. The 49ers\u2019 injury-riddled defense has struggled to stop the run and wide receivers. Though the Eagles run game has greatly regressed from last season, it still created explosive rushes at the 10th highest rate in the NFL. The offensive line has dealt with injuries, and the weight of grueling playoff runs has taken its toll on defending champion Philadelphia. Jalen Hurts hasn\u2019t run as much on designed runs and scrambles, which has hurt the Eagles shotgun running game, so they\u2019ve run the ball more from under center, where they get most of their explosive rushes. However, they don\u2019t pass much from under center (30th in dropbacks from under center), which makes them predictable. Last season, the Eagles only had one game under 100 rushing yards, in Week 18, when they rested their starters. This season, they\u2019ve had nine games under 100. Notably, they struggled to run the ball against some of the league\u2019s worst run defenses, such as the Washington Commanders, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys. As mentioned, the 49ers run defense has struggled in the last few weeks, but it has a shot at stopping the Eagles run game. The Bills did so by confusing their blocking schemes with line games and run blitzes, and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh did the same to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18 after getting gashed on the ground early in the game. Still, anytime you have Saquon Barkley in the backfield, the threat of the big run always looms.<\/p>\n
Without alluding to exactly what it is, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also said that he feels as if the offense is going into the postseason with an identity. \u201cI do,\u201d Sirianni said. \u201cI think we are continuing to get better through that and I think that it\u2019s shown in some of these last games. Obviously Buffalo, we had a bad half where we didn\u2019t do a good enough job at coaching. We didn\u2019t do a good enough job playing. But, yeah, I think we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
How is center Cam Jurgens feeling? That seems to be the first question you would ask the Eagles\u2019 Pro Bowl center, and it is one that Jurgens answered many times over on Wednesday after the team\u2019s first practice at the NovaCare Complex in preparation for Sunday\u2019s Wild Card Playoff game against San Francisco. \u201cI feel good. I feel great,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m ready to go. I\u2019m excited. I feel like it\u2019s a new season. Everyone is 0-0 and it\u2019s time to go.\u201d Jurgens, along with most of the offensive line, rested in the regular season finale against Washington and the time off, he said, is a benefit. \u201cYou don\u2019t feel the wear and tear after a game that can last for a few days, so when you don\u2019t play, you\u2019re a few days already ahead in your recovery,\u201d Jurgens said. \u201cThe rest was great. I think that helps everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some are suggesting that the Eagles would consider bringing Harbaugh back to Philly, where he spent 10 years before becoming Baltimore\u2019s head coach. That would be beyond stunning, given what Nick Sirianni has accomplished in his first five seasons. There\u2019s still a lingering sense that the Eagles are supremely talented, and that they fail far too often to get the most out of what they have. (It would still be an all-time \u201coh shit\u201d move.)<\/p>\n
Now, Patricia is probably not a popular name floating around among coordinator openings, given how his time away from the New England Patriots will be remembered. Patricia left Belichick\u2019s side in 2018 to become the head coach of the Detroit Lions. His tenure lasted just two and a half seasons, finishing with a record of 13-29-1. After that, Patricia ran home to the Patriots for a few years before moving on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023. He was hired as a defensive assistant and famously took over play-calling duties that December when Sean Dessi was relieved of play-calling duties. The Eagles continued their collapse down the stretch that season and finished with one of the worst defenses. After that, Patricia took a year off, then returned to coaching this year as defensive coordinator at Ohio State, where he regained some of his luster as a coach.<\/p>\n
The Cowboys have been so egregiously mismanaging their salary cap that ESPN\u2019s Bill Barnwell has had to write not one, but two \u201care we sure Jerry Jones knows how to manage the cap?\u201d pieces seven full years apart. They played cap games with Dak Prescott (twice), CeeDee Lamb, and, most destructively, Micah Parsons \u2014 trading him to the Packers like they were launching a new craft beer called \u201cLuka-Doncic-Trade-Lite\u201d with fewer calories and the same crisp taste. Not to be outdone (by himself), Jerry Jones traded the Cowboys\u2019 own first round pick this year (they had a losing record) for Quinnen Williams, a good player but\u2026 like, you cannot be trading your own first round pick when your season is already out the window. It has become clear to me and anyone with an ounce of media literacy that Jones has made the Cowboys the biggest thing since sliced bread precisely because he always makes decisions that get his team in the national conversation. However, absent the loose financial rules of other American sports leagues, that doesn\u2019t actually lead to winning in the financially-draconian NFL. So it might be time for Jones\u2019 children to stage a chill revolution against their father and take control of the team. Look, we all respect what Jones has done to make the NFL the product it is today, and he is a tremendously successful owner who we wish the best in retirement. But this is not an okay way to run your team.<\/p>\n
Mike McDaniel was officially fired by the Miami Dolphins, and he immediately becomes the favorite to be the Washington Commanders new offensive coordinator due to his ties to current head coach Dan Quinn. McDaniel was famously fired by Quinn who encouraged him to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. McDaniel said he is forever indebted to Quinn with his path to sobriety.<\/p>\n
Since John Harbaugh was fired on Monday by the Baltimore Ravens, there have been reports that multiple teams who did not have head coaching vacancies would fire their current head coaches if they thought they could bring in Harbaugh. It isn\u2019t hard to think the Miami Dolphins, who fired head coach Mike McDaniel on Thursday, fit into that category. The Palm Beach Post reported even before the McDaniel firing that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has a history of pursuing both John and Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is, of course, currently coaching the Los Angeles Chargers.<\/p>\n
According to ESPN\u2019s Jeff Darlington, a former Dolphins beat reporter, the Dolphins \u201cexpect to make a decision on their new GM by tomorrow.\u201d Darlington adds Dolphins interim GM Champ Kelly interviewed to stay on as the team\u2019s permanent GM on Wednesday, while Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander, Green Bay Packers Vice President of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams all flew into Miami Wednesday night for Thursday interviews. [BLG Note: Sounds like the Dolphins will not be hiring Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby.]<\/p>\n
Hello all. I\u2019ve been putting this off because it feels impossible to put into words, but my sister Holell has passed away unexpectedly. I am asking for donations to help her family pay for the expenses. I\u2019m honestly at a loss for words. I feel so many things about her life and her death that I almost feel nothing. [BLG Note: Brendan is a friend, a big Eagles fan, and a part of the BGN community. He\u2019s written some front page articles for us here and he participates in the BGN community mock draft. Consider helping him if you can.]<\/p>\n