The Philadelphia Eagles are staring a late-season collapse directly in the face, and their uninspiring loss to the Chicago Bears only made the warning signs louder. A team once defined by discipline and dominance is now drifting week after week, repeating the same mistakes as the postseason race tightens around them.
Offense Continues To Be Anemic
Against the Bears, the Eagles’ offense produced the same frustrating symptoms that have plagued them for a month. Jalen Hurts fought through pressure snap after snap, as the pocket broke down and timing evaporated on key downs.
The once-feared run game lacked push, and drives stalled because of penalties, miscues, or predictable play-calling that Chicago sat on without fear. Philadelphia fans chanted “Fire Kevin,” and many left the stadium early as the Eagles fell behind 24-9 in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Hurts has not been playing up to his standards, with the reigning Super Bowl MVP throwing an interception and losing a fumble on the Eagles’ patented Tush Push. What was once an automatic fourth-down conversion was stuffed by the Lions as well as five other times over the past few weeks.
Hurts said after the game, “It’s becoming tougher and tougher. But ultimately, me holding onto the ball, that’s something I can control.”
Coincidentally enough, AJ Brown has finally seen his share of targets, with 18 targets for 242 yards over the last two games. Brown became the first Eagles player with 10-plus catches for 125-plus yards and two-plus TDs since Zach Ertz in 2018 in the Black Friday loss to Chicago.
Since the bye week, the Eagles have scored 10, 16, 21, and 15 points, with Philadelphia having scored 24 points or less in eight of its twelve games this year. It appears that throwing the ball downfield to Brown has not helped matters as previously thought, mainly due to vanilla playcalling and how anemic the run game has been.
Defense Shredded By Both Bears’ Running Backs
It is not just the offense that is causing problems, as lately, the defense is not living up to the mark either. After holding Dallas to zero first-half points, the Cowboys exploded in the second half, picking up 473 total yards, including 348 through the air, as they won 24-21.
In this game, the Bears dominated on the ground, overmatching Zach Baun and Nakobe Dean in the middle with both of their running backs. Kyle Monangai had 22 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown, while D’Andre Swift had 18 carries for 125 yards and a score.
In total, Chiago had 47 rushing plays for 281 yards and two rushing scores, with Caleb Williams having a rough outing, going 17-36 for 154 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He took two sacks and posted a quarterback rating of just 56.9.
But Williams had the separating score, a 28-yard pass to tight end Cole Kmet, and raced off the field in delight as the Bears left Philly with a statement win. After starting 8-2 with losses to the Broncos and Giants mixed in, Philadelphia collapsed against the rival Cowboys and looked flat against the Bears, despite having their full offensive arsenal available.
While the schedule gets softer (the Eagles have the Raiders and the Jayden Daniels-less Commanders twice over their last five games), Philadelphia will need to figure things out before the end of the regular season. Otherwise, they could be staring at a repeat of the 2023 season once again come playoff time.
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