A meeting between teammates? Please. These guys are in the building before the sun comes up usually around 5:30 a.m, watching film, lifting, talking, and holding each other accountable. If you think the three bigget stars of the Philadelphia Eagles – Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley never have conversations like this, you havenât been paying attention. But what made this one different is that it happened after a loss that cut deep, and this time, fans actually heard about it.
The Basics: Eagles at Giants
- Who: Eagles 4-1 vs. Giants (1-4)
- When: Thursday 8:15 p.m. ET
- Where: Met Life Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
- TV: FOX
- Betting: Eagles -7.5 ; Total: 40.5
- Money Line: Eagles: -390, Buccaneers: +310
Communication. Thatâs been the buzzword this week in Philadelphia and for good reason.
After the Eaglesâ stunning 21â17 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the locker room sounded more like a press conference than a huddle. DeVonta Smith pointed out that players needed to get on the same page, while A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts were visibly frustrated after missing a potential dagger touchdown late in the second half. For a team loaded with talent and expectations, that single play became a microcosm of a larger issue – too much talking through the media, not enough to each other.
The Meeting That Might Change Everything
On Monday, something finally shifted.
PhillyVoiceâs Jimmy Kempski reported that Hurts, Brown, and Barkley spent a couple of hours together in a private meeting â just three of the teamâs biggest stars hashing it out. No coaches. No cameras. Just Three heads of state.
Hurts later described it as âbusiness as usual.â
âIt was just talking about the collective,â Hurts said. âAbout us taking ownership about what we can, and talking about how we move forward as a team so we can continue to find ways to win games.â
Anything that was said in that meeting will stay between them. Hurts wasnât about to spill details. But itâs clear the intent was accountability and realignment. Based on the tone around the team, Hurts and Barkley played the role of mediators, reminding Brown â and everyone else â that the mission isnât about individual stats; itâs about winning football games and chasing another Lombardi.
Sirianni Praises His Leaders
Head coach Nick Sirianni loved every bit of it.
âLove the fact that we all get together and are looking for solutions to continue to get better,â Sirianni said via NBC Philadelphiaâs Dave Zangaro. âThatâs not just a coaching thing, thatâs this team. Thatâs the mindset here â how do we keep getting better and play our best football by the end of the year? You love that.â
That kind of self-awareness is what Sirianniâs culture has always been built on. The Eagles arenât afraid of confrontation; they embrace collaboration. And at 4â1, with a chance to reset against the division rival New York Giants on Thursday, thereâs still plenty of runway left to get it right.
The Numbers Donât Lie
The offense, however, is a mess.
Philadelphia ranks 30th in total offense (261.6 yards per game) and 31st in passing (161.8). The running game â once the teamâs bread and butter â is down to 99.8 yards per game, 25th in the NFL. Thatâs stunning for a team that finished top-10 in rushing in each of the last four seasons under Sirianni.
Even offensive coordinator Kevin Patulloâs comments this week raised more eyebrows than hope.
âWeâve done a good job,â Patullo said. âWe just gotta keep progressing and working through this. Everybodyâs into this. Everyone is super detailed. We just have to keep pushing. Because when weâve done what we need to do, weâve moved the ball extremely well at a high rate.â
Translation: Fans arenât buying it. And why should they? The Birds are 30th in the league in offensive production per play.
After a week that saw the Eagles run the ball only 11 times compared to 44 passes, Patulloâs optimism feels tone-deaf. The run-pass imbalance was a sharp departure from the teamâs identity. Itâs no coincidence that the frustration reached a boiling point after that performance.
Reality Check: Philly Knows Football
The Eaglesâ offense has become the NFLâs version of stick figures compared to the Mona Lisa it was last year. Yes, theyâre still averaging 25 points per game (14th overall) and protecting the ball better than anyone (just one turnover all season). But those numbers mask deeper issues â lack of rhythm, predictability, and inconsistency in execution.
Patullo has to rediscover what made this team dominant: balance.
Just because one play or one receiver isnât happy doesnât mean the entire identity needs to change. Get Brown his touches, sure, but let Barkley do what he was brought here to do: dominate on the ground. The problem with that is that the offensive line is banged up and not executing like they have in the past.
A Turning Point or Another Talking Point?
The good news? The teamâs biggest voices are finally using them in the same room.
The Hurts, Brown, Barkley summit may end up being the spark the Eagles needed. It signaled self-awareness, accountability, and leadership â three traits that championship teams always display when adversity hits.
Hurts, now 50â21 as a starting quarterback, hasnât flinched from the ultimate goal:
âYou buckle down, you find solutions, you find answers to the problems, and you work yourself to get better from that. Thatâs what itâs about. Thatâs how you grow. Thatâs a mental toughness thing,â Hurts said. âWe get to go out and play again tomorrow, and weâre really excited about that.â
The Eagles donât need to reinvent themselves. They just need to reconnect, with each other, with their identity, and with the formula that got them to a Super Bowl. Tonight’s game with the Giants just might be the remedy to get thier ship righted.
PREDICTION: Eagles 37, Giants 13
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