I'm Getting a Sports Complex

(Don’t) repeat after me: Later, Birds

We hoped the Eagles would find another gear to defend their title, but they never did.

Published January 12, 2026

It’s pretty obvious now that the Eagles got by on reputation and a very good defense during the 2025 season, and that this team was missing some crucial elements that it had last year en route to a Super Bowl win.

Even with Jalen Hurts and much of the offense still intact, as well as some great young talent on the other side of the ball, the team was just a step slow all year, and it bit them in the end. By losing to a mediocre and also very banged-up 49ers team, the Eagles have thrown the spotlight on themselves, making us all wonder where we go from here. On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest change will be giving coordinator Kevin Patullo the pink slip at the earliest opportunity. He didn’t find a way to effectively use the weapons at his disposal this year, concocting a far too conservative style of play and just making the most bewildering play calls. Nick Sirianni deserves some blame for this too, but Nick isn’t going anywhere, despite what some pundits are probably saying.

It’s a real shame that Kellen Moore walked after last year, though he can’t be blamed for taking the top job in New Orleans, where he looks to have an up-and-coming team. Moore’s offensive design just seemed to be the perfect fit for the Eagles’ personnel, spreading the ball around to keep everyone happy and allowing for the kinds of big plays that were conspicuously absent from the team’s repertoire under Patullo in 2025.

As for on-field personnel, you can kiss A.J. Brown goodbye. You can never criticize the move to bring him in, because look at the overall results over four years. But guys hit a point where they’re not worth the headache. Maybe Moore wants to reunite with him in New Orleans? Make an offer. The Eagles also need to make some improvements on the O line. This was their worst year in a long time under Jeff Stoutland. A lot of that is due to injuries, but life without Lane Johnson is fast approaching. Stoutland needs to work a few more of his miracles to return this unit to prominence. I trust that he will find a way, because he always has.

The issues with the defense aren’t as glaring, but there is always room for improvement. Can the team get better secondary help for Mitchell and DeJean? Reed Blankenship had a terrible game against San Fran, so he could be on the outs. The team also needs a true pass rusher. It’s nice to get 6.5 sacks from Jalyx Hunt, but that shouldn’t lead your team.

Oh, and get ready for season 86 of Jake Elliott. He wasn’t great this year, but do you honestly think the team can find an upgrade? There are maybe 10 kickers in the league that you can describe as very reliable, and they won’t be moving anywhere. But Elliott will probably get scapegoated even though he didn’t directly cost the Eagles this year, so we’ll see what happens.

Overall, it’s just disappointing to easily win the possession battle in a home playoff game against an injured opponent, only allow one sack, and have a +2 turnover differential, but still get beat. The Eagles played ‘not to lose’ and were far too conservative, lacking the big-play ability and seemingly the will to win that they exhibited as champions last year. Now we’ll all dwell on it for months. It was always going to end this way, though. We were just in denial. But we’ll forget all over again in September.

If A.J. is checking his watch, it says “time to leave.” (Mitchell Leff/Getty)