What do you make of this Philadelphia Eagles team?
They certainly deserve credit for not crumbling after two straight losses. By beating the Minnesota Vikings, they’ve managed to stop the bleeding. And with a win over the New York Giants next Sunday, they could be 6-2 entering their Week 9 bye. There are much worse positions to be in.
At the same time, it’s hard to fully believe they’re as good as their 5-2 record says they are. 16 teams have a better point differential. They entered Week 7 ranked 15th in DVOA. The 2025 Eagles might just be a relatively average football team at this point in time?
Perhaps they can be more than that. You have to like a team’s chances when the quarterback is playing at a very high level, which is what Jalen Hurts did on Sunday. It’s also only fair to point out that Philadelphia has navigated one of the NFL’s toughest schedules thus far.
To what extent the Eagles’ most recent win was a step in the right direction? I don’t know. At the very least, it wasn’t a step in the wrong one. So, that’s something!
Okay, enough rambling. Time to hand out winners, losers, and I don’t knows.
For even more analysis, check out my appearance on The Ringer’s Philly Special postgame podcast with Sheil Kapadia (and Ace Producer Cliff Augustin).
WINNERS
JALEN HURTS
We all know Hurts has played some of his very best football in the biggest games of his career. He’s been a playoff riser in this regard.
While a Week 7 battle doesn’t nearly hold the same magnitude of a postseason matchup, this was an important spot for the Eagles. They needed to show a good response after losing two straight games. There was pressure on Hurts to perform after having his worst game of the season in Week 6.
And perform he did. Hurts had his best game of the season and one of the best of his entire career against one of the most highly-regarded defensive coordinators in the entire NFL.
Hurts accomplished what elite quarterbacks are paid so much money to do from time-to-time by carrying the offense on his back.
He made some really great throws, a number of them being out of structure plays with the scheme seemingly doing him no favors.
He came up really big in clutch situations. Facing a 3rd-and-15, he hit DeVonta Smith for a 28-yard gain. Facing a 3rd-and-13 where the pocket instantly collapsed on him, he managed to survive and roll out to his right to hit A.J. Brown for a first down on the Eagles’ final touchdown drive. Facing 3rd-and-9 with the game essentially on the line, Hurts connected with Brown deep to be able to ice the game and not give the Vikings the ball back with a chance to win.
The 2024 Eagles were built on running the football and minimizing Hurts’ passing attempts. That formula worked incredibly well last year but the 2025 Eagles are not the same team. They haven’t been able to run the football effectively.
It’s time for the Eagles to rethink their identity as a running team and instead focus much more on passing the ball. Last year was about leaning on Saquon Barkley. This year it should be about leaning on Jalen Hurts. Doing so could eventually help open up the rushing attack.
DEVONTA SMITH
No NFL player has logged more receiving yards in a single game this year than DeVonta Smith, who saw 11 targets for nine receptions, a career-high 183 receiving yards (20.3 average), and one touchdown.
79 of those yards came on the deep shot he reportedly lobbied for. (It seems like every time a good play happens on offense, it’s because the players were prompting the call?!)
DeVonta had this big day despite visibly playing through some discomfort. He’s such a tough cover and the Eagles would be well-served to continue to feed him. Good things happen when you throw him the football.
A.J. BROWN
Good things happen when you throw him the football. Brown’s six targets resulted in four catches for 121 yards (30.3 average, lol) and two touchdowns. After some previous struggles where they weren’t quite on the same page, Hurts and Brown were able to connect on multiple high-leverage plays out of structure.
Feed DeVonta Smith. Feed A.J. Brown. Keep passing the ball!
JALEN CARTER
Carter absolutely demolished Carson Wentz on the play where the former Eagles quarterback threw a pick-six right to Jalyx Hunt. That pressure helped lead to seven points for the Eagles in a game they won by six. Consistency hasn’t quite been there for Carter this season but this was a reminder that his top-end performance can make a major impact.
JALYX HUNT
Yes, Wentz threw right at Hunt, but I don’t think every edge rusher in that position is able to make that catch. Thinking Hunt’s experience as a defensive back in college probably helped in that scenario. In addition to the pick-six, Hunt logged two quarterback hits and a pass deflection.
COOPER DEJEAN
DeJean had a great pass breakup on a fade throw to Justin Jefferson in the end zone that ultimately saved the Eagles four points in a game they won by six. Not many other defensive backs in the NFL are making that play while going up against one of the league’s very best wide receivers.
QUINYON MITCHELL
Speaking of keeping Jefferson in check, this was an interesting note from the insights on NFL Pro:
Justin Jefferson caught 1 of 3 targets for just 10 yards across 20 matchups against Quinyon Mitchell in Week 7. Mitchell matched up with Jefferson in man coverage 13 times and forced 2 tight windows overall. Entering Week 7, no cornerback had matched up with Jefferson more than 8 times in a single game. Against all other Eagles defenders, Jefferson caught 4 of 7 targets for 69 yards.
Mitchell appeared to have some losses to Jordan Addison, who is a very good player. But Q answered the bell against Justin Jefferson.
NAKOBE DEAN
Welcome back, Nakobe! It was good to see him looking like the player he was prior to suffering a significant knee injury back in January.
Dean rotated in at off-ball linebacker with Jihaad Campbell taking edge rusher snaps. Despite not having a full-time role, he finished third on the Eagles in total tackles. One of those included him exploding into the backfield for a TFL.
Dean is too good to not have some kind of role on defense. The Eagles will continue to figure out exactly what that is.
MORO OJOMO
Ojomo sacking Wentz on 3rd-and-5 at the plus-10 yard line forced the Vikings to settle for one of their many red zone field goals. Ojomo also contributed to another red zone stop where the Vikings’ touchdown was wiped out by the offensive holding penalty he drew (kind of a weak call but, hey, the flag was thrown).
Ojomo looked like the player we saw regularly creating interior disruption back in training camp. After logging zero sacks in 25 regular season games prior to this year, Ojomo is up to a team-high three sacks in seven games thus far.
Hopefully Ojomo is OK after taking a big shot from Kelee Ringo. The Eagles need his pass rushing juice on the field.
JOSHUA UCHE
I get plenty of things wrong about the Eagles, which is why I have to take a victory lap when I’m right for once. Feeling decent about this call from my Q&A exchange with Daily Norseman last week:
4) Give us one “under the radar” player on each side of the ball for the Eagles who you think will play a role for the Eagles on Sunday.
Defense – Josh Uche. He’s just one of four Eagles edge rushers remaining on the active roster after Za’Darius Smith’s retirement. Uche has yet to log a sack this season but he leads the Eagles in Pro Football Focus’s Pass Rush Productivity stat. He also ranks eighth among NFL edge rushers in pass rush grade. Feeling like he’s due to come up with a strip-sack. With 74 career fumbles in 102 games played, I know all too well about Wentz’s propensity to lose control of the football.
Uche didn’t strip-sack Wentz … but he did come up with an important sack (his first of the season) to turn 1st-and-goal at the 10-yard line to 2nd-and-goal at the 18-yard line. That play was part of the Eagles’ defense preventing the Vikings from scoring prior to the two-minute warning, which ultimately helped the offense to close out the game.
THE EAGLES’ RED ZONE DEFENSE
The Eagles allowed a season-high 387 yards. Not great!
But in six trips to the red zone, the Vikings only scored one touchdown (and just barely!).
Vic Fangio’s defense sure was bending but it did not break.
LOSERS
THE EAGLES’ RUNNING GAME
Saquon Barkley’s 18 carries resulted in just 44 yards (2.4 average). It clearly wasn’t a him issue as much as he was regularly contacted right after getting the ball. Heck, there was a run where Barkley turned a TFL into a short gain for a first down via a nifty spin move.
The Eagles just haven’t been able to get the run going. It doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be able to get it going at some point this season. But it clearly cannot be their identity right now.
THE EAGLES’ TEAM HEALTH
The injury section from my game recap was a long one.
The biggest concern is the status of Cam Jurgens, who left early due to a knee injury. Brett Toth had some struggles while filling in at center.
Adoree’ Jackson will have to clear concussion protocol before being eligible to return. If he can’t play, it’ll be Kelee Ringo starting against the Giants. That sure didn’t go well last time; he was benched against New York and only returned to the game because Mitchell got hurt.
JAKE ELLIOTT
I’m not worried about Elliott, who had his first miss of the season. But with all these kickers now making 60+ yarders look routine, a 42-yard miss in a dome wasn’t a good look. The Eagles really could’ve used those three points. Elliott also had a penalty for his kickoff bouncing short of the landing zone, which allowed the Vikings to start an eventual touchdown drive at their own 40-yard line.
A.J. DILLON
Dillon was a healthy scratch as RB4 after fumbling issues in Week 6. Is he going to remain on the roster?
I DON’T KNOWS
CARSON WENTZ
Wentz deserves to be in the “Losers” section given how bad he was in this game. He left so many plays that were there to be made on the field. He continues to be a turnover machine with 75 fumbles and 71 interceptions in 103 career games played. He had a really bad intentional grounding penalty that contributes to the Vikings’ red zone woes. Nice for Eagles fans to be on the other side of Wentz’s very frustrating moments.
I’m going to spare Wentz from the “Losers” category, however, out of respect for his contributions to the Eagles’ Super Bowl success. 1) He left the 2017 team in great position to be able to get the No. 1 seed at the time he suffered a season-ending injury. 2) His desire for the Eagles to trade him in 2021 ultimately contributed to the Eagles landing Jalen Carter, who came through for the Birds in their most vulnerable moment in the playoffs last season.
My good friend Niels Rosenquist (a loyal BGNer) raised the question: “Has any player done more for the Eagles than Carson Wentz when you include the trade and all he’s done afterwards?
It would be pretty funny if the 2025 Eagles can look back on this game as their get-right moment.
NICK SIRIANNI
I’m trying to be fair here.
To Sirianni’s credit, the team looked more ready to play this week than they did against the Giants, which was not at all. That’s good.
I liked Sirianni’s aggression to go for it on 4th-and-4 on the Eagles’ first drive. I liked Sirianni’s approach to have the offense pass the ball on the Eagles’ final drive instead of just trying to run three times and punt it.
I really did not like Sirianni’s decision to surrender late in the second quarter. Instead of trying to play for a field goal, he merely gave up after Hurts took a sack to get knocked back to 3rd-and-13 at their own 35-yard line and with two timeouts to work with. The lack of ambition and the lack of trust in his players is not good culture-setting behavior. It begets a cowardly fear mindset.
I really did not like what I presume to be Sirianni’s directive to aim for reaching fourth-and-short on the 3rd-and-5 play to begin the fourth quarter. It seemed like the Eagles were trying to get to the Brotherly Shove instead of trying to get the first down. And when Barkley’s run didn’t gain any yards — which was no surprise since the run game was clearly struggling — the Eagles sent out the field goal team, which is when Elliott missed the attempt. The Eagles went for it on 4th-and-4 from the plus-37 yard line on the first drive of the game but 4th-and-5 from the plus-23 yard line is a bridge too far?! And why were the Eagles taking the ball out of Hurts’ hands when he was clearly balling out by that point?
Sirianni talked a lot about finding solutions coming out of the Eagles’ mini-bye. I don’t know if the coaching staff really provided solutions in this game as much as the players were just making plays.
At one point in the first half, I found myself wondering exactly what Sirianni is bringing to the table. Which feels crazy to say considering his really good track record of winning football games, including a Super Bowl. But I do think it’s important to parse through correlation and causation. And I don’t know if Sirianni is doing a great job of providing value so far this season. It feels like the talent is helping the coaching more than the coaching helping the talent.
KEVIN PATULLO
Every single week, there’s a stretch where the offense looks hopelessly inept.
In this game, it was after a strong opening drive that resulted in a touchdown.
The Eagles’ next nine plays resulted in just eight yards gained and three punts.
Eight yards.
And those eight yards include 18 yards gained by the Eagles on two 3rd-and-long give up plays … an 11-yard check down on 3rd-and-20 and a seven-yard check down on 3rd-and-14.
No one is realistically expecting a touchdown on every single drive. But to be that incapable with regularity is really just unconscionable. It’s the most expensive offense in the NFL … by far.
It’s not all Patullo. But the play-caller is part of the problem. And so is the head coach who picked him for the job.
It would be nice to think the Eagles figured some things out on offense in this game. But, again, I don’t know if they really did as much as the players made plays out of structure. Is that sustainable?
I will say the increased under-center play-action usage was an overdue but still welcomed development. Curious to see if it’ll stay at all. Also curious just how much of it was related to not wanting Brett Toth to shotgun snap the ball, which has been an issue for him.
JIHAAD CAMPBELL
I don’t know if I’m buying the Campbell at edge rusher experiment. I get that the Eagles are really thin out there and it’s nice to be able to get Dean on the field more than not at all. But Campbell is historically light for an edge rusher and that much was apparent with the Vikings having some success running his way.
Campbell also had a bad missed tackle on a Wentz 3rd-and-10 run to allow a first down. The rookie deserves some grace for having to experiment with another position on the fly.
ANDREW MUKUBA
Mukuba logged his second career interception on Wentz’s arm punt. Good on him to make the play but it was a gift.
The rookie safety had a really bad missed open field tackle against Justin Jefferson. Instead of something like 3rd-and-6 at midfield, the Vikings moved into field goal range to ultimately make a kick that cut the Eagles’ lead to one possession.
ISAIAH RODGERS
Rodgers got torched by both DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown at various points in the game. He wouldn’t have been a flawless player if the Eagles kept him as their CB2.
That said, still fair to prefer him to Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo.
BRANDON GRAHAM
BG is my favorite Eagle. He is *THE* all-time Eagle in my mind.
That being said, I don’t want him to unretire. Not because I don’t think he can’t help this team. I’m actually confident that he can. He was playing really well prior to getting hurt last year. He didn’t retire because he was washed.
BG retired because it was an opportunity to go out on top as a two-time Super Bowl champion. He retired to spend more time with his family, among many other endeavors.
The Eagles are looking really, really thin at edge rusher. So I get wanting to bring him in. And I get BG wanting to help his teammates.
I just really liked how he was able to walk away after the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX. That felt so right. BG even said Howie Roseman told him the story was too great when BG had expressed some interest in not retiring.
Assuming he comes out of retirement, there will be a part of me that enjoys seeing him suit up for the Eagles again. But I don’t know if it’s the right decision.