“The season is over.” These are the words ringing in every Eagles fan’s ear after their devastating loss to the 49ers, following their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Eagles had high expectations going into the 2025 season. Winning consecutive Super Bowls is no easy task, as only eight NFL franchises have ever accomplished that feat. There are many reasons repeating as Super Bowl champions is not easy—fatigue from the long previous season, complacency, and lack of drive being among them. Despite this, fans around the world ask the question of how the world champs fell so easily. Poor coaching? Bad quarterback play? 31 teams fail to reach the end, and every year, they suit up and do it all over again. Can the Eagles break the cycle? And be the one team victorious once more?
After an extremely successful championship run, the Eagles lost several key defensive role players, including cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, edge rushers Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, and right guard Mekhi Becton. Although the front office attempted to address these losses in the draft by selecting Jahaad Campbell and safety Andrew Mukuba, weaknesses in the edge rush and secondary had become much more noticeable in the season. Additionally, the effect of playing 21 games was evident in the declining play of the offensive line. Once considered a strength of the Birds, the O-Line play was a surprising weakness of the team this year, and the once dominant run game struggled to get going week after week.
Another major offseason story was the promotion of coach Kevin Patullo to lead the offense. After losing Kellen Moore to the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles chose to elevate Patullo, last season’s quarterbacks coach, to offensive coordinator. The decision was met with skepticism by fans because of Patullo’s inexperience. Those doubts seemed to disappear early on. The Eagles opened the season 4–0, and by midseason had progressed to 8–2. However, at that time, despite the team’s strong record, cracks began to show on the field and in the locker room.
One major issue was the visible frustration of star receiver A.J. Brown. Throughout the season, Brown had appeared unhappy with his targets and role in the offense. After a Week 7 victory against the Vikings, Brown posted a cryptic message on Instagram that read, “Using me but not using me.” The post sent Eagles fans into a frenzy. Some dismissed Brown’s comments as unnecessary drama, while others feared Brown was genuinely unhappy in Philadelphia. Now that the season is over, many Eagles insiders reported that Brown had requested trades out of Philly many times throughout the season. Proving his frustration with the team’s performance this year.
Adding to the tension, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo was struggling with play-calling. The Eagles’ offense had often looked stagnant, and Patullo had drawn significant criticism and blame. Following Week 10, the Eagles suffered a three-game losing streak. Ironically, during those losses, A.J. Brown totaled 35 targets and 342 yards. This led Eagles fans to debate a new question: Is forcing the ball to Brown actually part of the problem?
As the regular season ended, the Eagles sat at 11–6 and had earned the number three seed in the playoffs. Despite their challenging season, the Eagles’ fan base stayed positive about a potential Super Bowl run. Jackson Riccio, a freshman at HHS and a diehard Eagles fan, shared his thoughts on the team’s offensive struggles and potential Super Bowl repeat before the wild-card game. “To be honest, Patullo has done a poor job with his play calling. They haven’t been appropriate for most scenarios, and overall, we are not passing the ball the way we need to with all the offensive talent we have. But this team has a bunch of veteran leadership, and we still have what it takes to get hot and win it all.”
Ultimately, three factors determined why the Eagles’ season ended in disappointment: Patullo’s play calling, the performance of quarterback Jalen Hurts, and the aggressiveness of the Eagles’ defense.
First, Patullo and the offense needed to improve, and did not. The Eagles ranked 18th in the league in passing yards, a level of production that clearly falls short of Super Bowl standards. The Eagles’ running game was also far less explosive than the 2024 season, with explosive runs down over 30%. If the Eagles want a legitimate chance to get back to the 2024 season’s success, the offense must find a rhythm once again.
Next season, the burden to improve the offense falls on Hurts, the 27-year-old Super Bowl LIX MVP quarterback, who has already proven he can lead a team to a championship and consistently rises to the occasion under pressure. However, this year, Hurts had a poor performance in the loss, recording only 168 passing yards and 1 touchdown. In better news, in this season of Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East, Hurts was quoted with 3 symbol words that give Eagles fans hope: “we’ll be back”.
One upside for the future of the franchise is its dominant defense. Led by defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the unit has improved during the 2025 NFL season despite losing players in free agency. Like last year, if the defense continues to force turnovers, pressure the quarterback, and capitalize on opponents’ mistakes, the Eagles can beat any team in the NFL.
Just like that, the season is over, four months of nonstop dedication and fandom come to an end after a 60-minute game. So the Eagles will go again next season, and try to be the 1 in 32. The Eagles’ social media concluded the season with a heartfelt message to fans, “thank you”.
