Eagles Mailbag: Who Deserves Blame for Philadelphia’s Offensive Struggles?
The Philadelphia Eagles improved to 7-2 and currently sit atop the NFC, yet there are still concerns around the team’s offense. Eagles first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo remains the target of criticism in Philadelphia.
Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown has also voiced his frustration with the offense throughout the season. Yet who deserves blame for Philadelphia’s offensive struggles? ’ll discuss that and more in my Eagles mailbag ahead of Week 11.
We’re 11 weeks into the regular season and Philadelphia’s offensive struggles have continued. The Eagles lack an identity on offense and while many have been quick to blame first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, I don’t quite think that the answer is that simple.
Philadelphia’s offensive struggles haven’t been in just one area. Sure, A.J. Brown has been vocal about his usage and the passing struggles, yet the rushing offense has likely been an even bigger disappointment.
If I told you before the regular season that Jalen Hurts would throw for 3,500 passing yards, 30 passing touchdowns and two interceptions, you would gladly accept that. Which is exactly what Hurts is on pace to record.
Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley is on pace for just 1,100 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. That’s a significant drop-off from the numbers that we saw Philadelphia’s superstar running back record last season.
Therefore, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly who is to blame for Philadelphia’s offensive struggles in 2025. There are plenty of cooks in the kitchen for the Eagles’ offense and they have all played a part in the team’s struggles.
We don’t usually hear about these consultant hires until they’re actually reported. It doesn’t seem like the interviews for consultant roles are often reported, unlike with coaching hires.
For example, we didn’t hear about Marcus Brady or Vic Fangio interviewing for their consulting roles with the Eagles in 2022-2023. We learned about their roles once they were already working in Philadelphia.
The Eagles could absolutely add an offensive consultant to help Patullo this season, yet we likely won’t hear about their interest in any potential candidates until they hire them.
I agree with you regarding a midseason change at offensive coordinator. Patullo is close with Nick Sirianni and I can’t see him being demoted or fired midseason, especially with the Eagles atop the NFC.
Yet if Philadelphia falls short in the postseason, my guess is that the Eagles would make a change at offensive coordinator in the postseason. Similar to the situation in 2023, when the Eagles eventually moved on from Brian Johnson.
While the Eagles allowed Sirianni to promote Patullo in 2025, my guess is that Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie would be a bit more hands on if the team makes a change at offensive coordinator in the offseason.
Your eyes aren’t deceiving you, Jordan Mailata has certainly struggled this season. While he is still playing well overall, Mailata isn’t playing at the All-Pro level that he did last season as Philadelphia’s starting left tackle.
In nine starts, Mailata has allowed one sack, three quarterback hits and 18 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. Mailata has also already been called for five penalties.
If Mailata continues to play at this pace, he’ll allow the second-most quarterback hits, third-most total pressures and the most penalties that he’s been called for as a starter.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was recently asked if he was surprised that Adoree’ Jackson was still the starter at outside cornerback. Fangio called Jackson a “survivor” and talked about how he hoped he could continue to improve at that spot.
It certainly seems like Fangio seems happy enough with Jackson’s play to keep him at that spot. Yet Fangio also seems intrigued by Jakorian Bennett’s potential at the position.
My guess is that Jackson has a relatively short leash moving forward. If he continues his solid play, he’ll keep the spot. But if Jackson gives up a big game like he did in Week 1, we could see Bennett get his first start with the Eagles.
The Eagles and Lions are widely viewed as two of the best teams in the NFL. Yet it feels like Philadelphia has the more talented roster from top to bottom. Although there are a few spots where Detroit has the edge in talent.
While this might be controversial, I would take Jahmyr Gibbs over Saquon Barkley at running back. I believe Gibbs is a more explosive player right now and also offers a bit more juice as a pass catcher.
Amon-Ra St. Brown over Jahan Dotson at WR3 is an obvious decision, if that’s possible as well. Although that seems like cheating.
I’d also take Sam LaPorta over Dallas Goedert. While Goedert has recorded a career-high in touchdown receptions this season, he has declined a bit as a blocker. If that’s the case, I think LaPorta is the better tight end overall.
On the defensive side of the ball, I’d take Alim McNeill over Jordan Davis at IDL. While McNeill is recovering from a major injury, he still offers a bit more burst and quickness inside than Davis does.
Aidan Hutchinson would be a clear upgrade over any of Philadelphia’s edge rushers, which seems like the most obvious decision in this entire exercise. Hutchinson has the potential to be the best defensive player in the NFL.
Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph (when healthy) make things interesting at safety. While Reed Blankenship and Drew Mukuba have each made plays, I think that I would take Detroit’s safety duo over Philadelphia’s safety duo when fully healthy.
The Eagles should be asking Santa Claus for a fully healthy offensive line. Philadelphia has played just one game this season where there entire starting offensive line played every snap together, which was in Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
If the Eagles can have all five of their starting offensive linemen healthy, I believe that would go a long way in fixing the offense’s struggles. We’ll see if Philadelphia lands on the naughty list or the nice list though.
I’ve noticed that this has been a hot topic on social media in recent days. Ironically, I wrote an article ranking the greatest Eagles uniforms of all-time for Pro Football Network in 2024.
Philadelphia’s little-used midnight green on midnight green uniform combination landed inside my top five. Here are my rankings:
Kelly Green Jersey
Black Jersey/Black Pants
Black Jersey/Midnight Green Pants
White Jersey/Black Pants
Midnight Green Jersey/Midnight Green Pants
While many seem against the idea of the Eagles bringing back the all midnight green uniform combination, I actually liked it. Philadelphia has only worn that combo in 1997 and 2002, so it would be the first time that they have utilized it in at least 23 years.