The Big Picture: Why the 2025 Eagles’ Struggles Differ from the 2023 Collapse

The Philadelphia Eagles’ late-season struggles, currently sitting at 8-4 and following two consecutive losses, have naturally triggered comparisons to the devastating 2023 collapse. In 2023, the team famously started 10-1 before losing six of their last seven games, culminating in an embarrassing Wild Card exit.¹

 

While the current downward trend—marked by the first two-game losing streak of the 2025 season—creates a sense of déjà vu, a detailed analysis of the underlying issues, coaching structure, and statistical indicators suggests the current problems are different in nature and locus than the historic 2023 meltdown.

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Anatomy of the 2023 Collapse

To understand the current situation, one must first clearly define what went wrong in 2023. The collapse was a complete system failure, driven primarily by defensive regression and a stalled offense.

The Defensive Meltdown

The 2023 collapse was catastrophically driven by the defense.²

 

• Massive Statistical Drop-Off: The Eagles’ defense fell from 8th in the league in points allowed in 2022 to a woeful 30th in 2023 during the collapse, and 31st in Total Points Per Play from Week 13 onward.³

   

• Secondary and Linebacker Woes: The unit went from first to second-to-last in passing yards allowed, with porous coverage in the intermediate middle of the field. Key departures of players like DT Javon Hargrave and S C.J. Gardner-Johnson were acutely felt.

• Coaching Chaos: Head Coach Nick Sirianni demoted Defensive Coordinator Sean Desai late in the season, handing the play-calling duties to Matt Patricia.⁴ This mid-season change only seemed to exacerbate the confusion and lack of cohesion, contributing directly to the team’s spiral.

   

The Offensive Stagnation

The offense, under first-year coordinator Brian Johnson, was not immune:

• Loss of RPO Effectiveness: The unit lost the dynamism of former OC Shane Steichen’s RPO (Run-Pass Option) attack, shifting to a less successful scheme reliant on deep passes and screens.

• Jalen Hurts Regression: Hurts’ quick-game accuracy dropped significantly, ranking 24th in 2023 on RPOs and one-step drops compared to 8th in 2022.⁵ He also threw 15 interceptions, up from six in 2022.

   

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📊 The 2025 Struggles: A Different Set of Problems

The 2025 team, while struggling, has a different set of statistical flaws and coaching challenges. The primary concern has shifted entirely to the offense.

The Defensive Stability (The Difference-Maker)

The key reason the current situation is not a full-blown “collapse” is the dramatic improvement on the defensive side of the ball, thanks to major coaching changes and personnel upgrades.

Statistic	2023 (Season Rank)	2025 (Current Rank)	Change/Locus of Problem
Points Per Game	25.2 (25th)	20.5 (8th)	Massive Improvement
Total Yards Allowed/Game	356.1 (24th)	340.0 (20th)	Significant Improvement
Defensive Coordinator	Sean Desai/Matt Patricia	Vic Fangio	Elite, Proven Coordinator

The hiring of veteran defensive coordinator Vic Fangio (who was hired in 2024 after the 2023 collapse) has provided a foundational stability that was entirely missing last season.⁶ The 2025 defense, despite recent losses, remains a top-10 unit in points allowed, capable of keeping the team in games. This is the most crucial difference from the 2023 team, where the defense was the anchor dragging the team down.

 

The Offensive Instability (The Current Crisis)

Unlike 2023, the current crisis is almost exclusively an offensive problem.

Statistic	2024 (Under Kellen Moore)	2025 (Current Under Patullo)	Change/Locus of Problem
Points Per Game	29.4 (5th)	22.5 (19th)	Significant Regression
Total Yards/Game	364.8 (10th)	304.0 (24th)	Significant Regression
Rushing Yards/Game	179.3 (1st)	108.5 (20th)	Ground Game Stalled
Yards Before Contact/Carry (Barkley)	3.8 (approx. 2024)	2.3 (approx. 2025)	Offensive Line/Scheme Issue

The offensive unit, now led by first-year Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo (a Sirianni confidante), is producing roughly seven fewer points and 60 fewer yards per game than the previous season.

• Failure to Establish the Run: Despite having a superstar running back in Saquon Barkley, the commitment to the run game has dropped, with the team running on only 47% of its plays, down significantly from 2024.⁷ The efficiency has plummeted, pointing to scheme or offensive line play.⁸

   

• Inconsistent Play-Calling: Patullo’s play-calling is drawing heavy criticism for being inconsistent and failing to establish a rhythm.⁹ Players have publicly alluded to execution errors and a need for greater dedication to the run.

   

• Hurts/Barkley Regression: While Jalen Hurts’ passing numbers are slightly up, his rushing yards are down significantly, reducing the dynamic threat he poses.¹⁰ Furthermore, Barkley is averaging just 2.3 yards before contact, suggesting the offensive line, a perennial strength, is struggling to open holes as effectively as in past years.¹¹

   Similar Record, Different Foundation

The fear of a 2023-like collapse is understandable given the identical record and mid-season timing of the struggles. However, the root causes are fundamentally different:

1. 2023 Collapse: Defined by a failed defense, coaching chaos (mid-season DC change), and a stalled RPO-heavy offense, resulting in a system-wide breakdown (1-6 finish).

2. 2025 Struggles: Defined by a stagnant, underperforming offense, while the defense provides a stable, top-10 foundation.

The current situation is not a collapse of the entire team, but a crisis of offensive identity and execution. The team has a strong defensive foundation that the 2023 squad lacked, making the 2025 floor significantly higher. The question is whether Head Coach Nick Sirianni and OC Kevin Patullo can diagnose and fix the offensive issues—specifically re-establishing the run and improving play-calling consistency—before the end of the season.¹²

 

The players themselves seem to believe the situation is recoverable. All-Pro offensive tackle Jordan Mailata emphatically stated, “this is nowhere near close to 2023…¹³ The coaching, the coaching technique, it’s there this year. It wasn’t there in ’23.” This sentiment suggests that the locker room hasn’t devolved into the chaos and finger-pointing that defined the end of the 2023 season. While a collapse is still possible if the offense doesn’t improve, the fact that they have a functioning defense gives them a better chance to stabilize and still contend for a playoff run.