In the first-round playoff game, the Philadelphia Eagles were slated to face off against the Buccaneers on Monday, January 15. The Eagles entered the playoffs as the fifth seed in the NFC.
The Eagles started the season strong, winning 10 of the first 11 games, only losing to the Jets in week six. They had the best record in the NFL going into week thirteen.
However, things started going downhill after their week thirteen loss to the San Francisco 49ers. They lost five of their last six games of the regular season. Philadelphia was hoping for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but the late season implosion had them starting the playoffs as fifth seed on the road in Tampa.
After the early season wins, the Eagles end of season losses to the Cardinals and Giants, considered weak teams, could have hurt team morale. Additionally, they replaced their Defensive Coordinator, Sean Desai, with Matt Patricia after losing to the Cowboys, which changed the defense. That change also could have contributed to the late-season losses because the team had to get used to working with a new defensive coach.
The Eagles also faced a multitude of challenges, including many players being out due to injuries.
“The injuries, Darius Slay being out.” Sammy Magliari ‘26 said. “And now Devonta Smith being out, Jalen Hurts getting hurt, AJ Brown being hurt.”
Magliari, like many GA Eagles fans, also blames the coaching.
“I honestly think the biggest factor is the coaching staff. We need to fire [Offensive Coordinator] Brian Johnson. He’s done terrible play-calling,” Magliari said. “His screen passes on third and long. He does that so often that I think it’s a big reason why the Eagles have not been able to play well on important drives.”
Eagles fans in the GA community and larger Philadelphia area are disappointed with the late season fall off of the Eagles. Extenuating circumstances such as player injuries, losses to bottom-of-the-barrel teams, and large changes in the coaching staff could have contributed to their lackluster end of the regular season. But many are hoping for a possible deep run for the Eagles.