As Eagles teeter toward another collapse, players confront reality: ‘It hurts’

PHILADELPHIA — The 8-5 Eagles face the same danger as two years ago: a three-game losing streak that could derail their season.

In 2023, after the Eagles dropped three straight December games, their season spiraled out of control. They lost two of their final three regular-season games and were blown out by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

The 2025 Eagles are the defending Super Bowl champions, while the 2023 team was coming off a Super Bowl loss, so it’s not a one-for-one comparison. But both teams struggled for the same reason: one unit became a liability — the defense in 2023, the offense in 2025 — and the coaching staff was unable to fix it.

Even though this season appears to be trending in the wrong direction after losses to the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers over the past three weeks, the Eagles still believe they can win the NFC East and contend in the playoffs — something they didn’t do in 2023.

Their turnaround could start this Sunday at home against the 2-11 Raiders. But another loss could put the Eagles on the brink of a second collapse in the past three years. Philadelphia holds only a two-game lead over the Cowboys for the NFC East lead.

“What makes me confident (we can turn things around) is that a lot of this team was also here in 2023,” Eagles wide receiver Britain Covey told NJ Advance Media this week. “For example, we lost to the Cardinals in 2023 after being big favorites, and we’re approaching a similar situation this week (against the Raiders). And you better believe that’s something that we’ll talk about.”

The Eagles aren’t playing well on offense, and the defense has shown cracks, but they still have enough talent on both sides of the ball to be a formidable team in January.

But that won’t be the case if the Eagles fall apart from within over the next few weeks.

“I know that it’s nothing like 23,” Eagles edge rusher Brandon Graham said. “It’s more of we just got to make sure that we support each other, support the offense right now since they in the slump a little bit. But we know that they are chipping away. And if we don’t fold to what others are saying and just know that it’s about us all the time, I know we’re gonna be fine. That’s why I know we gonna be fine. Cause ain’t nobody really saying nothing against each other.”

This past week, sports radio hosts at 94.1 WIP suggested the Eagles could bench quarterback Jalen Hurts after he turned the ball over five times in the team’s 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers in Week 14, continuing a poor stretch of play over the past month.

Even Philadelphia’s fanbase is starting to lose hope in Hurts, head coach Nick Sirianni, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and others.

The last time the Eagles faced this type of pressure, back in 2023, they didn’t respond well.

So what makes this year any different?

“I don’t feel like the culture was weak two years ago, but I think it was just the first time that a lot of us had experienced something like that,” Covey said. “People don’t understand the pressure that’s put on you in this locker room and players included. And so that was the first time that I think a lot of guys felt that. So you’re more accustomed to it this year and you’re able to move through it.”

Kicker Jake Elliott wants to avoid comparing this season to 2023, believing the two teams are very different.

“Obviously, that one hurt a couple years ago and it hurts now, too, but guys are urgent to get fixed,” Elliott said.

Eagles coaches and players are making sure their three-game losing streak doesn’t darken the mood of the locker room. They are, in fact, still in a good spot in the standings.

“The positive vibes and the emphasis that you put every week to move forward and to do well doesn’t necessarily translate to a win,” Covey said. “And you have to recognize that there’s still steps in the right direction. You can’t label every week that you lose as a complete failure. There are things that we did last week that we haven’t done in a while that you gotta build on.

“It’s really just waiting to put it all together in a full game. Have we played a full game this season? Really not. We have great quarters and stretches. You want to peak at the right time. We can do it.”

Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith, center Cam Jurgens and tackle Jordan Mailata are among those who have said Philadelphia’s offense has struggled due to a lack of focus. The Eagles rank 22nd out of 32 teams in both passing and rushing through 14 weeks.

Eventually, the defense could sputter under too much pressure and too many snaps, too. But that unit is confident the offense will get back on track.

“KP (Kevin Patullo) got the job for a reason, and we gotta help him through this as far as just believing in what we’re doing and then having your suggestions because you got experience, too,” Graham said. “And we all got to make sure that our ego doesn’t get in the way. It’s like, ‘What are we all trying to accomplish?’ We’re trying to accomplish winning. ... You stand on what it is that we drew up for the week, and if it didn’t work, it’s cool. Go back to the drawing board. But we got to do it together. That’s why I’m liking it because I feel like they are growing together through the hardships.”

Safety Reed Blankenship shares Elliott’s mindset. He’s encouraged by the leadership he’s seen and believes the team will find a way out of this tough time.

“I mean, we got mature guys in this room that obviously have been through challenges and stuff, and we don’t bat an eye at what’s happening,” Blankenship said. “I mean, it’s football at the end of the day, and obviously, we’re in the mode of fixing things every day, regardless of what it is. So we still rise to the challenge and keep on chugging along.”

Read the original article on NJ.com. Add NJ.com as a Preferred Source by clicking here.