Eagles Question of the Day:
What’s your biggest reason for optimism heading into the Eagles’ game against the 49ers? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation!
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
15 candidates to replace Matt Eberflus as Cowboys defensive coordinator – Blogging The Boys
Christian Parker. If Schottenheimer decides he wants to do what nearly everyone else in the league is doing and copy Vic Fangio, there’s another Eagles staffer to poach. Christian Parker is Fangio’s defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator in Philadelphia, and he previously coached in Denver under both Fangio and Ejiro Evero, another Fangio disciple. Safe to say that Parker is well-versed in the Book of Fangio. Having just turned 34 this past December, Parker is one of the younger position coaches in the league, and many believe he’s on the fast track to a head coaching job. Running his own defense probably has to come before that, and being the one to turn around this Dallas defense would surely escalate that trajectory. Parker has a knack for player development, too. He welcomed both Patrick Surtain II and Ja’Quan McMillan into the league and helped them grow into difference makers for the Broncos. Last year in Philadelphia, he did the same for rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. That may be exactly what the Cowboys need right now. [BLG Note: This list also features current Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt … along with former members of the Eagles such as Jim Schwartz, Dennard Wilson, Cory Undlin, and Leslie Frazier.]
Eagles vs. Commanders: 7 winners, 7 losers, and 3 IDKs – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Washington Commanders on Sunday evening. They got the help they needed from the Detroit Lions beating the Chicago Bears … but Philly’s backups couldn’t beat Washington’s starters to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture. The Birds will be the No. 3 seed and host the No. 6 seed San Francisco 49ers in the first round instead of the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers. Time to hand out winners, losers, and I don’t knows.
49ers Wild Card odds: The line continues to move in the Eagles favor – Niners Nation
FanDuel Sportsbook listed the 49ers as +2.5-point favorites on Sunday evening after their opponent was revealed. The total for the game was 46.5. As of writing, the total dipped to 44.5, while money has poured in on the Eagles. The line has climbed through a key number of 3 up to 4.5. Bettors are likely under the impression that Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall won’t play, or will be limited if they do. It doesn’t help the 49ers’ argument that both linebackers could miss. We know Tatum Bethune is out, but Dee Winters should be listed as questionable.
The 3 best and 3 worst potential Super Bowl matchups this year – SB Nation
Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles aka “The Tush Push Chaos Bowl”. I don’t know if we need Bills fans and Eagles fans to all gather in one place with something on the line. It feels like there’s potential for a Woodstock ‘99 level disaster. That said, there’s something to the idea of experience being a big factor in the playoffs. Only the Bills and Eagles are teams who have truly been here before — which means we shouldn’t get a total dud of a game where a team isn’t prepared. What we will get a lot of, however, is tush pushing. Both the Eagles and Bills love the play, and it would be a full example of what the NFL has become on offense, for better and worse. Finally we round out with the emotion of seeing the Bills finally crack the AFC ceiling which has alluded them so many times before. Josh Allen battling Philly to win his first Lombardi would be must-watch TV for everyone involved.
5 reasons for optimism and concern as Eagles enter playoffs – NBCSP
The play-caller and offense are suspect. You’ve watched the offense all year. You know. The Eagles are far too talented to finish the regular season 19th in scoring, 24th in yards and 13th in EPA/play. This should be — at minimum — at top 10 offense and it isn’t close to that. The 3-and-outs have killed this offense; they’ve had more than any team in the NFL this season. Some of these problems predate the promotion of Kevin Patullo to offensive coordinator but his performance in that role has clearly exacerbated the problems. It’s impossible to know exactly how a play-caller is going to perform in that position because so much of it just has to be feel. The Eagles were hoping that Patullo would be good at it and he just hasn’t been. While Nick Sirianni has publicly backed Patullo his actions say otherwise. Late in the season, Sirianni became more involved with the offense during the week, and after a dismal second-half performance in Buffalo, Sirianni admitted that he needs to be more assertive with play-calling direction between series. Maybe Sirianni can help but the fact that he needs to step in is troubling.
NFL playoff myth-busters: Why you’re wrong about all 14 teams – ESPN
Why it’s a myth: It’s actually Jalen Hurts. While last season’s offense seemed to center around Barkley and the Eagles’ ability to generate explosive plays in the run game, this season’s offense seems to much more closely follow the performance of the team’s Super Bowl MVP quarterback. Barkley is averaging 91.5 scrimmage yards in Eagles wins this season and 81.4 in losses. He’s averaging 3.9 yards per carry in wins and 4.7 in losses. Seven of his touchdowns have come in the Eagles’ 11 wins, whereas he has five in losses. In other words, there doesn’t seem to be evidence of a dramatic difference in Barkley’s performance in wins versus his performance in losses. Hurts, on the other hand, sees a great deal more variance. In Eagles wins, Hurts has a 64.2 QBR, a 5.1 completion percentage over expected (NFL Next Gen Stats), 19 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. In losses, he has a 38.2 QBR, a 0.1 CPOE, six touchdown passes and six interceptions. Just a lot of evidence to suggest that Philadelphia’s success in 2025 is tied much more closely to Hurts’ performance than it is to what Barkley does.
Some coordinators are toughened by long hours and stressful seasons, but the people of Dunmore say this is how Fangio has always been. Even as a young safety, he was hard-nosed and meticulous, a player who devoured film and grasped concepts on the first try. Fangio showed an ability to be in the right spot at the right time, or better yet, anticipate what the opposing offense would do next. These instincts only sharpened in 1979, when he was hired by Jack Henzes as linebackers coach at Dunmore High School, his alma mater, about 120 miles north of Philadelphia. It was an opportunity that lay the foundation for the rest of his career. Henzes became a mentor to Fangio, whom he saw as a kindred spirit. He taught his pupil how to work, how to coach, and how to get the most out of his team. They took pride in the minutiae, drilling players on everything from proper footwork to hand placement. This translated into success: After losing seasons in 1976 and 1977, and a bounce-back 10-win season in 1978, Fangio and Henzes went 21-13 over their three years coaching together. The Eagles defensive coordinator has accomplished a lot since then — including a Super Bowl championship in which he played a crucial role — but locals still see the same understated guy.
Spadaro: 10 reasons to feel good about the Eagles in the playoffs – PE.com
On Sunday, the Linc will be rocking. Head Coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts are 5-0 at Lincoln Financial Field in the postseason. Look, we know what the scene is going to be like on Sunday: INSANE!!!! Eagles fans provide a great, great homefield advantage – the Eagles are 15-3 in their last 18 games in South Philadelphia. All the other stuff – the weather, the travel – that’s part of being in the NFL. But a true homefield advantage? It truly makes a difference. [BLG Note: Could’ve been nice to try to guarantee a second home playoff game following a Wild Card win by getting the No. 2 seed!]
NFL Power Rankings: Steelers rising entering Wild Card Weekend; Bears slip before playoffs – NFL.com
10) Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles opted to punt on Week 18 to rest up for the playoffs, missing a chance to move up from the No. 3 seed to No. 2. That indifference could be viewed a number of ways, but it did give the Philly offense a chance to breathe a bit before the action gets thick. The defense should be championship-worthy, having shown it can dismantle quality opponents (SEE: wins over the Packers, Lions and Bills). It’ll be strength on strength against a Niners offense that can fill it up quickly, but San Francisco’s Week 18 loss to Seattle is proof that the Eagles can prevail with elite defense. But can they score? Can they generate explosive plays and a consistently good run game? That might be the difference between playing one game and making a run at defending their title.
Every NFL team’s most impactful rookie during the 2025 regular season – PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: LB Jihaad Campbell (Round 1, No. 31 Overall). The Eagles leaned on Campbell early in the campaign before Nakobe Dean’s return from injury in Week 7. The rookie linebacker was then largely phased out of Philadelphia’s plans, despite his strong play. From Weeks 1-7, Campbell was the NFL’s ninth-highest-graded linebacker (82.5). As a mostly part-time player from Weeks 8-16, he ranked 61st (52.4). He reassumed a starting role in Weeks 17 and 18 with Dean sidelined and again displayed positive play, earning 70.3 and 64.8 PFF overall grades.
Eagles have one massive advantage over 49ers that you probably won’t hear much about – NJ.com
The Eagles are again (mostly) healthy heading into these playoffs with 21 of their 22 opening-day starters available for their Wild Card game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. The only exception this year is rookie safety Andrew Mukuba, who went down with a fractured ankle in Week 12 against the Cowboys. By contrast, the 49ers, for the second straight season, have dealt with a long list of injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball. They lost five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Nick Bosa for the season to a Week 3 torn ACL and they lost four-time first-team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner to an ankle injury in Week 6. Warner’s replacement (Tatum Bethune) was also lost for the rest of the season in San Francisco’s loss Saturday to Seattle.
Final 2025 DVOA Ratings – FTN Fantasy
[BLG Note: The Eagles rank 8th out of 14 playoff teams by DVOA. The 49ers are 9th.]
NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: End of regular season edition – PhillyVoice
5) 49ers (12-5): Kyle Shanahan complained about having to play on Saturday in the week leading up to their matchup against the Seahawks, despite being the home team, and having the added advantage of an extra day of rest before their first playoff game. After losing to the Seahawks, Shanahan commented that Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall — who both missed the game with injuries — might have played if they had one more day to get ready. You know who didn’t complain? The Seahawks, who simply showed up on Saturday and beat the Niners’ asses. And they would have done the same on Sunday. Of course, Shanahan and 49ers players infamously bitched all offseason about not having a third quarterback available after the Eagles knocked Brock Purdy and Josh Johnson out of the NFC Championship Game following the 2022 season, prompting the NFL to pass the “emergency quarterback” rule. And you know what? After all their bitching, the Niners don’t even carry a third quarterback on their roster, lol. Anyway, my big takeaway here is that Shanahan is a crybaby who just looks for reasons to blame other things whenever he loses.
“Gannon had an exceptional defensive résumé before taking the job in Arizona, devising a scheme that spearheaded the Eagles to another Super Bowl. He could take some time out of the game before making his next move, but there would be no shortage of suitors looking to find out more if he wants to get back into the mix immediately.” [BLG Note: Lmao. Eagles fans would love if Washington hired Gannon.]
Kevin Stefanski is a top target for the Giants, John Harbaugh could be too – Big Blue View
The Cleveland Browns have fired head coach Kevin Stefanski. In doing so, they may have provided the New York Giants with the top candidate in their own coaching search. Rumors have been swirling for days that Stefanski could be fired, with reports coming in from ESPN, The Athletic, the NFL Network, and NBC Sports. It’s widely anticipated that he will immediately top every team’s list of available candidates and has already been called an “ideal candidate” for the Giants’ opening.
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