Image Credits: Casey Murphy
The Philadelphia Eagles have started off well in the win column for the 2025-26 NFL season, with two close wins to open the year. But, for the defending Super Bowl champions, there are a few glaring concerns about the way the team is playing even though they have pulled out those wins.
The Eagles have started the season with two hard fought games, one possession wins over solid teams. On opening night, they beat division rival Dallas Cowboys 24-21, and in Week two, they went into Kansas City and beat the Chiefs 20-17. A win counts the same regardless of how it comes into being, but it is safe to say that neither of these games were the prettiest wins for Philadelphia.
One of the biggest concerns about the play of the Eagles to this point is the performances from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a proven winner, solidifying himself as such last season with his Super Bowl MVP, so his statistical struggles do not always affect the team greatly, but his performance so far is more out of character. He has been effective at using his legs and running with the ball, as he has three rushing touchdowns so far, but he has yet to throw for a touchdown and only threw for 152 yards against the Cowboys and 101 yards against the Chiefs. This past Sunday against the Chiefs, Hurts only attempted four passes for more than ten yards in the air and only completed one of them. It is difficult to tell how much of this is part of the game plan from the coaches, and how much of it is specifically Hurts and the wide receivers not having good connections down the field.
Speaking of wide receivers, star AJ Brown has severely struggled this season creating separation defenders and gathering targets from Hurts. Through two games, Brown only has 6 catches for 35 yards so far this season and with the way he has performed over the last few years, that stat line could be expected from him after one half of a game. Since joining the Eagles in 2022, Brown has averaged 15.6 yards per reception across those three seasons, good for first in the NFL in that category coming into this season, so it is interesting to see the lack of that top-end performance thus far. Some of the poor stats can be blamed on the fact that the team is not throwing the ball very much, so there are not as many targets to go around, especially down the field which is where Brown thrives. But, even on their passing plays, Brown is not finding the same kind of separation that he usually is able to create with his tall frame. This has caused some buzz in the media, with personalities such as Colin Cowherd speculating if Brown may ask for a trade, but for a superstar on a winning team, it is safe to assume that will not be the case.
On the other side of the football, the Eagles’ defense has been performing up to their expectations, outside of the pass rush they are lacking. During the offseason, the defense lost many key players, such as pass rushers Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Bryce Huff, along with safety CJ Gardner-Johnson. With these departures, it was expected that a top-end defense from a year ago would take a step back, yet the only area they have struggled in is their pass rush thus far. Through two games, they have only generated two sacks which is certainly not great, and they have also only had two takeaways, but they have held two good offenses to 20 points or less. They have defended the pass game rather well in both games, with the only glaring issue being Adoree’ Jackson, as he struggled greatly to cover Cowboys star receiver CeeDee Lamb, but they have kept the others in check, so their defense has been a bright spot so far.
Now, like I said, a win is a win at the end of the day. It does not matter how it goes down in the books. These discussions have happened multiple years in a row with concerns about the team and sometimes people call for head coach Nick Sirianni’s job, but coming off a Super Bowl victory, I do not think there is too much reason for worrying. The team’s chemistry should improve, and the offense will inevitably get better and more efficient, but for now, it is worth keeping an eye on if the Eagles can sustain their 2-0 start.
Jacob Burton is a second-year Media & Culture major with a minor in journalism. JB1051154@wcupa.edu