January 05, 2026
Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
Nick Sirianni will lean on Saquon Barkley even if the run game isn't overpowering.
As they head into the postseason, preparing to defend their Super Bowl title, weeks of uncertainty lie ahead for an Eagles team that could surely beat any team in the field, but could also surely lose.
These aren't last year's Eagles. We've seen that for the better part of 18 weeks. That doesn't mean they can't or won't win the Super Bowl, but without the same overpowering run game that last year could just suddenly explode at the flick of a switch and change the entire complexion of a game, the Eagles will need their defense once again to lay the groundwork to repeat as champs.
Is it possible? Sure. Is it probable? Time will tell.
But as uncertainty looms for the Eagles, what is crystal clear is that no result – loss to the Niners in Sunday's NFC Wild Card game or back-to-back Lombardi Trophies – will change the team's organizational offensive philosophy going into 2026 and beyond.
It doesn't matter if the Eagles win a divisional round game 3-0 or lose the Super Bowl 6-3, it doesn't matter if fans flood local sports-talk airwaves griping about offensive coordinator's Kevin Patullo play calls, it doesn't matter if the Eagles get blanked 21-0 by a lesser opponent in the first round.
If you've listened to Nick Sirianni's and Jalen Hurts' press conferences all season, if you've observed Sirianni's interactions with his players and coaches on HBO's "Hard Knocks," it's plain to see the Eagles aren't anytime soon deviating from their approach of trying to run the rock, produce a balanced offense, and win the turnover battle.
Winning three fewer games and earning a lower playoff seed than last year didn't shake Sirianni's unwavering belief in the blueprint that's made him one of the NFL's most successful coaches. If anything, it only steepened it.
And why wouldn't it?
Despite an offense that at times hit rock bottom, the Eagles still won the NFC East – they were the NFL's only repeat division champs – and still won 11 of the 16 games they tried to win while playing a brutal schedule, a 69-percent win clip.
Win 69 percent of your games every year and you'll be in the postseason every year.
There's really no impetus for Sirianni and the brain trust to fix anything other than their approach to the run game. They clearly need better depth on the offensive line, especially if left guard Landon Dickerson and center Cam Jurgens can't get back to Pro Bowl form, and they need multiple tight ends who can block.
The Eagles want to run with authority, they want to be among the NFL leaders in 12 personnel, and for as long as they're employing Saquon Barkley, they want to have an explosive run game that is the foundation of their playbook and opens opportunities for the rest of the offense.
It's the way Sirianni has won since he became Eagles head coach in 2021 and the biggest reason he has coached his team into the postseason five times in five seasons.
Consider that Barkley still toted the NFL's fifth-most carries this year despite averaging just 4.1 yards per attempt, which tied 32nd among all running backs with at least 100 rushes.
The Eagles ran into brick walls time and time again this season, but that didn't stop them from trying.
And it won't going forward. In a season that saw Jalen Hurts make strides as a passer – his 25 touchdown passes were a personal best – the Eagles still refused to open the pass offense and let the ball fly.
This postseason won't be any different. For better or worse, the Eagles will pin the fate of their offense on Barkley and the ground game against the 49ers and, if they're fortunate, past that.
Like it or not, this is who they are and this is who they will be.
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