The Philadelphia Eagles were No. 7 in scoring offense, No. 8 in total offense, and No. 2 in rushing offense during the 2024 NFL regular season. Despite their comfortable 22-10 home win over the Packers during Sunday’s NFC wild-card playoffs, they must be better with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley to get to the Super Bowl.
In either conference, the 2025 playoffs are loaded with top scoring teams. The Bills, Ravens, Lions, Buccaneers, and Commanders all were more potent point attacks. The Vikings weren’t far behind the Eagles in their offensive prowess.
The Eagles were out-gained by the Packers, another strong offense, 302-290 to open the playoffs. The biggest reason Philadelphia advanced was having a 4-0 advantage in the turnover battle, given Green Bay was 8-for-15 on third and fourth down.
As the competition gets tougher in the divisional playoffs, the Eagles need to execute better offense and clean up better after getting away with an underwhelming performance. Here are three pressing concerns for Philadelphia next weekend, regardless of opponent.
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1. Raise the third-down efficiency
The Eagles were 10th in the NFL converting their third-down chances in the regular season, with their 41.7 conversion rate a significant drop from their 46.2 mark in 2023. Philadelphia dropped to an atrocious 2-11 against Green Bay, or 18.2 percent. For a team that runs so well and so often with Saquon Barkley, Hurts, and others, that should not happen.
Philadelphia didn’t face a lot of third-and-manageables, and that stemmed from some key mistakes and penalties on early downs. The Eagles aren’t built as well to move the chains in obvious passing situations with Hurts.
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2. Finish in the red zone
The Eagles were only 13th (57.4%) in the NFL in converting touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20-yard line during the regular season. Again, that’s a drop from 2023, when the number was 59.7 percent. The Eagles went only 1-4 against the Packers after hitting on their first opportunity following the fumbled opening kickoff.
Jake Elliott did come through with three key field goals, but the Eagles left plenty of points on the table. They were fortunate they didn’t need to score more with the Packers being so sloppy themselves with Jordan Love.
The Eagles are great at cashing in when they get near the goal line with Hurts and Barkley, but to get into the deep red zone, they must make some more plays to get there. Every point will mean a lot more against the cleaner and more explosive offenses left.
3. Get A.J. Brown and the wide receivers going downfield
Brown got the double-team treatment from the Packers’ secondary and was shut down, posting only one catch for 10 yards on just three targets from Hurts. No. 2 DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert saw a combined 10 targets for eight catches, 102 yards, and a TD. Jahan Dotson scored the other TD, but that 11-yard catch on the opening drive was his only grab on a pair of targets.
With the Eagles in control of the game, Hurts and Barkley ran for a combined 155 of their team’s 169 rushing yards. Green Bay excelled at taking Brown out of the game, and there were only flashes of answers for Hurts.
The Eagles’ most reliable formula for winning most games is playing ideal complementary football, with Barkley’s prolific rushing playing well off Vic Fangio’s loaded all-around defense. They have the talent and aggressiveness to deliver improved results in the passing game, but Hurts and his top targets must get going to outduel a QB operating well spreading around the ball.
Philadelphia still has great offensive potential and can explode at any time for coordinator Kellen Moore. That promise needs to be put into practice, or the Eagles will be looking at earlier than expected playoff exit.
