Eagles Hit a Skid, but Inside the Locker Room, It’s Clear: This Isn’t 2023 All Over Again
For the second time in three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have hit a December wall. After racing out to a 10-2 start, they’ve now dropped three straight-this time to the Cowboys, Bears, and Chargers. And for fans in Philly, the déjà vu is real.
Back in 2023, the Eagles were flying high at 10-1 before the wheels came off. They lost five of their final six games and got bounced from the playoffs in the Wild Card round. That collapse lingered like a bad hangover-until they came back with a vengeance and won the Super Bowl the following season.
So now, with another late-season stumble, the comparisons are inevitable. But inside the Eagles’ locker room? They’re not having it.
“This isn’t 2023,” they say-and they mean it.
Wide receiver DeVonta Smith didn’t hesitate when asked if this felt like the same old story. “No,” he said flatly.
“It’s nowhere close to 2023.” Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham echoed that confidence: “Nah-this ain’t no crash at the end,” he said.
“It’s just the way it’s going right now. We’ll get it right.
I’m not worried at all.”
Even team owner Jeffrey Lurie chimed in with a firm vote of confidence. “Nothing like it,” he said.
“Absolute opposite. We have a Super Bowl defense and great special teams.
Our offense will get it going. I’m not worried at all.”
That belief isn’t just blind optimism-it’s rooted in some real differences between this year’s squad and the one that unraveled two seasons ago.
Defense: The Fangio Factor
Let’s start with the defense. In 2023, the Eagles’ defense was a liability.
They couldn’t stop the pass, couldn’t get off the field, and ranked near the bottom of the league in both scoring and yardage allowed. This year, it’s a different story.
Vic Fangio came aboard as defensive coordinator in 2024, and his impact has been clear. The Eagles are no longer bleeding points-they’re top-10 in scoring defense and EPA per play, even if they’re still middle of the pack in total yards allowed. That’s a huge leap from where they were two years ago, and it’s helped keep them competitive even when the offense has sputtered.
Graham pointed to that very difference: “We’ve still got Vic. Back then, we lost coordinators on both sides of the ball.
… This isn’t 2023. We’re definitely gonna get it right.”
Offensive Struggles: A Familiar Concern
Still, there’s no sugarcoating what’s happening on the offensive side. Over the last three games, the Eagles have looked out of sync-struggling to finish drives, turning the ball over, and failing to capitalize on the defense’s efforts. The rhythm that defined their early-season success just hasn’t been there.
And while the defense has done its part to keep games within reach, it hasn’t been enough to tilt things in their favor. In today’s NFL, it’s hard to win consistently if your offense can’t put pressure on the scoreboard-and that’s exactly what Philadelphia has to fix if they want to make noise in January.
The Path Ahead: Four Winnable Games, One Big Question
The good news? The Eagles have four winnable games left on the schedule. If they take care of business, they’re still in prime position to lock up the division and head into the postseason with momentum.
But the question isn’t just whether they can make the playoffs-it’s whether they can make a run once they get there. Can the offense rediscover its identity in time? Can they find the balance and explosiveness that made them so dangerous earlier this season?
Inside the building, the belief hasn’t wavered. The scars of 2023 are still fresh-but so is the memory of what came after.
The Eagles know how quickly things can turn in this league. And with a defense that’s playing at a championship level and leadership that’s been through the fire before, they’re betting this year’s story ends a lot differently.
Let the outside noise build. In Philly, they’re focused on writing a new chapter-not reliving an old one.