Eagles at a Crossroads: Can Philly Avoid Another December Slide?
The Eagles are staring down a familiar December dilemma - and it’s one that fans in Philly know all too well. At 8-5, the defending Super Bowl champs have now dropped three straight games, and the echoes of 2023 are getting louder by the week.
Two years ago, a similar late-season stumble turned into a full-blown collapse. After losing three straight in December, that team dropped two of its final three regular-season games and then got steamrolled in the wild-card round by the Buccaneers. It was a nosedive that left a bitter taste all offseason.
Now, the 2025 version of the Eagles - a team that hoisted the Lombardi just 10 months ago - finds itself in eerily similar territory. But here’s the twist: the problems aren’t coming from the same place.
In 2023, it was the defense that couldn’t hold up. This time around, it’s the offense that’s sputtering, and the coaching staff hasn’t found the answers yet.
Still, there’s a sense inside the building that this team is built differently. That the scars from two years ago have made them tougher, more prepared for adversity.
And with a two-game lead over the Cowboys in the NFC East, the Eagles still control their own destiny. But that margin is razor-thin, and Sunday’s matchup against the 2-11 Raiders suddenly feels like a must-win.
Covey: “We’ve Been Here Before”
Wide receiver Britain Covey was part of that 2023 team, and he’s not shying away from the parallels. In fact, he’s using them as fuel.
“We lost to the Cardinals in 2023 after being big favorites, and we’re approaching a similar situation this week,” Covey said. “And you better believe that’s something that we’ll talk about.”
That’s the mindset the Eagles are leaning on - not denial, but experience. They’ve lived through a collapse.
They know what it looks like. And they’re determined not to let history repeat itself.
Offensive Woes Mounting
There’s no sugarcoating it: the Eagles’ offense is stuck in neutral. Over the past month, the unit has struggled to find rhythm, consistency, or anything resembling the explosive identity that helped carry them to a title last season. They currently rank 22nd in both passing and rushing - a far cry from the balanced, high-octane attack fans were expecting.
The low point came in last week’s 22-19 overtime loss to the Chargers, where Jalen Hurts turned the ball over five times. It was a performance that lit up the phone lines on local sports radio, with some even calling for Hurts to be benched - a drastic suggestion, but one that speaks to the level of frustration in the city right now.
Despite the noise, the locker room isn’t flinching.
Graham: “We Gotta Do It Together”
Veteran edge rusher Brandon Graham, one of the emotional leaders of this team, isn’t buying into the panic.
“I know that it’s nothing like ’23,” Graham said. “We just got to make sure that we support each other, support the offense right now since they in the slump a little bit. But we know that they are chipping away.”
Graham emphasized the importance of unity - not just in execution, but in mindset. “We all got to make sure that our ego doesn’t get in the way,” he said.
“It’s like, ‘What are we all trying to accomplish?’ We’re trying to accomplish winning.”
That’s the message being echoed throughout the locker room. The Eagles believe that if they stick together and trust the process - even when it’s ugly - they’ll come out the other side stronger.
Leadership Leaning In
This isn’t a team lacking in leaders. From Graham to kicker Jake Elliott to safety Reed Blankenship, the message is the same: stay the course.
Blankenship spoke about the maturity in the locker room, saying, “We got mature guys in this room that obviously have been through challenges and stuff, and we don’t bat an eye at what’s happening. I mean, it’s football at the end of the day.”
Elliott, too, is urging caution on the comparisons to 2023. “Obviously, that one hurt a couple years ago and it hurts now, too, but guys are urgent to get fixed,” he said.
Waiting for a Complete Game
Covey put it bluntly: “Have we played a full game this season? Really not.”
That’s the issue in a nutshell. The Eagles have had stretches - quarters, drives, moments - where they’ve looked like the team that lifted the Lombardi.
But they haven’t strung together a complete, four-quarter performance. And in December, that’s what separates contenders from pretenders.
“You want to peak at the right time,” Covey said. “We can do it.”
The Clock is Ticking
The good news for Philly? There’s still time.
The bad news? Not much.
Sunday’s game against the Raiders isn’t just about getting back in the win column - it’s about proving to themselves that they can stop the bleeding. That they can handle adversity. That they’re not the same team that unraveled two years ago.
The talent is still there. The leadership is still strong.
But in the NFL, belief only gets you so far. At some point, it has to translate into results.
And for the Eagles, that time is now.