by Brandon Graham

Less than two years after the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and sent an entire city spilling into the streets, the mood around the Linc feels a lot more complicated than a champagne celebration. The team that looked like the NFL’s next dynasty has spent the past year learning how quickly the league can humble even its best rosters, and after a rough Monday night in Chicago, fans are asking a question that would have sounded ridiculous in February 2025: can the Birds actually get back to the mountaintop?

How the Champs Lost Their Grip

The 2025 season started like a victory lap, but it never quite felt like one. The Eagles jumped out to an 8 and 2 record before dropping three straight games, and although they still won the NFC East, the ride ended abruptly when they lost a Wild Card game to the 49ers by a score of 23 to 19. The defense was genuinely excellent, with Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell both earning first team All Pro honors, but the offense felt stuck in neutral for long stretches, and the frustration inside the building became impossible to hide.

An Offseason That Blew Up the Status Quo

Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni responded with the kind of shakeup Philadelphia had not seen in years. The team parted ways with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in January and hired Sean Mannion, which gave the Eagles their fifth straight season with a new play caller. Mannion is a bold bet, since he arrived after just two seasons as an assistant with the Packers, but the people around him clearly believe in his mind for the game. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata put it memorably when he said that if you locked the three smartest people in the building in a room, Mannion would be the only one in there.

Then came the move that shook the fan base. The Eagles traded A.J. Brown to the Patriots for a 2028 first round pick and a 2027 fifth rounder, parting with a player who is arguably the greatest wide receiver in franchise history and still holds the team record for receiving yards in a single season. The deal came after a season of reported friction involving Brown, Jalen Hurts, and the coaching staff, so Philadelphia chose a clean reset over another year of awkward headlines. To fill the gap, they traded up to draft USC receiver Makai Lemon at No. 20 and added Vanderbilt pass catcher Eli Stowers at No. 54.

The bigger change might be philosophical. Where the old offense leaned heavily on Brown and DeVonta Smith winning one on one battles, Mannion is installing a more timing based system built around scheming receivers open, and the scheme is widely expected to borrow from the Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan playbook, which is a massive adjustment for Hurts.

Three Games In, Plenty of Questions

On paper, the season started fine, with tight wins over Washington (24 to 22) and at Tennessee (24 to 20), but even those victories felt shaky, and Monday night in Chicago exposed every crack. With Caleb Williams hurt, the Bears handed the ball to Case Keenum, and the 38 year old veteran, starting for the first time in over a thousand days, completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns in a 27 to 7 blowout.

The details were even more painful for Eagles fans. Tank Bigsby fumbled deep in Philadelphia territory, and Andy Dalton threw a costly goal line interception while Hurts was briefly being checked for a concussion. The pass rush barely touched Keenum, and the defense still has not forced a single takeaway through three games. One stat captured the night perfectly, because Hurts threw as many interceptions in the third quarter as the Eagles managed first downs. Perhaps the harshest verdict came from a postgame analysis noting that Philadelphia looked like the team relying on a rusty third string quarterback, not Chicago.

The Case for Believing

Before anyone jumps off the Ben Franklin Bridge, it is worth remembering that this roster is still loaded. The Eagles are 2 and 1 and sitting near the top of the division, they still have Hurts, Saquon Barkley, Smith, a strong offensive line, and one of the best young cornerback duos in football, and Vic Fangio remains one of the sharpest defensive minds in the sport. The conference also feels unusually open, since the Seahawks were last season’s champions and no NFC team has established itself as a clear favorite. Growing pains in a brand new offense are normal, and many of the league’s best McVay style attacks took a month or two before everything started to click.

It also helps to remember Hurts’ track record, because his career winning percentage of 69.5 ranks ninth best in NFL history. He has been doubted before, he has been counted out before, and he has answered by winning a lot of football games.

What Needs to Happen

For Philadelphia to fly back to the top, a few things have to change fast. The pass rush needs to start creating chaos instead of letting quarterbacks sit comfortably in the pocket, the defense needs to start forcing turnovers the way a Fangio unit should, and the offense needs to prove that it can sustain drives after halftime rather than disappearing for entire quarters. Most of all, Hurts and Mannion need to find a rhythm that turns this new system from a science experiment into something opponents actually fear.

The next test arrives Sunday, when the Rams come to Philadelphia as slight favorites, and there might not be a better measuring stick for a team trying to learn a McVay inspired offense than facing McVay himself. If the Eagles bounce back with a statement win, Monday night will look like a speed bump; if they stumble again, the questions about whether this core can reclaim the crown will only get louder. Either way, the Birds still have the talent to soar, and in a city that has always loved an underdog story, maybe being doubted again is exactly what this team needs.

#FlyEaglesFly #EaglesNation #GoBirds #PhiladelphiaEagles #NFL