Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

A Big Test

Posted September 19th, 2025 | No Comments »

Sunday will be a big test for the Eagles. They beat the Cowboys and Chiefs in the first two weeks, but both teams were missing key players. That made things easier on the Eagles. The Rams come to Philly as one of the best teams in the league.

September football is always confusing. Detroit started hot last year and proved to be great all season long. The Eagles started 2-2, but ended up winning the SB. Baltimore started 0-2 and ended up 12-5. The Saints looked dominant in their 2-0 start before completely melting down.

The Rams and Eagles were both good teams last year. They are both expected to be good this year. This game won’t define anyone’s season, but it will give us some hints about how good these teams truly are. Critics will point out that the Eagles haven’t played great so far this year. Heck, without a couple of red zone turnovers by their opponents, the Eagles could be 0-2.

LA pushed the Eagles in the playoffs last year, but that was after going just 10-7 in the regular season. Are the Rams really as good as we think? Are they being hyped because they stayed close to the Eagles in the snow game last January?

The Eagles turned into a juggernaut after their slow start last year. We all expect the Eagles to get back to a similar level this season. It certainly hasn’t happened yet. The Eagles don’t practice as much as some other teams in the summer. They don’t play starters in the preseason. It takes them a few games to work out the kinks and get into a good rhythm. Will that be this Sunday? Week 4? Week 5?

There are no guarantees it will happen. The 2023 Eagles started 10-1, but only really looked good in a couple of games. They won 7 of 11 games by a TD or less. 3 of their 6 losses were by 17 or more points. They got blown out in the playoffs as well. That team would look really good for part of a game and then struggle or out right fall apart. It was maddening to watch.

I don’t think this version of the Eagles will fall into such a situation. Jalen Hurts is smarter and more experienced. Saquon Barkley is a game-changing player. The defense has Vic Fangio and all kinds of talent. This team might not become dominant like last year, but I don’t see them falling apart. I think this team has a high ceiling, but the offense has to get going for them to reach it.

The Rams have the best defense the Eagles have faced this year. Will that challenge bring out the best in Hurts and the offense? Sometimes that happens. The offense certainly doesn’t lack talent. The execution hasn’t been good. The play-calling needs to improve. Everyone has a hand in getting this thing fixed. This Sunday would be an ideal time to do it.

The Eagles got some good news on Thursday.

Goedert is important for a couple of reasons. First, he’s a complete TE who can block and catch. He gives a good boost to the run game. He also is a big help because teams are playing more zone and Cover 2 looks this year. That leaves the middle open. Think about Goedert leading the team in receptions in the opener. Hurts was getting the ball to the open guy, which was DG.

Last week he was out. Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson combined for 2 catches. They didn’t block nearly as well as DG. The offense had some issues without the star TE to help Hurts out.

The Eagles have had a bit of a weird start, in terms of circumstances. The opener was the unveiling of the banner and then an hour delay due to a thunderstorm. Last week there was a lot of humidity and overpowering crowd noise. Sunday won’t have any special ceremonies. It will be a 1pm kickoff. It will be at home. This is the kind of setting the offense needs to help it get going.

I’m excited to see how the Eagles play. I want to know if this team can truly compete for another SB or if this is a bunch that just won’t click and will drive us all crazy. Each team is like a chemistry experiment. Not all of them work, even if they should based on logic and a good plan. You just never know.

*****

We are seeing a ton of injuries around the league. Several teams are missing QBs. Tampa is down three starting OL. The Commanders have put a few guys on IR. The Niners always have injuries. I hate seeing guys get hurt like this. A promising season can be destroyed. We remember how awful 2020 was. The biggest reason was injuries, not coaching or anything else. The OL had guys getting hurt every week it seemed like.

The Eagles are still working out some kinks, but thankfully they have avoided major injuries so far.

Knock on wood.

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