Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Never A Doubt

Posted September 28th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

Last week the Eagles dug a huge hole and then spent the second half putting together an amazing comeback that won them the game. This week the team got off to a fast start and led 24-6 at the half. So the second half was going to be fun, right? Right?

Wrong.

Jalen Hurts didn’t complete a pass in the second half. The defense gave up a pair of TDs of 70 or more yards. There were some dumb penalties. That half was truly a roller coaster of bad plays and big moments. While the Rams melted down last week, the Eagles made just enough plays to hang on and win the game, making them 4-0.

The offense played great in the first half. Jalen Hurts looked like surgeon, picking apart whatever Todd Bowles and the Bucs defense tried. It was beyond impressive. The second half was surprisingly bad. You knew the Eagles couldn’t stay at the first half level, but to see them struggle so badly was worrisome. The Bucs DL played much better in the second half and their coverage was outstanding.

A lot of people are jumping on Kevin Patullo. He did a great job with play-calls in the first half. He certainly deserves some of the blame for the bad offense in the second half, but that was more than just calls. It is easier to point the finger at one guy than the whole offense. Lane Johnson missed most of the second half. Tyler Steen played on a banged up knee. Landon Dickerson still isn’t 100 percent.

The offense got a short field after a TB fumble and turned that into a TD.

Those proved to be critical points. The offense has had problems for sure, but they have come up big in the red zone, going 11 for 11 to start the season. That’s a huge part of why the team is undefeated so far.

The defense had some issues of their own, but also made some huge plays. There were a couple of stops on fourth down that ended potential scoring drives. Rookie LB Jihad Campbell came up big twice. He forced the fumble mentioned above. He also picked off a Baker Mayfield pass in the end zone. Reed Blankenship tipped the ball and Campbell made the play.

That’s an impressive day for a rookie LB. But young players can make mistakes as well as plays. Rookie Drew Mukuba got lost in coverage and was burned for a 77-yard TD. Vic Fangio has talked about Mukuba having some coverage problems. Young players have to learn on the fly. These things are going to happen.

Campbell was also involved in a long TD. He covered RB Bucky Irving down the field. Mayfield moved around and bought time before launching the pass to Irving. Campbell tried to tackle him, but missed. 70-yard TD. Ugh.

The Eagles have a lot of young talent on defense. There are going to be growing pains as these guys learn about life in the NFL. But the young players are making plays and showing their talent. Let them play. Let them learn. You’ll reap the rewards, now and in the future.

We’ve talked about offense and defense. We also have to cover special teams. They made a huge play to open the game.

Cam Latu has come close on a couple of other punts. He finally got home today and got the Eagles off to a great start. Good job by Sydney Brown to grab the ball and take it in for the TD.

This team can look so good for parts of games and so bad for others. I think you can see the potential. They are working through things and still have a long way to go. Getting off to a 4-0 start is incredibly impressive given how challenging the schedule has been. All four of the opponents played the Eagles at least once last year. These teams put a lot into the games, but still couldn’t beat the good guys.

There will be a lot of talk about this team compared to 2023. That team played a soft schedule to start the season and then got exposed when things got tough later on. This feels different to me. Still, it would be nice to see them play a complete game. It will happen, hopefully soon.

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