Philly’s hard-earned playoff berth saw a crushing end when San Francisco outscored them by four points. While there were many compromising factors, offensive woes made the struggle more evident. As they navigate the offseason, things aren’t looking good for their offensive leader, Jalen Hurts. A source as credible as the Eagles legend LeSean McCoy revealed a tough situation for the signal caller.  

“I did a lot [of] digging because I know some people,” revealed McCoy on Speakeasy. “The problem is we can’t do exotic looks…because I’m hearing he can’t really do it.”

Translation? He’s limiting the offensive potential. 

According to the former All-Pro running back, the true potential of the Eagles’ scheme is being handicapped by the man under center. He explained that it was hard for Eagles wideout A.J. Brown to get in a groove with Hurts because he was barely targeted in critical moments. And that’s part of the reason why the star wide receiver had numerous venting sessions throughout this season. 

“When you watch dudes like [Vikings wideout] Justin Jefferson or [Bengals wideout] Ja’Marr Chase, look how [their teams] are trying to get their best receiver the ball… They don’t do that with [wide receiver] A.J. Brown,” McCoy added. “And I think the problem they don’t do that is because of the quarterback.”

McCoy even had conversations with coaches and players about bringing in more sophisticated plays. However, in response, he only received such plays “don’t fit our offense,” as Hurts prefers to keep it simple, despite the elite talent available. 

If we look at the statistics, they back up these claims. Although the Super Bowl-winning QB finished with 3,224 yards and 25 touchdowns against six interceptions, his dual-threat dominance was nowhere to be seen. He recorded just 421 rushing yards, his lowest output since his rookie season. For the past two seasons, Philly has leaned towards a more conservative approach offensively, with Saquon Barkley leading the ground game; the offense lost its edge this season. 

The breaking point arrived in the Wild-Card round. Despite holding a narrow 13-10 lead at halftime, the offense completely vanished in the third quarter, gaining merely 36 yards. Hurts finished the day with only 168 passing yards. Even when the opportunity of a comeback presented itself in the fourth quarter, the game ended when Hurts’ incompletion on fourth-and-11. 

However, the defeat wasn’t solely on the quarterback. The Eagles’ receiving corps (usually a pillar of strength) stumbled at the worst moment. Brown and DeVonta Smith missed some crucial passes that stalled Philly’s comeback effort. 

This lack of execution has placed Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo on the hot seat — to the extent that he’s no longer part of Philadelphia. Head coach Nick Sirianni was non-committal when asked about Patullo’s future following the playoff elimination. 

“There will be time to evaluate everyone’s performance,” he said. 

Interestingly, before Patullo was asked to pack his bags, star quarterback Hurts gave a big hint toward it. He intentionally avoided endorsing the former offensive coordinator when asked about Patullo’s future in Philly. Instead, he spoke about the need to find a “home base” for an offense that lacked identity all year. 

In contrast to what McCoy is hearing, Sirianni believes the coaching staff is at fault for Philly’s 2025 collapse. He claimed they failed to live up to the four-game winning streak that commenced this season. However, the All-Pro signal-caller believes the entire team shares the burden of the 2025 demise. He emphasized that he’s focused on internal improvements, even though the team’s lack of identity is a big question. 

What made 2025 the most challenging season for Jalen Hurts?

2025 didn’t see Hurts at his finest. His season was filled with contradictions to his Super Bowl-winning season previously. And it’s not something that was totally in his control, as the season was defined by a chaotic schedule and a lack of coaching continuity. He still tried to manage the chaos by conducting weekly meetings with center Cam Jurgens, where the two attempted to navigate the hectic schedule that had Philly play on five different days of the week. 

This way, the reigning Super Bowl champion couldn’t build rhythm. Plus, Hurts saw the offensive play-caller changed for the sixth time in six seasons. This lack of stability factored in, causing a significant dip in efficiency. As a result, they saw a negative offensive EPA for the first time under Sirianni: -2.61. 

The disconnect between Hurts and the offensive scheme under Patullo was quite stark, as the team struggled to marry Hurts’ preference for the shotgun with a new emphasis on under-center play. Ultimately, the quarterback was managing two things at a time: playing more under-center than ever while trying to maintain his status as an elite passer. In the end, nothing really worked for him.