Good Half, Bad Half

Posted October 20th, 2025

Someone needs to explain to Nick Sirianni and his team that NFL games are four quarters. Beyond that, teams are allowed to play well for all four of those quarters if they want to. Amazingly the Eagles are 5-2 without playing a complete game yet this season. That is both impressive and frustrating.

In the first half the offense scored one TD. They had three 3 & outs. That’s not ideal. The second half was a different story. The offense didn’t punt. They had a pair of TD drives. Another drive ended with a missed FG and the final drive ran out the clock to seal the game. The Eagles defense scored seven points in the first half and allowed only six. That was impressive. The defense didn’t get a stop in the second half, allowing a TD and three FGs. That kept the game closer than it should have been.

I remember thinking to myself at halftime that if that was the good half, the Eagles are going to lose. If that was the bad half, they should win. I didn’t think about the possibility that the offense and defense wouldn’t be synced up. This team doesn’t want things to be boring.

Winning is good and no one would dispute that. But the erratic play is an issue. There are always going to be lulls in games. No team is perfect all game long. You just want to see more consistency from this team within games.

The Eagles still have a tough schedule ahead of them. They have games against the Packers, Lions and Bills. Those aren’t teams that you are likely to beat if you take off half the game. If the Eagles want to have postseason success they absolutely must play more consistently.

I think this team can do that. The defense is one of the youngest in the league. Every game is a chance for them to learn and grow. Jalyx Hunt made a game-changing play in Minnesota with his pick-six. Hunt dropped an INT the week before. Drew Mukuba was better in coverage on Sunday than he’s been in some other games. The defense should improve.

There is also personnel help. They got Nakobe Dean back yesterday. He gives them depth and versatility. Vic Fangio played him and Zack Baun as ILBs and slid Jihaad Campbell out to edge in some looks. Nolan Smith will be back after the bye. The defense really needs his presence as a pass rusher and run defender.

The offense has different issues. That is a veteran group that should be playing at a high level. The OL is struggling with run blocking right now and the Eagles are 28th in rushing yards this season. It might be time to focus on the passing game. The Eagles are 28th in passing attempts. Jalen Hurts played his best game of the season against the Vikings. Turn the offense over to him and start throwing it more.

Kevin Patullo did mix things up schematically. The Eagles went under center and mixed in play-action. That led to DeVonta’s long TD. OT Fred Johnson was used as a TE in some sets. It felt like things were a bit more creative. There is still more work to be done.

Last year the offense ran through Saquon Barkley and the run game. The Eagles have tried to repeat that formula and it just isn’t working. Hopefully Sunday’s performance will get the coaches to realize Hurts and the star receivers are the key to this season.

It will be interesting to see if the Eagles can build off the win in Minnesota. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith had to be sky high after making so many big plays. Hurts had to feel good about his performance.

The bye week is coming up after the Giants game. The coaches can do a deep dive at that time and try to find even more tweaks to get this team where it needs to be. The good news in all of this is that the Eagles continue to win as they figure things out.

*****

It is mind-blowing that the Eagles are 5-2 and have been out-gained in every game so far. How is that possible?

The Eagles are first in the league in red zone offense.

They are third in the league in red zone defense.

I don’t think that is a sustainable formula for an entire season, but it certainly has worked to this point.

https://igglesblitz.com/2025/10/good-half-bad-half/

As Mike Schmidt famously said:

".....only in Philly can you experience the thrill of victory, and the agony of reading about it the next day"

With Philly media and fans, winning is nice, but style points are necessary to be convinced.

2 hours ago, birdman#12 said:

As Mike Schmidt famously said:

".....only in Philly can you experience the thrill of victory, and the agony of reading about it the next day"

With Philly media and fans, winning is nice, but style points are necessary to be convinced.

I am kinda surprised by this comment. I know you remember 2023. If you're watching these games, the Eagles have had some significant flaws/issues. The point is, if we want them to legitimately compete for a championship repeat, they need to play much better than they have been. So yeah, in regards to how they're playing this year, "style points" matter because if their current style persists, more L's will eventually follow.

44 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

I am kinda surprised by this comment. I know you remember 2023. If you're watching these games, the Eagles have had some significant flaws/issues. The point is, if we want them to legitimately compete for a championship repeat, they need to play much better than they have been. So yeah, in regards to how they're playing this year, "style points" matter because if their current style persists, more L's will eventually follow.

I remember back in 2023 when, even though we were winning, many were discussing legitimate concerns they had with the way there were playing, saying if some of those things didn't cleared up it would come back to bite them in the arse. Others were kinda saying what birdman quoted or calling us negadelphians when really it was mostly just taking a realistic look at the team. Obviously super happy for the Ws but also concerned that that style of play getting them was not sustainable. We're kinda in that same boat again. Hopefully having experienced that epic collapse then better prepares them to avoid a repeat.

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

I remember back in 2023 when, even though we were winning, many were discussing legitimate concerns they had with the way there were playing, saying if some of those things didn't cleared up it would come back to bite them in the arse. Others were kinda saying what birdman quoted or calling us negadelphians when really it was mostly just taking a realistic look at the team. Obviously super happy for the Ws but also concerned that that style of play getting them was not sustainable. We're kinda in that same boat again. Hopefully having experienced that epic collapse then better prepares them to avoid a repeat.

Yeah, I don't understand it. This isn't "nitpicking" when talking about how they've played this year. It's understanding what our eyes are seeing on the field every game. If they were playing well but missed a play here and there, that's nitpicking. But this team has yet to play 60 minutes of good football for a multitude of reasons. Teams coming up on our schedule are gonna smoke us if we don't get some shite figured out.

14 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

Yeah, I don't understand it. This isn't "nitpicking" when talking about how they've played this year. It's understanding what our eyes are seeing on the field every game. If they were playing well but missed a play here and there, that's nitpicking. But this team has yet to play 60 minutes of good football for a multitude of reasons. Teams coming up on our schedule are gonna smoke us if we don't get some shite figured out.

Completely agree with you bud! We aren’t nitpicking we are saying what we see. We have a low ranked offense overall, our defense is about middle of the league and we’ve not played a complete game. Hell we’ve not played a complete 3 out of 4 quarters yet. We’ve played some really bad football at times and we’ve not played a lot of complementary football. We’ve got to get that all figured out and quick.

Win on Sunday and go in to the bye 6-2? Get some needed rest and get healthier and man we’ve got a chance. And I think that’s what is so frustrating… we’ve got a huge opportunity to go and retain the Super Bowl because no team has looked great so far. If we put it together we could be head and shoulders above everyone else.

4 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Completely agree with you bud! We aren’t nitpicking we are saying what we see. We have a low ranked offense overall, our defense is about middle of the league and we’ve not played a complete game. Hell we’ve not played a complete 3 out of 4 quarters yet. We’ve played some really bad football at times and we’ve not played a lot of complementary football. We’ve got to get that all figured out and quick.

Win on Sunday and go in to the bye 6-2? Get some needed rest and get healthier and man we’ve got a chance. And I think that’s what is so frustrating… we’ve got a huge opportunity to go and retain the Super Bowl because no team has looked great so far. If we put it together we could be head and shoulders above everyone else.

Yep, that's what I'm hoping for. But even this week feels dicey right now. Not sure what's going on with AJ's hammy and if he'll play or not. Jurgens isn't gonna play. And can our defense contain Dart? Based on how we've played up until this point, we could very easily lose for the 2nd time in 3 weeks to the Giants. Hoping Fangio comes up with something to rattle the rookie QB now that he has more film on him, but even if he does concoct something, do we have the players to execute it?

4 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Completely agree with you bud! We aren’t nitpicking we are saying what we see. We have a low ranked offense overall, our defense is about middle of the league and we’ve not played a complete game. Hell we’ve not played a complete 3 out of 4 quarters yet. We’ve played some really bad football at times and we’ve not played a lot of complementary football. We’ve got to get that all figured out and quick.

Win on Sunday and go in to the bye 6-2? Get some needed rest and get healthier and man we’ve got a chance. And I think that’s what is so frustrating… we’ve got a huge opportunity to go and retain the Super Bowl because no team has looked great so far. If we put it together we could be head and shoulders above everyone else.

21 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I am kinda surprised by this comment. I know you remember 2023. If you're watching these games, the Eagles have had some significant flaws/issues. The point is, if we want them to legitimately compete for a championship repeat, they need to play much better than they have been. So yeah, in regards to how they're playing this year, "style points" matter because if their current style persists, more L's will eventually follow.

1) It's not 2023

2) It seems everybody forgets 2022 where people had all the same gripes ---- it was either the offense or the defense (rarely both), offensively only one good half most of the time , etc... But the team still managed to grow through it all and get to the Super Bowl.

3) I've watched a lot of games and the NFL is full of teams with flaws and weaknesses --- all at the top of the power rankings.

4 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

1) It's not 2023

2) It seems everybody forgets 2022 where people had all the same gripes ---- it was either the offense or the defense (rarely both), offensively only one good half most of the time , etc... But the team still managed to grow through it all and get to the Super Bowl.

3) I've watched a lot of games and the NFL is full of teams with flaws and weaknesses --- all at the top of the power rankings.

All that is true. But my response that you quoted was directed at the thought process of those who have a mentality of "why are fans complaining, we're 5-2! All we do is ****!" etc.

In other words, people who blow off rational discussion of concerns with how this team is playing (which is NOT good) because we're winning. That, IMO, is ridiculous.

11 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

All that is true. But my response that you quoted was directed at the thought process of those who have a mentality of "why are fans complaining, we're 5-2! All we do is ****!" etc.

In other words, people who blow off rational discussion of concerns with how this team is playing (which is NOT good) because we're winning. That, IMO, is ridiculous.

It's important to find ways to win. I think people like to blow off being the reigning champs and a marked team to every opponent. Two weeks ago, the lowly giants won their super bowl and practically tore down their goalposts. Wins aren't easy. There's something to be said from being tested weekly and coming out on top.

16 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

It's important to find ways to win. I think people like to blow off being the reigning champs and a marked team to every opponent. Two weeks ago, the lowly giants won their super bowl and practically tore down their goalposts. Wins aren't easy. There's something to be said from being tested weekly and coming out on top.

I agree with that also. But is it not okay to discuss how this team is playing on a fan message board?

It's also not 2024. This is not the Super Bowl team from last year. And I never said rational discussion should be blown off. The "rational discussion" I'm reading downplays or ignores certain issues that have contributed to the eagles performance this year.

First off, they are still one of the most talented teams in the league and they can beat in a number of way, unlike most teams in the NFL.

Secondly, I think many fans and media underestimate how changes in the roster, starters, injuries, new coordinators and the fact that the eagles, being champions, will get opponents best efforts each game.

Head coaches, from the best teams in the league to the worst, have always stated how hard it is to win in the NFL. And how phrases like "any given Sunday" developed. Playing games while dealing with those changes takes time and discipline.

Fans and media point to certain stats to make the point that the eagles are playing poorly or not what they used to be. And ignore other stats and situational performances that show improvement or why they won the game.

Schmidt's quote was from about 40 years ago.......I'm born and raised in Philly and have been a die hard Philly fan all my life.....Fans are knowledgeable and passionate. But can be overly critical. We all love to see games decided like the super bowl was....complete dominance and great execution. But those performances are few and far between. That was a "style points". win. But there. was no complaining when the eagles beat the patriots in the Super Bowl.....even though the defense gave up 500+ yards. Because they made plays WHEN THEY HAD TO......Against the vikings, fans and media point to the amount of yards the eagles gave up, but made plays in the red zone to hold the vikings to 5 FGs, got 2 INTs with a pick 6 and 2 sacks. The offense found the passing game again.

As they say in the financial business, "past performance is not an indication of future results".......as the season grinds on, I think the younger guys will get better....the bye week will help with the injuries and hopefully, Patullo gets better with the playcalling.

So worry, complain, discuss and criticize all you want......but look at the positives and the situational performances too......

2 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I agree with that also. But is it not okay to discuss how this team is playing on a fan message board?

Nobody said it's not OK......Geez, stop blowing things out of proportion.  Just consider the positives along with the negatives.  

21 minutes ago, birdman#12 said:

Nobody said it's not OK......Geez, stop blowing things out of proportion.  Just consider the positives along with the negatives.  

I don't think I'm blowing things out of proportion, but ok. The author of the article in this thread is about as rational as there is out there for Eagles viewpoints. Your first response was the Schmidt quote thing, as if it was some kind of unfair or ridiculous criticism. Then brkmsn chimed in seemingly siding with you. I'm just merely defending the position of rationally discussing the flaws this team has during wins or losses vs some kind of mentality of "just enjoy the win and shut up".

Are there people in the media and some fans on this board who go overboard in their criticism? Absolutely. I'm not defending those folks. But win or lose, I'm going to call it like I see it. In a rational, reasonable way, of course.

6 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

Yep, that's what I'm hoping for. But even this week feels dicey right now. Not sure what's going on with AJ's hammy and if he'll play or not. Jurgens isn't gonna play. And can our defense contain Dart? Based on how we've played up until this point, we could very easily lose for the 2nd time in 3 weeks to the Giants. Hoping Fangio comes up with something to rattle the rookie QB now that he has more film on him, but even if he does concoct something, do we have the players to execute it?

Every week at this point feels dicey because we lost 2 and the way we’ve played. But a couple of good performances will change how we feel and that’s ultimately where we are at with this team.

10 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I agree with that also. But is it not okay to discuss how this team is playing on a fan message board?

I'm not attempting to discourage discussion --- I'm just participating. I can't remember the last time I told a person to, "shut up" on a message board.

As a fan watching the games live, I have all the same mood swings as everybody else. That's why I rarely post during games. I can sink deep into pessimism when things are going poorly. I might even say things out loud during games that I don't really believe because I'm just giving into the moment. I love watching games where everything goes right, the lead is huge and stats are being padded. Those games are good for the heart. But ... you know ... those aren't really the games that people remember fondly for a long time. So as I continue to age, I appreciate the wins over the pretty.

We can say. "this reminds me of 2023, 2022, 2024, 2020, 2017..." --- it really doesn't matter. This is 2025 and will have it's own story. The only part of the story that is the same every year is the doom and gloom predictions. Some years like 2023, they will come true.