Eagles OC Kevin Patullo Points To 'Inefficient First Downs' When Discussing Offensive Struggles

PHILADELPHIA - Embattled Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo again pointed to inefficient first downs when discussing Philadelphia's second-half offensive woes during a 13-12 survival in rain-soaked Buffalo on Sunday.

After building a 13-0 advantage by halftime, the Eagles held on despite generating only 16 yards and failing to complete a pass in the second half.

“We had four drives where we had inefficient first downs, put us in four second-and-longs, and then from that, we were in three third-and-longs,” Patullo said of the second-half issues. “When you're doing that, when that's happening, it's going to be very hard to move the ball. That's the unfortunate part of it.”

The inability to generate a spark when the offense gets into a lull has been a recurring problem throughout the season.

“When you look at those drives, it gets frustrating,” Patullo admitted. “We need one play. All we need is one spark, one thing to get those things going, and we're out of it. … We were very close on the one where we went first-and-10 pass, then we went second-and-10. We had [WR] DeVonta [Smith], we had a little bit of pressure, we almost made the play. He had a great route versus man coverage [that] we won, and [it] just didn't happen. Third-and-10, we don't convert.

“Those are the frustrating pieces that we're looking at as a staff. How do we get out of those? What do we need to do better as a coaching staff? How do we execute better? Because really, it's not just one person, one thing, one play style, one call. It's everything. We've got to look at everything.”

That’s been a familiar refrain too often as the 11-5 Eagles prepare to finish the regular season against Washington before attempting to navigate what looks like a manageable NFC playoff bracket.

To hone down a little further, Patullo acknowledged “some inefficient runs that got us behind a little bit.”

“When you get in second-and-long after an inefficient run, now you're in a goofy spot because now you're trying to say, 'Okay, I've got to get us back on track and hopefully get positive yards so we have a manageable third down, or I could take a chance and try to go do something here, and then I still could be in a third-and-long," the OC said.

“You're constantly playing that game and we're looking at, like I said right now, the whole season, what's happened with some of these inefficient things. There's something we kind of see a little bit right now, we've just got to keep working through.”

Unfavorable Looks?

Kevin Patullo and Jalen Hurts — Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) speaks with offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo (left) during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders before taking a possession at Lincoln Financial Field. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Eagles On SI asked Patullo about running into what looked like unfavorable looks from a numbers standpoint.

“I mean, there were a couple of plays where we were just running to run it, and so we've got to do a good job of making sure we put everybody in the best position to do what they need to do, and then we have to execute that play once we get those called,” the OC said. “Some runs are, 'Hey, we're running it no matter what.' Some other things have some options off it.

“It just depends on how the play goes in.”

Ultimately, the offensive troubles this season have been multiple, frustrating outsiders who want to identify a simple cure-all.

“I don't think it's one schematic thing or something the defense has been doing necessarily, and that's why we've got to keep working through it,” said Patullo. “It's not just about one player, one coach, one call. It's all of us together.

“We've got to all make sure we're on the same page as far as coaches, players, execute it, call it right. We've got to do the right thing. I think we've just got to continue to press on getting these things done when we're having a moment of, 'Okay, we didn't have what we wanted on first down,' we've got to get it going on second down, so we don't have these moments.”

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