Former NFL Coach Thinks Eagles Don't Know Who They Are Anymore

Defending champions have gotten away from their winning formula.

Jalen Hurts had trouble taking care of the football in a Monday night loss to the Chargers. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Eagles could not capitalize on a golden opportunity to all but wrap up the NFC East on Monday night as they lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime. At 8-5 the defending Super Bowl champions have taken some detours in their quest to defend the crown. And reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts has taken his lumps as the offense as a whole struggles to find any consistency.

Hurts threw four interceptions and fumbled away a ball on Monday night, a stark departure from the Eagles' tried-and-true formula of having him manage the efficient, ball-conscious unit. If there's a bright side, Saquon Barkley looked like the more productive version of himself as he racked up 122 rushing yards and A.J. Brown caught six balls for 100 yards.

There's something to be said about playing a good team on the road deep into overtime while committing five turnovers, so perhaps it's not time for the already antsy fans in Philadelphia to panic.

Or maybe it is.

Asked on Tuesday's First Take how concerned he was about the Eagles' offense, former Colts coach Jeff Saturday got honest.

"I'm very concerned, because I don't think they know who they are," he said.

"I'm very concerned, because I don't think they know who they are."@SaturdayJeff weighs in on the level of concern he has for the Eagles 👀 pic.twitter.com/JMV1w0lHc1

— First Take (@FirstTake) December 9, 2025

Hurts threw the ball 40 times against the Chargers and spent 13 plays under center.

"My concern is does [Nick] Sirianni get them back and figure out a formula," Saturday continued. "Here is the formula in the past for the Eagles to win: good defense, run game, limit turnovers to no turnovers, let's make it ugly and let's have a shot at the end."

When Saturday says it like that, it all sounds so easy. Simply do all the things all teams want to do then win a 50-50 game at the end. Why don't they just do that every week?

The sky is not falling for Philadelphia, even though they've gotten to a place where some of the more unhinged members of the fanbase are calling for backup Tanner McKee. Sirianni's team gets the Washington Commanders twice following Jayden Daniels's injury and could very well move up to the No. 2 spot in the NFC bracket.

Partially lost in all of this is that their defense looks even better than it did headed into last postseason. So perhaps it's not them forgetting who they are but more an inability to show it.

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