The Philadelphia Eagles have been consistent when it comes to making the playoffs over the past half-decade, as the team has five consecutive postseason berths. However, once in the playoffs, the Eagles have been the definition of boom-or-bust.
In 2021, they lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The following year in 2022 they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before ultimately being bested by the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2023 it was another Wild Card exit, which was followed by a Super Bowl victory last season. This year? You guessed it. Yet another loss in the Wild Card Round.
Jalen Hurts is over Wild Card exits
This trend doesn’t sit well with star quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is focused on figuring out how to snap that streak and bring more consistency to Philadelphia’s postseason runs.
“I think competitively, I don’t like the trend of wild-card, big-time, wild-card, big-time and then wild-card, alluding to the loss, obviously,” Hurts said. “So competitively, as a quarterback, as a leader, that’s a big focus of mine, trying to break that.”
There are obviously a lot of factors that go into postseason success, but with the Eagles a clear trend has emerged. When they have an experienced offensive coordinator – like Shane Steichen in 2022 and Kellen Moore in 2024 – they tend to find playoff success. But when they have an inexperienced OC – like Brian Johnson in 2023 and Kevin Patullo in ’25 – they tend to flame out early.
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The Eagles are expected to move on from Patullo this offseason, so bringing in an experienced coordinator to replace him could be a good first step in finding some postseason consistency.
If Philadelphia does replace Patullo, it would mean that Hurts and the Eagles would enter the ’26 season with a new offensive coordinator for a fifth consecutive season, which obviously isn’t ideal from a consistency perspective. But, Hurts won’t use the constant change and lack of consistency as an excuse.
“I accept the change, I accept that those things come, whether expectations aren’t met or whether we’re making Super Bowl runs,” Hurts said. “I’ve experienced both ends of it so I have a unique perspective on that. I’m not going to allow that to be an excuse for us not to make championship runs or for us to not have the success that we desire and that I desire.
“That’s what motivates me most. Obviously, every year is different. Changes are inevitable in a number of ways. My focus is on growth. My focus is on improvement. My focus is on embracing the challenges that come with where I am in my career.”
It will be a long offseason in Philadelphia after the disappointing way the 2025 season came to and end. But, Hurts and the Birds have demonstrated an ability to bounce back before. Now, they'll look to do so again.
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