Eagles

Nick Sirianni Says Eagles Weren’t in Conservative Second-Half Mindset, So it Must Have Been General Ineptitude

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Dec 29th, 2025 · 9:43 AM EST

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The Eagles had 17 yards of offense and one first down in the second half of Sunday’s win. But Nick Sirianni doesn’t think they were being conservative:

Sirianni: "We were never in the mode of saying, '13-0 is enough.' Not against this QB, not against this offense. So I don't think our mindset was ever (to be conservative). But I got to do a better job in that scenario, and I'll put that on myself."

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 29, 2025

Yeah, well it’s not like fans were asking them to start slinging it downfield in the rain, or run Jalen Hurts on the wet turf, or take unnecessary risks. They were more or less looking for better play calling, for better situational feel, especially when the run game stopped producing. They had six running plays that went for two yards or less in the second half, with the caveat of needing to get off their own one-yard line after the 4th and goal stop on Josh Allen. So you can put an asterisk on that drive and say they had to dig themselves out and punt to salvage field position.

But when you look at the following drive, after Allen took the sack for a 19-yard loss, they got the ball back on their own 20-yard line and went run/run/pass before punting. That seemed like an opportunity after a big defensive stop to take a shot on 1st or 2nd down, instead of running an ineffective Saquon Barkley for minimal gain.

They did the same thing on the next drive, after Buffalo scored, opening with an off-tackle pitch to Barkley before he was blown up on a 2nd-down draw. That put them in 3rd and 12 after killing just 90 seconds of clock, and forced a downfield pass for DeVonta Smith, who couldn’t reel it in.

It’s one thing for the running game to be shit, and the offensive line to simply not have it in the second half. They’ve been a problem all year long, as has been running against stacked boxes instead of checking into something different. But doesn’t Sirianni recognize that? Doesn’t Patullo recognize that? Jalen Hurts? God forbid somebody digs into the play-calling bag and finds a screen pass, or a read-and-pull for Dallas Goedert, or an A.J. Brown slant or something similar. They do have high-percentage, bread-and-butter plays they can turn to when nothing else is working.

That’s the problem with the Eagles’ offense in 2025. When the run game isn’t there, they seem to turtle. They continue to shove the square peg into the round hole, hoping that something gives, instead of changing course. Their identity is built on playing responsible, mistake-free football, but there are times when you have to abandon that and go aggressive in the pursuit of killing off a game.