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The Philadelphia Eagles blew a 21-0 lead and lost 24-21 to the Dallas Cowboys, and while the defense owned its mistakes, the offense’s ongoing struggles stood out again. Philly legend Jason Kelce didn’t hesitate to call out the deeper structural issues hurting Jalen Hurts and the unit.

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During his appearance on NFL on ESPN, Kelce began by pointing to the core issue the film keeps revealing:

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“The whole offense line has been banged up, the pressure rate was there last night.”

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Against Dallas, that pressure showed in real time. Hurts was repeatedly hit in the second half. He threw for 289 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns, but the offense couldn’t protect him.

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”They were slanting those guys. They were working back over top of blocks,” the former Eagles’ center added, while describing the O-line issues.

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That’s exactly what played out on Saquon Barkley’s stuffed runs. On several second-half first downs, Dallas slanted their DTs inside, beating Philly’s double-teams before they developed. With linemen slow on their landmarks, Barkley repeatedly met contact behind the line, reflected in his brutal 10 carries for 22 yards.

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Kelce’s sharpest assessment came next:

“This year is the first year where they have really struggled to run the football.”

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What should have been the kill-shot drive, up 21-0 with momentum, instead featured four second-half Barkley carries for just nine yards. The inability to run allowed Dallas to stay in its aggressive two-high looks, fully committing to choking the passing game.

And to Kelce, the source of the failing is clear.

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“A lot of it comes down to being banged up and not being a cohesive unit that they have been and healthy in the past,” he concluded.

The collapse in Dallas was a perfect example. After an impeccable opening three drives, the Eagles went seven straight possessions without scoring, five punts, one missed field goal, and one Barkley fumble. The Cowboys’ front dominated the trenches, and without balance, Hurts was forced into one-dimensional hero ball. He nearly pulled it off, but the offense’s structural flaws swallowed the second half.

Those failures were visible even on the sidelines.

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”We’ve got to find a way to finish the game, and we’ve got to find some consistency in what we do,” he said following the loss.

The early dominance, two rushing touchdowns, and a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown completely faded

The offense has turned into a tale of two identities: explosive in spurts and broken in structure, and Week 12 only confirmed that the problems run far deeper than simple execution.

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Sirianni Responds to Kevin Patullo’s Firing Call

The collapse amplified speculation surrounding offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and whether head coach Nick Sirianni might continue his trend of in-season staff upheaval. But on Monday, Sirianni nixed the firing rumors.

”No, I haven’t,” he said when asked if he was contemplating removing Patullo as playcaller. The Eagles’ head coach insisted the problem is collective, not individual.

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”It’s every piece of the puzzle. Coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all of those aspects,” he added.

With the Eagles still 8-3 and holding the No. 2 seed in the NFC, Sirianni believes consistency is the right call, at least for now.

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Written by

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Samridhi

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Samridhi Ghai is an NFL writer at EssentiallySports who specializes in detailed coverage of injury reports, NFL drafts, and player developments. With a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, she focuses on athlete-first narratives that highlight the challenges and resilience of players in the league. At EssentiallySports, Samridhi provides in-depth analysis of draft prospects, Know more

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Abhishek Kumar

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