Prepare the Floats™! Eagles Go Back-to-Back in NFC East, Clinch Home Playoff Game

Prepare the Floats™!

It wasn’t perfect, but the Philadelphia Eagles walked into their NFC East rival’s building and took care of business in what felt like a home game. With the win, the Eagles became the first back-to-back NFC East champions in more than two decades. Before Saturday, the last team to pull off consecutive division titles was Philadelphia itself during the 2001–2004 run under Andy Reid.

Defensively, the Birds were once again rock solid, holding Washington Commanders to just 220 total yards. On the offensive side, Jalen Hurts continued his bounce-back stretch after what was arguably the worst game of his career a few weeks ago against the Chargers. Hurts finished 22-of-30 for 185 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions, and added 40 more yards with his legs.

Photo Credit: Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire

The most encouraging part of the win was how it happened. It had 2024 vibes. The first half was messy, largely due to sloppy special teams, including a game-opening kick return fumble and two (really three) missed field goals by Jake Elliot.

But in the second half, the Eagles leaned into their 2024 identity and committed to the run. Saquon Barkley erupted for 132 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries (6.3 yards per touch), while Tank Bigsby chipped in 37 yards on just four carries (a ridiculous 9.3 per touch).

Equally encouraging was the efficiency of the passing game in the 9–15 yard range and the emphasis on getting the ball to playmakers. A.J. Brown hauled in nine catches for 95 yards, DeVonta Smith added six for 42 and a score, and tight end Dallas Goedert caught three for 32 yards, including a beautiful touchdown on a perfectly placed throw.

Despite the win, there’s always room to clean things up. Elliott’s kicking woes have reached Super Tecmo Bowl levels...like Tecmo Super Bowl Mike Lansford bad. Consistency up front also needs improvement, but help is on the way. As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the return of elite right tackle Lane Johnson is expected this week and should stabilize the line just in time for the playoff push.

The numbers tell the story: without Johnson, the Eagles are 17–28; with him, they’re an astounding 110–57–1. His impact cannot be overstated. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter is also expected back against Buffalo.

The win added another feather to the cap of head coach Nick Sirianni. As Philadelphia NBC’s John Clark noted, Sirianni has now passed Hall of Famer Paul Brown for the second-most wins by a head coach in his first five seasons. The only coach with more? San Francisco’s George Seifert.

The Eagles head to Buffalo for their second-to-last regular-season game, likely locked into the NFC’s No. 2 or 3 seed. That would mean hosting the No. 6 seed at Lincoln Financial Field in Round 1.

It may not be flashy, but this team keeps stacking wins. Prepare the Floats™!