Jori Epstein Senior reporter Thu, October 29, 2026 at 3:55 AM UTC · 6 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this story As the Philadelphia Eagles' first loss became their second then third, fourth and now fifth, questions grew.
Sure, injuries have contributed heavily to Philadelphia falling at the hands of the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys.
On offense, in particular, half a dozen starters have missed time with multiple expected not to return this season.
But a defense that ranked second in points allowed two years ago and fifth last year has fallen to 21st, alongside a bottom-feeding offense.
Searching for answers, the questions in a tough media market were likely to go beyond scheme.
So head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio were each asked this week: Do you have concerns about your players' effort?
"I did not see an effort issue on Monday night," Sirianni said Wednesday. "Obviously it was other things, which I'm sure you guys will ask me about. There were other things. But effort in no way, shape [or] form was an issue here.
"Now, do you bat 100% on effort? No, you don't play a perfect football game. … But I didn't [look] at the tape and say, 'Hey, this was an effort issue.'"
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman are looking at a bleak 2026 season.
Perhaps the Eagles' 38-21 home loss to Dallas had more to do with a talent deficit than an effort concern. But with 10 games left to play, Sirianni and Co. face a tall task keeping motivated a group that knows quarterback Jalen Hurts isn't coming back from his blood clots to steady them, and he's just where the gaps start.
Running back Saquon Barkley preached commitment to his team in the postgame locker room Monday.
"We've been in situations where we won five-plus in a row; now we're in situations where we lost five in a row," Barkley told reporters of his message. "The only way we're going to get out of it is the same way we attacked it when we were winning five in a row. I know people are going to be annoyed by that, but I stand on that. I'm not changing that mindset. …
"How I look at life, I just feel like you never quit. You never give up."
There's reason beyond injury to question the Eagles' ability to rebound this year.
The second half of an NFL season is not guaranteed to unfold akin to the second half of an NFL game.
But Philadelphia's ability to adjust, rebound or even maintain success from one half to the next faces serious questions.
Through seven weeks, the Eagles are solid in the first half: They rank ninth with 12.86 points and 20th with 154.3 yards per game before halftime, per TruMedia Sports. On defense, they've allowed 10.85 points and 166.9 yards per game — 17th and 19th, respectively.
But in the second half, the Eagles are free-falling. Their offense has managed just 5.29 points and 110.7 yards per second half, both last place in the league, per TruMedia Sports. On defense, they're allowing 14.1 points and 204.4 yards after the half — 29th and 31st, respectively.
"With the success we've had the last couple years, it's been tough to lose games – even lose snaps out there on defense," cornerback Cooper DeJean said. "Not to look at the past, but we made a lot of plays the last couple years and there have been plays we've made that we just haven't made this season."
Rookie receiver Makai Lemon said he's learned: "The margin for error is very slim."
It may soon get slimmer. The 2-5 Eagles' playoff hopes currently sit at 5%, per Next Gen Stats' playoff picture . A loss to the Washington Commanders this Sunday night, surrendering the advantage the Eagles had with an earlier-season division win, would drop that to 3%.
Add a New York Giants game the following week before the bye, and the Eagles' outside chance of making the playoffs — by winning a weak division — faces direct challenges in consecutive weeks.
Left tackle Jordan Mailata echoed Barkley's determination after Barkley said the two of them need to be more vocal in the absence of Hurts' leadership.
"No one's coming to save us — that's the mindset we have," Mailata said. "There's no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We're not playing good ball right now, but we have an opportunity to fix it next week.
Ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, it's likely true no one will come to save the Eagles. Any game-changing or season-changing acquisition doesn't make sense for a franchise that needs to offload salary cap space and likely soft rebuild while injuries, age and megacontracts pile.
More likely, executives around the league believe, the Eagles will look to offload at least some contracts and clear cap space. The talent deficit will widen.
"They spend so much money that every so often they need the reset," an NFC executive said. "And so it's actually a pretty timely time to have the reset."
General manager Howie Roseman has long been known to listen for sharp deals regardless of where his team is at in its lifecycle. Now, for the first time in years, Philadelphia may not have to risk a playoff run to test the market for players like defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, tight end Dallas Goedert, cornerback Riq Woolen and Barkley.
Barkley's lingering hamstring injury, and a back injury suffered Monday, will likely hamper his value given teams more often trade for running backs to help in the same year than the future, one AFC executive said when pointing to which positions are less impacted by the depth of a coming draft.
Two NFC executives debated Barkley's value, one thinking it could reach as high as an early second-round draft pick while the other estimated Barkley's value at closer to a fourth.
The Eagles' interest in Barkley's services in 2027 could influence that, Barkley guaranteed just $2.5 million next year though incentives could cost up to $15 million more, per overthecap.com .
If the Eagles deal players before the deadline, Sirianni's pursuit of wins — like Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen's in the AFC South right now — becomes steeper.
Sure, NFL players are professionals who take pride in their work and recognize the future contract implications of their film. But also: They're humans who see when a team prioritizes the future over the present, a regular NFL occurrence but not one to confront Philadelphia in recent years.
Sirianni said he'll stay committed to the process, grading players on what they do rather than the outcome of the game as losses pile up for a coach who still holds a 61-31 (.663) all-time record.
"Everyone's going to look to find answers in a five-game losing streak," Sirianni said. "Just because the result. If we win that game, do they still question the effort?
"I don't know. I'm not them. My job is to look at the daily process of it and the daily work and what objectively happened in that game and not react based off of the outcome. I get it.
"I would understand [that] everyone's looking for answers."
Source: Sports
