The Philadelphia Eagles fell to the Chicago Bears 24-15 on Black Friday, and the loss only intensified the noise surrounding the team. Coming off a frustrating defeat to the Dallas Cowboys the week prior, the Eagles once again struggled in the trenches, while Chicago’s ground attack dominated at Lincoln Financial Field. Former Eagle D’Andre Swift struck first with a quick touchdown, immediately drawing loud boos from the Linc.
Philadelphia’s offense sputtered early, settling only for a Jake Elliott field goal. But even that spark faded as Chicago pushed ahead 10-3, and the frustration inside the stadium grew with every stalled drive. When Jalen Hurts connected with A.J. Brown for a clutch third-quarter touchdown, the building erupted, only for the extra point to sail wide, flipping cheers into groans. It was a perfect snapshot of the Eagles’ season: one step forward, one step back.
As the game unraveled, much of the blame turned once again toward offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo. His play-calling has been questioned all season, and Friday’s performance only fueled the criticism. By the time the final whistle blew, chants of
“Fire Patullo!” echoed through the stadium as Eagles fans voiced their anger directly and loudly.
After the game, Nick Sirianni addressed the mounting pressure. When asked if he would reconsider Patullo’s responsibilities, Sirianni kept a calm tone and repeated the message he’s leaned on all year: “We’ll evaluate everything, obviously. But it’s never about one person when you win or lose. We all have to do a better job.” Moments later he reinforced the point again, “It starts with us as coaches. It starts with me. I put it on myself individually. We must look internally and get better as coaches and players.”
Meanwhile, the Bears kept applying pressure. Cairo Santos knocked through a field goal to stretch the lead, and every Eagles miscue felt heavier as playoff implications tightened. The Eagles, once 8-3 with a chance to control the No. 2 seed, suddenly slipped to 8-4 while Chicago climbed to 9-3 and overtook Philadelphia in the NFC standings. Even worse, the Rams, now 9-2, extended their cushion in first place.
Despite the frustration, the postseason outlook remains intact. NFL.com previously gave Philadelphia a 99% chance to make the playoffs; the loss only dropped that number slightly to 97%. The message is clear: the Eagles still control their path, but the margin for error is shrinking quickly.
Now, Philadelphia will get nine days to reset before Week 14 against the Chargers. Whether the team can settle their internal issues, or let the pressure continue to snowball, will determine how the rest of their season unfolds.
