The Philadelphia Eagles don’t look like a finished product. But they are perfect so far through four games. Perfectly imperfect. One year ago, this team left Tampa Bay humbled and in question mode. Fast forward a calendar year, and the Eagles are 20-1 in their last 21 games since then that incudes a Super Bowl ring. They’re now 4-0 in 2025, stacking statement wins over the Chiefs, Rams, and Buccaneers but if you’ve actually watched, you know that Philadelphia hasn’t played anything close to its best football. That’s either a warning flare for sustainability or a terrifying thought for the rest of the NFL.
Winning Ugly, Winning Anyway
The Eagles have been living in the in-between: moments of flash followed by stretches of flat, and vice-versa.
- Against the Rams, the offense posted -1 passing yard in the entire first half.
- Against Tampa Bay, Jalen Hurts was 15/16 in the first half before going stone cold in the second half: 0-for-8 after halftime. The Eagles didn’t register a single passing yard over the final 30 minutes.
- Their run defense has been gashed by both the Rams and Bucs, surrendering big gains that kept those games closer than they should’ve been.
- Saquon Barkley hasn’t had a 100 yard rushing game since the NFC Title game vs the Commanders last January.
And yet they keep finding ways. It’s something good teams do. But great teams play their game for the full 60 minutes. That’s something this year’s Eagle team has been unable to do.
Turnovers and special teams have been the glue. Philly has won the turnover battle in three of four games and pushed with L.A., and special teams have flat-out swung outcomes – three blocked kicks over the last two weeks, including the semi-walk-off against the Rams and a blocked punt returned for a score against Tampa Bay on Sunday in the game’s first two minutes.
It’s not smooth. But it’s been effective.
Hot in Tampa With a Cool Finish
The Bucs came in undefeated. Philly throttled them early, racing to a 24-6 halftime lead. Hurts carved up a Vita Vea anchored front with quick strikes, finding Dallas Goedert for two touchdowns. Saquon Barkley cashed in on a fake tush push and the defense slammed the door for 30 minutes.
Then came the stall. Big play breakdowns by the Philly defense led to Tampa’s Emeka Egbuka and Bucky Irving nearly flipping the script with two touchdowns over 70 yards, while the Eagles’ offense went dark. The difference? An interception by rookie Jihaad Campbell with eight minutes left and then a critical sack on Baker Mayfield in the next Tampa series that pretty much ended the Bucs’ last gasp. That’s been the story of 2025 – not always pretty, but always enough.
The Scariest Part: It Could Get Uglier
The NFL is a league of margins. Right now, Philly is winning those margins without even firing on all cylinders. The Eagles already own quality wins, they’ve survived their own lulls, and they know there’s another level waiting.
One year ago, a trip to Tampa left the Eagles looking broken. Since then, they’ve gone 20-1.
And now? They’re 4-0 but not even close to polished. If this is what Philadelphia looks like when it’s sputtering through halves with no passing yards and giving up ground chunks on defense, what happens when they actually put a complete game together?
The rest of the league should be praying Philly doesn’t figure it out because if they do, this thing is about to get even uglier.
Eagles Are 4-0 and Winning Ugly: Sustainable or Scary for the NFL?