Eagles playoff preview: From Kevin Patullo to Jalen Hurts, 5 questions that could decide the postseason

The Eagles title defense will reach its fever pitch over the next few weeks.

The path — starting with the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field — is clear enough to talk oneself into this team going on another run through the gauntlet, but who will be the determining figures on whether or not Jalen Hurts and Co. can reach the Super Bowl for a third time in four seasons?

Let’s go through the five biggest questions to find out:

Can Kevin Patullo steady the ship?

Of all the defining questions that face the Eagles going into the postseason, the preeminent uncertainty revolves around the Eagles offensive structure and whether the group can elevate enough in the high-leverage moments to come.

It’s fair to acknowledge this sentiment isn’t a new one for the Eagles offense. Hurts and his teammates went into last postseason with legitimate questions about the efficiency of the passing game and whether the group would have sufficient answers against teams that sold out to stop Saquon Barkley’s historic rushing pace.

Unlike last year, though, this season’s group doesn’t have a core identity or a consistent schematic approach going into the postseason. It’s something that has seemingly placed more of an onus on Patullo and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni to correctly identify specific advantages each week rather than leaning on what the offensive nucleus does best regardless of the opposition, which helps explain the oscillation between game plans focused on empty formation one week to games spent primarily out of under-center looks with heavy personnel packages.

“I think game-by-game, you’re just doing whatever you need to do to win the game,” Patullo said Tuesday. “So, we will do anything and everything we have to, to put our players in a position and give them a chance to execute and win the game.”

Especially against playoff-caliber defensive coordinators in the coming weeks, the margin for error for Sirianni and Patullo will shrink going into the postseason. They’ve navigated this path before — and perhaps the Eagles defense is good enough to make potential offensive struggles a moot point as it did for stretches in the regular season —but there’s a good chance things will hinge on Patullo and the Eagles offense being able to shift gears, starting Sunday against a depeleted 49ers defense.

Can Jalen Hurts flip the playoff switch once again? 

Another variable that could silence all consternation about the Eagles offense? Jalen Hurts.

Hurts has earned a reputation for stepping up in high-leverage moments over his career and has suddenly become one of the more battle-tested quarterbacks in the NFL this time of year. Sunday’s game will be Hurts’ 10th career postseason start, a tally that only Rams signal caller Matthew Stafford has outpaced among the field of NFC starters.

Can Hurts flip the switch once again? His playoff averages (66.8% completion rate, 7.1 yards per attempt, 10 touchdowns, three interceptions and 2.5% explosive play rate) would look pretty good to the Eagles offense right now. His rushing contributions would as well. Since 2021, no quarterback in the NFL has more postseason rushing yards on designed runs than Hurts according to TruMedia. It’s a component of the Eagles offense that has taken a back seat for most of this season, but could become a key element for a struggling run game as the stakes rise with Hurts entering the postseason with a clean bill of health for the first time in his career.

Simply put, a more dynamic version of Hurts with the “straitjacket” off isn’t hard to envision if given the opportunity. And if that version shows up against the Niners and beyond, it could be the determining factor for the Eagles in the coming weeks.

Will the Eagles’ defense reign supreme against the league’s best offenses?

The Eagles defense has lived up to the “Super Bowl defense” moniker bestowed upon them by owner Jeffrey Lurie going into the postseason, but will now have a chance to put a stamp on it.

First up is a remarkably efficient San Francisco offense, one which finished the regular season ranked eighth in EPA/drive and third in success rate. And since Week 11 when Brock Purdy re-entered the lineup, only the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and Buffalo Bills have been better in terms of EPA/drive than the Kyle Shanahan’s Niners.

There’s every chance the Eagles can contain Christian McCaffrey and Co. the same way the Seattle Seahawks did for a 13-3 victory in Week 18, but it’s hard to argue against this Sunday being one of the toughest tests for an Eagles defense that has aced almost every exam its faced in recent memory.

“They have a really good scheme,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday. “It’s all packaged together very nicely. They give you a lot of good motions. Everything they do is with a purpose and they do a really good job of it. Obviously Purdy operates it very well, McCaffrey’s an elite back, got a good group of receivers, [49ers TE George] Kittle at tight end. I mean, they had a run where they were [the] hottest offense in the league for like six, seven weeks in a row.”

Can a week off restore the Eagles run game?

For as much as the missed chance at the No. 2 seed may have stung for the Eagles, it’s possible the decision to rest Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, and Jordan Mailata will pay off greater dividends than the improved seeding would have.

Lingering injuries along the offensive line and the inconsistency in the run game go a long way toward explaining how the Eagles finished the regular season 25th in success rate. Especially in late-game scenarios protecting a lead, the offense’s uncharacteristic inability to string together drives to see out games has stood out as a significant issue.

But what if a four-minute drill is required of the Eagles in the postseason? It’s possible a healthier line could be the biggest difference.

Is Jalen Carter saving the best for last?

Almost a year removed from making the pivotal play in the Eagles’ run to Super Bowl LIX, Jalen Carter enters this postseason with a chance to finish a turbulent 2025-26 season on a high note.

A pair of shoulder injuries and a season-opening ejection meant Carter played just 11 games this year and logged three sacks and five tackles for losses. But while a hip injury landed Carter on the injury report last week, there’s reason to believe Carter will be the healthiest he’s been this season going into the playoffs based off his dominant performance against the Buffalo Bills.

If Carter can build off the blocked field goal and sack he had in Buffalo, his ability to tilt high-stakes games is obvious enough to suggest he could be the difference for the Eagles down the stretch. And if he can? The chance at a lucrative contract extension awaits him in the offseason.