Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles 2025: Is Kevin Patullo Already Brian Johnson 2.0 — or Worse?
Mike Lipinski has been covering Philadelphia sports since 2005. Previous stops include Section 247 Sports, My MMA News, and more. He has been a part of the Sports Talk Philly team since 2019. He is the editor of Philadelphia Phillies content, co-editor for college football covering mainly the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and dabbles in all other sports. Follow him on social media channels -Twitter & Threads- @TheMikeLipinski
All posts by Mike LipinskiPublished15 Sep 2025
While researching for this piece, the hope was to prove the keyboard warriors wrong. Surely, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo hasn’t been that bad as a play caller. And he’s certainly not the 2025-26 version of Brian Johnson. Maybe the online complaints were just the usual Philly overreaction. But here’s the problem: the numbers don’t just confirm the noise — they suggest Patullo is trending even worse Johnson…at least through two games.
In 2023 under Johnson, the Eagles “stumbled out of the gate” but still posted 681 total yards of offense through two games. They averaged nearly 30 points per game and found balance with 325 passing yards and 356 rushing yards. Compare that to 2025: 518 yards total, just 253 passing, 280 rushing, and 22 points per game. The dip is not subtle; it’s glaring.
Philadelphia Eagles 2-Game Offensive Comparison: 2023 vs. 2025
| Metric | 2023 | 2-Game Avg | 2025 | 2-Game Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games | 2 | — | 2 | — |
| Total yards | 681 | 340.5 | 518 | 259.0 |
| Passing yards | 325 | 162.5 | 253 | 126.5 |
| Rushing yards | 356 | 178.0 | 280 | 140.0 |
| Points scored | 59 | 29.5 | 44 | 22.0 |
| Total plays | 136 | 68.0 | 120 | 60.0 |
| Yards per play | 5.01 | — | 4.32 | — |
Stats sourced from NFL.com, Pro Football Reference, StatMuse, and ESPN
The passing game is where the struggles scream the loudest. In 2023, Jalen Hurts threw for an average of 162.5 yards per game over the first two weeks. This year, that number has slipped to a pedestrian 126.5. Against the Chiefs in Week 2, the Eagles managed just 101 passing yards and 216 yards overall. For an offense boasting A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert (when healthy!), that output raises alarms about play-calling, scheme, and rhythm.
Yes, the rushing attack has held some ground — 140 rushing yards per game in 2025 compared to 178 in 2023 — but the identity of this team can’t rest solely on Saquon Barkley and the ground game. And a look at efficiency metrics only twist the knife deeper. In 2023, the Birds’ Week 2 win over Minnesota saw the Eagles humming at 5.73 yards per play. This year’s Week 2 trip to Arrowhead? A pedestrian 3.72 yards per play. That’s not championship football; that’s offensive anemia.
The comparisons to Brian Johnson are inevitable, and seemingly fair. Johnson’s offense felt clunky, predictable, and underwhelming. But at least it moved the ball in spurts. Through two weeks, Patullo’s unit hasn’t even managed that. If Johnson was frustrating, Patullo’s output so far has been flat-out alarming.
Now, the counterpoint: maybe none of this should surprise anyone. The Eagles, like most NFL teams, hardly let their starters see the field in preseason. The lack of live reps means September often doubles as an extended training camp. Timing is off, conditioning is uneven, and offenses especially tend to look disjointed early in the season. We’ve seen this movie before.
So, which is it? Cause for panic or just preseason rust lingering into September?
The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Patullo’s play-calling hasn’t inspired confidence, but ripping up the blueprint after two games would be premature. Still, if the numbers don’t rebound in the coming weeks, the whispers about the Eagles’ offense being more hype than horsepower will only get louder. And in Philadelphia, patience is always in shorter supply than cheesesteaks.
