On Thursday night, under the bright lights and roaring sound of Lincoln Financial Field, the Philadelphia Eagles will raise their second-ever Super Bowl banner.
Then they'll immediately begin the chase after another.
Do they have what it takes to repeat as champions? Will Saquon Barkley remain as the rushing champ, too? And will Jalen Hurts be in the NFL MVP picture?
Here are the PV staff's predictions for the Eagles' 2025 title defense...
Will the Eagles make it back to the playoffs?
Nick Tricome (staff writer): Yes. Their roster is more than good enough to make it back.
Geoff Mosher (deputy editor): Yes. Too much blue-chip talent not to be in the postseason.
Evan Macy (managing editor): Yes. There aren't seven teams in the NFC better then they are even on a bad day.
Will they finally make for a repeat NFC East champion?
Tricome: Yes. This one's tricky, because it's somehow been avoided since the prime Donovan McNabb-Andy Reid days, but I think the streak of no repeat division champions finally breaks here. The Eagles, even if their defense took a hit, are still a really good team. Everyone else in the NFC East? The Giants are better but they're still the Giants, the Cowboys have been coasting off mediocrity for a good while now (and really just traded Micah Parsons), and the Commanders I think are in for a rude awakening – all that talk about how much cap space they'll have coming off patchwork, short-term deals for old guys and they used it all on...more patchwork, short-term deals for old guys..sure...
Mosher: You can look at this two ways. One, history says they won't, and the sample size isn't small. Nobody has repeated in the past 20 seasons. Two, the law of averages declares that eventually this streak has to end. The Eagles will have a chance to win the division entering Week 18 – but won't. The streak stays alive.
Macy: I am not going to buck history. The football gods will not allow a repeat. They'll go 11-6 and make a deep run as a Wild Card.
Will an Eagle be in the conversation for MVP, OPOY, DPOY, or any other awards?
Tricome: Jalen Hurts will be in the running for MVP with a more balanced offense this time around between the run and the pass. I really want to see Jalen Carter in the Defensive Player of the Year picture, but I think the reality is he just won't have the numbers for it. He'll be a game wrecker each and every week, don't get me wrong. But he'll be a game wrecker in the sense that two O-linemen have to hold him all the time, which is going to end up spreading the glory (i.e., sacks) elsewhere, much like it did last year.
Mosher: I like what I heard from A.J. Brown about not being satisfied by a Super Bowl win. I think he has a monster season – more than 1,400 receiving yards and double-digit TD catches. He'll be in the mix for Offensive Player of the Year but won't win it. Agree with Nick that Jalen Carter will be among the top defensive players in the game but won't have the stats to win an award.
Macy: It's really really hard to win those awards. Saquon Barkley had basically the best season a running back has ever had and it wasn't enough. Zack Baun was as good as a linebacker can be in modern football and it wasn't enough. Quinyon Mitchell was better than Jared Verse but it didn't matter. The usual suspects will win all the awards again, Lamar Jackson, Myles Garrett and so forth.
Will Saquon Barkley repeat as rushing champ?
Tricome: No, because I think the Eagles are going to stay hyper aware of his usage, on top of being comfortable enough to give the ball to Will Shipley a good bit to balance things out. I still expect Barkley to have a great season and to remain as the focal point for a dominant rushing attack, it just won't be to the extent of a high-carry, 2,000-yard season again. If the Eagles want to get him through the whole season and then some, it can't be.
Mosher: Nope. I'd put my money on Ashton Jeanty.
Macy: I think he's going to produce a solid 1,400 yards and be in the mix but I don't think he'll be close to 2,000 again.
MORE: Barkley isn't aiming for 2,000 yards again — he's after another Super Bowl
Which Eagle do you see breaking out?
Tricome: Jahan Dotson. Earlier in camp, he talked about the benefit of getting a full offseason with the Eagles to better learn the playbook and develop a stronger chemistry with Jalen Hurts, and you could see that during practices. Hurts was going to him a lot more, and overall, Dotson's awareness and route running just looked a lot sharper. He wants to be a bigger part of the offense this season, and if he can be, that'll spread opposing defenses that much thinner after already needing to worry about A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and of course, Saquon Barkley.
Mosher: Will Shipley brings more to the table than Kenneth Gainwell in terms of explosion, and I suspect he'll be used more in the pass game and give Barkley some rest as a ball-carrier. I could also see a double-digit TD season from DeVonta Smith. On defense, it wouldn't surprise me if Moro Ojomo has more sacks than Milton Williams did last season.
Macy: I really liked what I saw from Jihaad Campbell in training camp. He's my pick on defense. On offense, Hurts, Brown and Smith and Barkley will be studs as they always are — so I am not sure if that is a true breakout.
Which former Eagle from 2024 will be missed the most?
Tricome: Darius Slay. The starting cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell is the obvious weak point in the Eagles' defense right now. They seem prepared to live with Adoree' Jackson out of the gate while finding other ways to compensate for his shortcomings on that side of the field, but if the scenario were ideal, maybe the Eagles could've found a way to keep Slay or even Isaiah Rodgers for one more.
Mosher: Say what you want about C.J. Gardner-Johnson, but he was an Eagle in 2022 and 2024. Guess what those seasons have in common? Vic Fangio's heavy reliance on zone means he needs playmakers on the back end to create turnovers. Do the Eagles currently have one like CJGJ was?
Macy: I'm worried about the pass rush. Brandon Graham, Milton Williams, Josh Sweat — that's 16.5 sacks right there gone to free agency. I am not particularly confident in anyone besides Nolan Smith on the edge right now.
By Week 10, after the bye, the Eagles' CB2 will be...
Tricome: Barring any trades, I will say Jakorian Bennett on the presumption that he just needs time to settle in. Kelee Ringo went backwards in the camp battle for the starting job, and Bennett got to the team midway through, so he was instantly starting from behind, which left Jackson as the winner without ever convincingly taking the job. I don't think the Eagles are going to fall into a Cooper DeJean situation like they did last year, but I'm going to give Bennett time and the benefit of the doubt that he can be the most serviceable option by early November.
Mosher: Last year, Vic Fangio pulled the plug on Avonte Maddox after four games because Cooper DeJean was ready for the job – and boy was he ever. This year, the assumption is that Adoree' Jackson is similarly place-holding a few weeks for Jakorian Bennett, which makes a lot of sense. Except that Bennett isn't Cooper DeJean. Wouldn't shock me if the guy everyone thinks won't be the starting CB come Week 10 is actually the guy who is.
Macy: I know Cooper DeJean is not an answer to this question but he's the second best cornerback on the roster, and I don't really think there's another serviceable guy right now. I think in general, the defense is going to drop off from last year. There is a lack of depth and experience. The team will still be successful but I believe it'll be an offense that overcomes a defense with holes.
MORE:Eagles have tons of blue chip talent, but depth will be concern in 2025
Who poses the biggest threat in the conference?
Tricome: I'm looking at "what" here and saying health. At full strength, I don't think there's any team in the NFC that the Eagles can't keep up with, and that includes the Packers with Parsons now. But they have to be healthy, or as close as they can be to it.
Mosher: Total homer answer by Tricome there. (Just kidding, Nick.) But I do think the Eagles have some formidable competition in the NFC, starting with the Lions and Packers, followed by the Rams, Commanders and Bucs. If I squint hard enough, I could see the 49ers having a bounce-back season.
Macy: Probably the Packers if they can stay healthy, with a shout out to the Rams... if they can stay healthy. Really, whichever of last year's NFC playoff teams is able to have its core close to 100% healthy come January is going to be the biggest threat to the Eagles.
Will the Eagles make it back to the Super Bowl?
Tricome: Yes, and they'll win a nail-biter against the Lions to do it.
Mosher: No. I like their young core on defense but losing Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, CJGJ and Darius Slay is a lot. Wouldn't shock me if they were back in the Super Bowl in 2027.
Macy: No. This team is built for the long haul, and I think they'll have an easier schedule, a better roster and more experience next season.
Will they repeat?
Tricome: Yes, in a Kansas City rubber match.
Mosher: Nope.
Macy: They will not.
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