The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2025 season on a less-than-hot streak. They ended 11-6 after mostly getting things together in December, following a major wobble in November and early December.
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But in the end, the Eagles won three of their last four (they rested many starters for their Week 18 loss) to earn the No. 3 seed in the NFC for these 2025 NFL Playoffs. They will take on the No. 6 San Francisco 49ers, who actually had a better record, at 12-5, but must go on the road due to their Wild Card status.
The Eagles are favored in that matchup, though not by as much as it might have been. That’s largely because of the November skid, when they dropped three straight games to the Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, and Los Angeles Chargers, with the loss to Chicago standing out as particularly ugly.
That brutal stretch raised concerns, but Super Bowl-winning head coach Bill Cowher believes the stumble could actually benefit Philly in the long run.
“It’s been the Philadelphia Eagles this year: sometimes a three-game losing streak… I think that depth has made them a better football team,” Cowher said on The Rich Eisen Show.
“They had to do some serious soul-searching. So sometimes the depths of despair can reap the heights of hope. I think sometimes you have to go really low to get really high. And that’s how I look upon our run we had in 2005. And I see the same parallels where the Eagles are,” he added.
Cowher is, of course, referring to his 2005 Super Bowl championship run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That year, they started 7-2 before losing three straight. They then won four in a row to secure a playoff spot and followed it up by winning three road games before hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XL.
It wasn’t just the loss, however. Cowher likes how Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is prioritizing “health over matchups” at this crucial time in the calendar.
“And whether you play on the road or play at home, you gotta beat everybody anyway. And that’s why I liked what Nick Sirianni did this week: ‘I could have gotten the second seed. I don’t care.’ He put health over matchups. And I think that’s what you need to do going into the playoffs. Go as healthy as you can and then play whoever you have to play,” said the former coach.
Whether the Eagles’ decision to keep their starters out for Week 18 was a good decision remains to be seen. Health is important, but matchups are arguably as important. However, in earning the No. 3 seed by resting, Philly may have gotten the best of both. The Eagles will host the injury-plagued 49ers at Lincoln Financial on Sunday at 4:30 PM E.T.
