Football fans would have a tougher time finding a Philadelphia Eagles fan who is a Kevin Patullo fan than one who isn’t.
The whole city of Philadelphia was set ablaze after the Eagles fell to the San Francisco 49ers 23-19 in the NFC Wild Card game that eliminated them from playoff contention. Philly’s offense gained less than 120 yards in the second half, as it has become customary in most Eagles games to see the offense just crumble in the final 30 minutes of football games.
Right before the Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football on ESPN, NFL analyst Marcus Spears, a former Dallas Cowboys player, was every Eagles fan with his short rant on Patullo and his performance all season. Spears did not hold back on how he feels about Patullo’s job security going into 2026.
“And I’m not going to tetter around it. Kevin Patullo’s ass needs to be gone. This was a horrible year of calling offensive plays and I don’t think the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense is as bad as we watched it based on the talent. That’s what kept us on the string all year long.”
“Kevin Patullo’s ass needs to be gone.”
@MSpears96 feels strongly about the Eagles offensive play-calling this year 😬 pic.twitter.com/5nAFUxLunA— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 12, 2026
The Eagles are ready to win now with the talent on their offense, as 10 of the 11 starters from the 2024 Super Bowl champion team returned. That should have resulted in a much better season, right?
Wrong. Philly’s offense stumbled to the bottom half in every offensive category. The only thing Patullo did right for this Eagles offense was how successful they were in the red zone, scoring over 70% of the time, one of the best in the NFL.
Besides that, the Eagles were below average in just about everything. From a passing game that featured maybe just three or four main route calls to a running game that would have Saquon Barkley dancing in the backfield every other play with two to three defenders in the backfield already. To add to it, the number of second halves where the Eagles literally couldn’t get anything going offensively was embarrassing at best.
Jason Kelce Doesn’t Hold Back on Eagles Players While Defending Kevin Patullo
Despite fans and analysts loudly calling for offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo to be fired, that Kelce made it clear he believes the blame has been misplaced.
“I know that everybody is out on Kevin Patullo,” Kelce said Monday night on ESPN. “I happen to know the guy. I love Kevin Patullo. I know he’s a great coach.”
Instead of pointing the finger at the coaching staff, the future Hall of Famer delivered a blunt assessment of a roster that failed to live up to expectations.
“They had the No. 1 highest-paid offense in the league and were mediocre across the board,” Kelce added. “That’s unacceptable.”
Kelce made it clear that the players should be the ones to be held accountable, not the coaches.
Kelce acknowledged that the Eagles’ offense underperformed throughout the season.
But he pushed back strongly against the idea that Patullo should shoulder the responsibility alone.
According to Kelce, the issues were far more about execution than scheme.
“I know it wasn’t the best performance this year offensively,” Kelce said. “They had their chances to win that game yesterday, and they, the players, didn’t make the plays.”
Kelce also credited San Francisco for capitalizing when opportunities presented themselves, highlighting the contrast between the two teams. Kelce believed it came down to execution. He praised what the 49ers have built under head coach Kyle Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
“What Robert Saleh did with that defense is commendable,” Kelce said. “What they’ve done to get to here is absolutely a testament to that organization and how well they’re built and how they function across the board.”
Kelce reiterated that Philly had multiple chances to swing the game but the players failed to execute: “You tip your cap to them,” Kelce said. “But Philly had their opportunities.”
