Jordan Mailata says the quiet part out loud about Eagles' struggles

Few teams in the NFL can start the season 5-2 and receive as much criticism as the Philadelphia Eagles have this year. It's a burden that comes with the territory of being the reigning Super Bowl champions.

The Eagles have shown real signs of decline this season, especially on offense. The dominant and explosive unit that led them to a Lombardi Trophy has been replaced by a sluggish group that seems to only get activated when they need a comeback.

Starting left tackle Jordan Mailata was brutally honest when talking about the offense's struggles this season and what needs to change moving forward.

Jordan Mailata gets brutally honest about Eagles' offense

After a devastating loss to the New York Giants in Week 6, the Eagles barely scraped by against an inferior Minnesota Vikings team in Week 7. While the offense was more explosive than it had been in recent weeks, the offensive line still struggled to create space for running back Saquon Barkley to take advantage of.

Mailata owned up to his role in the issue and laid out the changes that need to be made. Per Eagles insider Zach Berman, he said, "The message is let's be physical up front, both sides of the ball, and dominate. That's the message? Want to write something? Write that. ...It's personal for me. I hate that I played like s**t. I can't stand when I don't live up to my expectations. ...So for me, it's a more personal game. I owe them one."

Barkley averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on his 18 rushing attempts against Minnesota. If it weren't for a few explosive passing plays, Philadelphia likely would have lost the game. The offense hasn't been able to lean on the running game this season like it has in the past. While there are multiple people to blame, Kevin Patullo included, the offensive line is at least partly to blame.

Per PFF, Mailata earned a run blocking grade of just 52.1 against the Vikings. It was his third such grade below 55 this season, a sign of the dip in performance he's shown after a stellar 2024 campaign.

The unit as a whole certainly needs to be more physical. Opposing defenses know that the Eagles want to lean on the run, so they're stacking more defenders in the box than before. If Mailata, Patullo, and the rest of the offense can't figure out an effective way to counter those looks, it could keep this team from returning to the Super Bowl.