Dec 14, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lincoln Financial Field. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Playing Clean Is Eagles' Path To Another Championship

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By John McMullen | Last updated Dec 16, 2025 1:34 PM ET

In the NFL splashy plays get noticed.

Take veteran defensive lineman Brandon Graham during the Eagles' 31-0 whitewashing of the Las Vegas Raiders. The 37-year-old, who returned from a brief retirement on Oct. 21, recorded two sacks on his former teammate Kenny Pickett, prompting many to profess Graham found the fountain of youth and returned to his prime form then the opposition started game-lanning with 55 (Graham) and 91 (Fletcher Cox).

In reality, Graham played a very efficient seven snaps, hardly enough playing time to make a huge impact on the game.

Big plays get the headlines, though, and perception can often be greater than reality. However, perceptions can't overcome reality.

For the Eagles, the biggest positive during Sunday's game wasn't Graham's sacks or Jalen Hurts' three touchdowns, it was how clean the game was.

That's something that had avoided Philadelphia for most of the season.

Clean And Disciplined

Against the Raiders, the Eagles had their fewest penalties during a game this season with three, and halted an uncharacteristic turnover-heavy stretch.

During their first three-game losing streak since the 2023 season, the Eagles turned the football over nine times. Against the Raiders, that number was zero.

The coaching staff had traced many of the team's offensive struggles this season to negative plays that often put the unit behind the sticks, making things too one-dimensional and predictable for defenses.

While some of the negative plays cam be traced to mental errors or mistakes with execution, failing to master the things that take no talent is a non-starter for head coach Nick Sirianni.

With the NFC East 99% assured and a fifth consecutive postseason berth a fait accompli for the Eagles, repeat talk is back on the itinerary.

For the Super Bowl LIX champions to go back-to-back, the easiest formula is to protect the football and keep the penalties down, something that will spawn more favorable opportunities to generate explosive plays.

The Eagles' internal data suggests that winning both the turnover battle and the expolsive play margin virtually guarantees a positive outcome.

So the idea is to not downplay the kind of splash plays that are needed to succeed but to emphsize how playing clean and discipled football helps generate the moments fams will remember.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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