The Philadelphia Eagles are 4-0, but their perfect record hides a troubling trend. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has struggled after halftime in back-to-back games, and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata isn’t staying quiet about it.

When asked whether they’re the ‘good half’ team or the ‘bad half’ team, Mailata gave a blunt answer. “Definitely the good halves. Points never lie. …I thought we played a great first half. Now, we have to find ways to extend drives in the second half, but that was a hell of a game we played today.”

The  28-year-old continued, “That was a great win today. The Bucs, they’re not bums. And winning games down in Tampa is a big deal. Because we haven’t. We’ve been humiliated. We’ve been on that side of the ball. So this is a plus for me.”

This splattered identity across two halves won’t do later in the season. The scoreboard was misleading today, Eagles 31, Bucs 25. But if you zoom in, the story’s a lot messier. Philly stormed out to a 24–6 halftime lead, then promptly took their foot off the gas and got outscored 19–7 the rest of the way.

And this is just an extension of what we saw in the Rams game. Last week, the Eagles were flat-out sleepwalking early, down 26–7, before flipping the switch in the second half to pull off a 33–26 win.

Special teams bailed them out today. Sydney Brown’s blocked punt return touchdown popped Tampa’s bubble before it could grow. But the offense’s disappearing act in the second half nearly let the Bucs steal it.

“That first half is about as good as you can play,” Nick Sirianni said afterward. But what about the other half? You can get away with part-time football at the start of the season, but try that trick against the Bills or Chargers and see how fast the game slips away.

If the Eagles want to prove they’re truly contenders, Jalen Hurts and company have to stop playing 30-minute football and finally put together a full 60.

Jalen Hurts was a different player in the second half

The broader concern here is Jalen Hurts’ second-half production (or lack of it) in consecutive games. He came out on fire in Tampa, hitting 15 of his first 16 throws. And then… he vanished into thin air.

On paper, 15-of-24 for 130 yards and two TDs looks serviceable, but the fine print is brutal: he went 0-for-8 after halftime, and the offense turned into a brick wall. Well, that should shut down the play-calling rumors. 

Yes, he did not complete one single pass in the second half. How bad was it? Five straight three-and-outs, another drive that barely scraped five plays, and outside of one short-field touchdown, they put up a grand total of 33 second-half yards. Well, unless you want to count the 34-yard clock-killing run at the end.

There’s no defending Hurts. But the running game wasn’t at its best either. Barkley was a letdown today. He finished with 19 carries for 43 yards. According to The Athletic, it was the fewest yards he ever totaled in a game with 19 carries. That’s going to be an issue if this doesn’t change.

So, while Mailata said that this Eagles’ real identity is that of the ‘good half’ team, we won’t know for sure unless we see that team throughout the 60 minutes. Next week against the Broncos is the perfect opportunity to show that.