Jason Kelce believes the Eagles found a formula that could make them ‘very dangerous in the postseason’

It’s simple, according to the longtime center: ‘Pound the rock’ and good things will happen.

Saquon Barkley ran for 78 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 31-0 win over the Raiders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Published Dec. 17, 2025, 2:00 p.m. ET

After three consecutive losses, the Eagles were able to get back on track on Sunday with a dominant 31-0 win at Lincoln Financial Field — making it their first shutout win since 2018. Of course, it was against the 2-12 Las Vegas Raiders.

During the halftime show on Fox, with the Eagles holding a 17-0 lead, former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski made a comment that basically summarized Las Vegas’ season: When you play the Raiders, it’s like putting Neosporin on your cut. They heal those wounds.

Former Eagles center Jason Kelce agreed with Gronkowski’s comments on the latest episode of New Heights.

“It is true,” Kelce said. “I mean the level that the fans were at these last couple weeks — and understandable, you know, the Eagles had not been performing well — but then all of a sudden you play the Raiders, who have won two games this year, I believe, it has a tendency to make you feel good again.

“It’s a great way to put it by Gronk. I think the Eagles are smart enough to know it was a great game but they still got to improve and get better. But, so much of playing well in the postseason is feeling good going into it. And the Eagles got some games here that they can feel good about, hopefully.”

Now, after three weeks of struggling, the Eagles may finally be starting to establish an offensive identity just in time for the home stretch, and Kelce is loving it.

“The first series, I’m always watching like, ‘OK, what is this going to be? What’s the plan today? How many runs is this going to be? How much shotgun? How much under center? Like, what’s the flavor?’ And in the first series, I think there were like seven runs or was a quarterback designed run,” Kelce said. “It was clear that they were going to stick with that and try to establish a line of scrimmage, which is something I think they need to continue to do moving forward. And I just liked seeing it. … It’s everything you want to see against not just the Las Vegas Raiders but what this Eagles team needs to be moving forward.”

In the passing game, Jalen Hurts completed 12 of 15 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of work. He also recorded 39 rushing yards on seven carries before he was replaced with Tanner McKee in the fourth. This performance comes a week after the quarterback struggled against the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing four interceptions in the overtime loss.

“It was a great bounceback game for him,” Kelce said. “Obviously, the game before with the turnovers and everything was very uncharacteristic of Jalen Hurts. It’s not who he has been largely in the NFL. But, this is what I mean, he’s got 15 attempts. And if he would have played the whole game it would have been more than that. They did a great job at being a very balanced offense and that’s what they need to be. … I came away from last week feeling like this offense is showing signs of going in the right direction.”

On the other side of the ball, Vic Fangio’s defense continued to shine, sacking Kenny Pickett four times and holding the Raiders offense to 75 total yards, their lowest total in more than a half century. With Sunday’s game behind them, the Eagles have three games left — two against the 4-10 Washington Commanders, who just shut down starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, and at the 10-4 Buffalo Bills. In order to clinch a spot in the playoffs, they need just one more win.

“They’re in the driver’s seat,” Kelce said. “They’re probably going to be the No. 3 seed. If they win out, there’s a chance they could be the No. 2 seed. What I would like to see these last three games is continue to pound the rock. Get that run game going. It is going to open up so much more for the offense. And if these guys can go into the playoffs feeling good, feeling confident, working with each other in executing these plays, I think it’s going to help out Jalen a lot more.

“And with the way this defense is playing, this team could be very dangerous in the postseason if they stay true to that formula. So, that’s what I’m hoping to see.”