Eagles’ Finish Line Slump May Cause Nick Sirianni Problems
Given his history, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni will likely be given another season, but if the team can’t make the playoffs—especially after a dismal 1-4 December—a housecleaning may be necessary.
PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles have no way of ringing in the new year like this.
It was similar to sipping flat champagne and having every balloon in the space burst before midnight. This looked awful. The ball would have landed on their heads if they had been at Times Square on Sunday night.
Against the Arizona Cardinals, you cannot lose.But on a Sunday afternoon on New Year’s Eve, the Eagles prevailed 35–31.
All season, Arizona had only three victories. Three. One, two, three. You shouldn’t count that way as the new year approaches.
The Eagles’ defensive coordinator from the previous season, Jonathan Gannon, outcoached Nick Sirianni, and given the state of this club, one has to question the head coach’s job security.
Yes, the Eagles are in the playoffs and their head coach will have advanced to the next round in each of his three seasons, but the way this one is finishing—with just two victories since Thanksgiving and a 1-4 record in December—well, the team fired Doug Pederson just three years after he won the team’s first Super Bowl.
Letting Sirianni leave would be a big move, and probably the wrong one.
It’s more likely that under Sirianni, the Eagles will purge. He has a 34-16 overall record, a 2-2 postseason record, and a Super Bowl trip under his belt.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman will play a major role in selecting those employees. Sirianni’s stockpile is most likely gone.
Sirianni responded, “Stick together,” when asked what advice he would give his team. “We must all stick together. I believe that many individuals will attempt to place blame in many directions, so everyone needs to band together.”
The coach was gravely mistaken if he believed Matt Patricia could turn this defence around.
When you can’t stop the run, it’s never pretty, and the Eagles just couldn’t. 221 yards were granted on the ground by them. Giving up 128 yards to James Conner is one thing. It’s another to give up 61 yards and an average of 8.7 yards per run to Michael Carter, who finished the season with just 109 yards of rushing.
“On this one, we really messed up,” Haason Reddick said. There isn’t another way to phrase it. Hey, the playoffs are still to come. We managed to get one more. We have to win that one.”
When your defence doesn’t force a punt—something the Eagles were unable to accomplish—it’s never pretty.
When the Eagles give up 449 total offensive yards or are unable to complete plays on third and fourth downs, it’s never pretty. With 5:26 remaining in the game, Arizona was two for two on a fourth-and-four and 5-for-10 on a third down when the touchdown that tied the score at 28-28 arrived.
“Everything that’s going to be said about us has to be dealt with this week, but it’s all fine,” Brandon Graham said. “It’s what we do in the postseason when everything is on the line.”
Does it matter that the Eagles lost and will probably not win the NFC East given how this club has struggled to the finish line? They could have a one-and-done postseason ahead of them.
The Dallas Cowboys will likely win the division if the Eagles defeat the Washington Commanders on the road and Philly triumphs over the New York Giants, who are the only team the franchise has defeated since defeating the Buffalo Bills in overtime on November 26.
The Eagles would be the fifth seed and would play either Tampa Bay or New Orleans, the winners of the NFC South, if that scenario did not materialise.
Sirianni declared, “I still believe in the guys in that locker room, the players.” “I still think the coaches are capable. I believe this group of individuals can be turned in the correct path.”
The Lincoln Financial Field crowd was in full festive mood at the half, maybe forgetting that the Eagles had been on a rollercoaster of a season, even during their 10-1 run. The Eagles led 21-6 at the half.
They had very little time with the ball and lost a significant amount of possession time. The Eagles held the ball 20:21 while Arizona had it for almost 40 minutes.
“Are you worried? Worried? Not at all! Sirianni explains the Eagles’ embarrassing collapse against the Cardinals and their loss of NFC East dominance.
A defence that gave up 29 points in the second half, including the game-winning touchdown with 32 seconds remaining, and was unable to muster a single stop was led by Sydney Brown. In the first minute of the second quarter, the Eagles led 14-3 thanks to the rookie safety’s 99-yard interception return.
It was not upheld.
“It all comes down to regrouping and realising that we need to improve,” Brown stated. We will destroy every team if we play the football we know we are capable of playing.
None of us possess the ability to fly. We cannot allow one poor performance to sum up our defense’s accomplishments.We just lost to the NFL’s weakest team, like, (bleep). How are you able to help? You simply have to move on.”
