The worst thing the Eagles can do right now is the thing that everybody wants them to do. Nick Sirianni isn’t going to do it. He has said it all season and he said it again on Monday, even though he did not need to. You don’t make a change in play-calling duties after a late afternoon road game in the week of Thanksgiving when you are scheduled to play on Friday. Even if Sirianni was entertaining the idea of demoting offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, doing it this week is almost a non-starter.
But let’s be clear. He shouldn’t be entertaining such a move, short week or not. It doesn’t make sense on a practical level. It doesn’t make sense on a logistical level. And it certainly doesn’t make sense on an existential level, as the Eagles have seen before.
“I feel like we’ve got the right people, as players, as coaches, that have had success, and we’re all searching for answers to make it more consistent,” Sirianni said Monday. “There’s some good things, there’s obviously some not so good things. We have to find the things that we can really hang our hat on and the complements that come off that.”
It matters not whether you believe him, or whether he believes himself. Whatever he or you or the players think of the job Patullo has done in his first 11 games calling plays, the important thing is that he is the one who has been doing it. It has been his voice over the headset. It has been his messaging in the meetings. From a command and control perspective alone, changing coordinators this late into a season would introduce a whole new list of things that could go wrong. But what really matters is the message such a move would send.
Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo “did a good job” of calling plays against the Cowboys, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
Sirianni and the Eagles say they learned a lot of lessons a couple of years ago when their 10-1 start to the 2023 season ended with six losses in their last seven games. The biggest of those lessons is the one that so many of us can’t seem to wrap our heads around. Firing a coordinator this late into a season can do more harm than good, however much he deserves the blame.
We all remember how the movie ended in 2023, right? When the Eagles stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of his play-calling duties on Dec. 17, the circumstances were remarkably similar to now. They were coming off two of their ugliest outings of the season, the second of them a 33-13 loss to the Cowboys at Dallas. But they were 10-3, still very much in the running for the top seed in the NFC playoffs, and only a few weeks removed from back-to-back statement wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills. The ship was hardly sinking. Then Capt. Matt Patricia took charge.
There’s a strong argument to be made that the 2023 season ended the day they demoted Desai. Up until then, the Eagles still had the confidence and swagger of a defending conference champion. They were a good team going through a rough patch. There was no reason to think otherwise.
By demoting Desai and replacing him with Patricia, the Eagles made an unprompted announcement that things at One NovaCare Way were more dire than they seemed. From that point on, every week brought more dysfunction.
Sirianni barely survived the fallout. It took him until last February to finally shake off the last of the weakness.
The Eagles demoted defensive coordinator Sean Desai during the disastrous finish to their 2023 season.
The kicker, of course, is that the defense didn’t get better. In Patricia’s first week on the job, the Eagles allowed a touchdown pass with 28 seconds left to lose a game to the Seattle Seahawks that they’d led throughout. The next week, they allowed 25 points to Tommy DeVito, Tyrod Taylor, and the Giants, with New York’s potential game-tying touchdown drive ending at the Eagles’ 26-yard line. After that, they lost a 35-31 shootout to an Arizona Cardinals team that hadn’t cracked 30 points all season.
Demoting Patullo has even less potential upside. Anybody who would replace him is already in the building. That person would almost certainly try to do things the same way the Eagles have been doing them throughout Sirianni’s tenure as coach. Kellen Moore didn’t take the secret recipe box with him to New Orleans. He just happened to be calling plays with an offensive line that was averaging 6 yards per carry.
Sirianni will get some ridicule for his messaging during Monday’s news conference. The worst thing you can tell an emotionally unstable Eagles fan is that everything is well.
The head coach didn’t even go that far. He was asked if he’d considered making a change in play-calling duties. He answered definitively.
“No, I haven’t,” Sirianni said. “Again, I think that we’re always looking for answers, as coaches we’re always looking for answers and we’re never into assigning blame, it’s just looking for answers. … It’s every piece of the puzzle: coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything … have to be better in all of those aspects. Yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling. Obviously, he’s going to want plays back just like every player and myself, we all want plays back. … It’s never in football one thing. So, no, I haven’t considered that.”
Anybody who calls plays for this offense is going to face the same challenges as Patullo. The Eagles have an offensive line that is missing its best player in Lane Johnson and looks incapable of the same dominance it showed on the road to a Super Bowl last season. They have a quarterback who isn’t confident enough in his arm to make the sorts of throws that Dak Prescott was making into traffic on Sunday, when the Cowboys overcame a 21-point deficit and the Eagles offense stalled for three quarters of a 24-21 Dallas win. They have a superstar wide receiver who looked like a distant third behind George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb as the best receivers on the field. They have a superstar running back who doesn’t have the same burst he did last season.
In order for Sirianni to make a change, he would need to be reasonably confident that things would get better. If not, things would get appreciably worse. Sirianni and the Eagles would be operating from a position of weakness for the duration of the season. The worst thing they can do right now is panic. We’ve seen how that sort of thing ends.
There are games in the NFL that have repercussions. The Eagles’ 24-21 loss Sunday to the Cowboys — a game in which they blew a 21-point lead, throttled back their offense after taking that lead, and committed one egregious mistake after another — is likely to be one.
Those repercussions might yet be good for the Eagles. The NFL is so parity-ridden, each team separated from the other by such small differences, that it’s possible that Sunday’s meltdown will inspire the Eagles to clean up their sloppy play, beat the Chicago Bears on Black Friday, and embark on another deep playoff run. They’re still going to win the NFC East, at a minimum. It will be difficult to call such a season, no matter its final endpoint, a complete failure.
But Eagles chairman Jeffrey Lurie stopped judging his franchise by that standard a long time ago. Sunday’s loss went from See, the team is rounding into form to HOLY HELL EVERYONE’S WORST FEARS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED in a matter of minutes. That sudden reversal of fortune, though, really had been the culmination of a steady accumulation of inconsistent performances, injuries to important players, and consternation both inside and outside the locker room.
Those conditions are the kind that, in the past, have compelled Lurie to act. It is, of course, true that the offensive line’s decline is a huge factor in the Eagles’ overall regression, maybe the biggest factor, and that reality, one could argue, should absolve Nick Sirianni, Kevin Patullo, Jalen Hurts, and anyone else for an 8-3 team that feels like it’s 3-8. But it’s naive to think, given the nature of Sunday’s loss and the arc of this season, that Lurie isn’t taking a long, hard look at the coaching staff, Sirianni included.
Raising such questions might seem premature or unnecessary. It’s not. There are reasons for Sirianni to be worried here — not necessarily that he’s going to be fired after the season, but that he’s more vulnerable than he once was. Nine months after winning the Super Bowl, six months after getting a contract extension, he ought to understand that, if recent history is any indication, there’s a lot at stake for him over the next 6-12 weeks. Consider:
1) The Eagles aren’t playing offense the way Lurie has generally wanted his teams to play offense.
This assertion is obvious, and it’s based on the Eagles’ production, or lack thereof. But it’s also based on the Eagles’ style of play.
For years, dating to the Andy Reid era, the Eagles made their bones by remaining aggressive in their play-calling even after taking a big lead, by using analytics to set themselves apart from the rest of the league. Sometimes, it cost them games. In February 2018, it won them their first Super Bowl. Lurie loves that approach.
The last two years, however, the Eagles have turned themselves into a full-fledged running team. Lurie is not necessarily anti-running the ball — not when it leads to the big plays and the Super Bowl victory that Saquon Barkley and that dominant offensive line delivered last season. But those plays haven’t materialized and the line hasn’t dominated this season, and Sirianni’s response has been to lean into being uber-conservative. He doesn’t call plays, no, but the offense is his, and he hasn’t prioritized piling up points. He has prioritized protecting the football, eliminating turnovers, and walking a thinner line to victory. He has tempted fate by trying to win games in a manner Lurie is inclined to reject once it fails.
2) Lurie has never hesitated to insist upon coaching changes when he has thought them necessary.
After the 2019 season, for instance, the Eagles parted ways with then-offensive coordinator Mike Groh and then-wide receivers coach Carson Walch. A year later, after the team’s disastrous 4-11-1 season in 2020, then-head coach Doug Pederson was fired.
For the moment, Patullo is a great shield for Sirianni. Everyone knows that Patullo is the Eagles’ offensive play-caller. Everyone knows that he’s a neophyte when it comes to this role and its responsibilities. And everyone can see that the Eagles offense has not been good this season, even though it has plenty of superstar-level players to whom Lurie is paying superstar-level dollars. So if the Eagles offense remains dysfunctional — and it really hasn’t been functional at all, not to the degree it was expected to be — Patullo will be and has been the coach who bears the blame, and a layer of protection will have been removed from Sirianni.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts on the sideline with head coach Nick Sirianni (right) during Sunday’s loss in Dallas.
3) Lurie expects his franchise quarterback to grow into greatness, then remain there.
One of the problems that the Eagles’ play-not-to-lose strategy creates for Sirianni is the implication that Hurts can’t be trusted or isn’t at his best when asked to operate a more dynamic, more daring offense. Lurie doesn’t care and doesn’t want to hear that the Eagles’ coaches feel like they have to run a Frankenstein’s monster style of offense, patching together parts from several systems just to maximize Hurts’ skill set. He wants his franchise quarterback to be worth the franchise-quarterback money he’s paying him, and if that player isn’t meeting those expectations, Lurie will greenlight a search for a replacement only as a last resort.
Remember: Even after Carson Wentz’s horrible 2020 season, the Eagles fired Pederson first. They were willing to make it work with Wentz until they finally understood they couldn’t. Only then did they trade him.
4) Sirianni’s personality is different from Pederson’s, and that difference doesn’t help Sirianni.
Pederson was a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy, at least as much of one as an NFL head coach ever is. But after he won the Super Bowl, he started to assert himself. He wrote his autobiography. He sought more power within the organization, at least with respect to his assistants. Lurie eventually disabused him of those notions.
Sirianni is naturally more emotional and combative than Pederson. He, too, has won a Super Bowl, and his winning percentage is among the best of any head coach in league history. It’ll be interesting to see whether he’ll have to quell his assertiveness with Lurie and Howie Roseman — and if he’s able.
One day after the Eagles offense stalled and was shut out after building a 21-0 lead 18-plus minutes into the game, Nick Sirianni said the Eagles are “searching for answers” for their ailing offense.
But the quest for more consistency won’t include a change to the play-caller.
“I haven’t considered that,” the head coach said when asked Monday if he had considered taking play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
“It’s every piece of the puzzle: coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all those aspects. And so yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling it. Obviously, he’s going to want some plays back, just like every player and myself, we all want plays back.”
The Eagles hurt themselves with self-inflicted wounds. Of their 14 penalties, seven were on the offense. Two of them erased gains of 16 and 20 yards and had a major impact on the game. But even still, the offense that looked dynamic and creative for the first few series went silent. The Eagles didn’t get past the Dallas 28-yard line in the second half. They have consistently failed to run the football and adjust to opponents who take the run away. They have been unable to consistently sustain a passing offense through a full game.
Nick Sirianni (left) says he is sticking with Kevin Patullo (right) as the play-caller despite the Eagles’ offensive issues of recent weeks.
What gives Sirianni confidence that the Eagles can make a course correction this late in the season?
“I feel like we’ve got the right people, as players, as coaches, that have had success,” Sirianni said. “And we’re all searching for answers to make it more consistent. There are some good things, obviously there are some not-so-good things. And we’ve got to find the things that we really can hang our hat on, and then the complements that come off of that.”
Left guard Landon Dickerson said the Eagles were surprised by Dallas’ frequent use of a five-man front. Jalen Hurts said “that’s how they’re built now” after the Cowboys acquired Quinnen Williams and retooled their defense.
The front gave the Eagles fits at times, especially as they tried to establish a running game that never got going. Saquon Barkley rushed 10 times for 22 yards.
Saquon Barkley added value in the passing game on Sunday but continues to have trouble finding running room.
Dallas showed that five-man front a week earlier vs. Las Vegas. So, were the Eagles prepared for it or were they not?
“You go into every week and you’re trying to play the game in your mind as much as you possibly can, not just with how you call it but how you plan it for practice as well, and how you plan for drills,” Sirianni said. “The walk-throughs, the practice, your drill work, you’re trying to identify what you think and what you’re always trying to do is say, ‘How many reps do I need to devote toward this? How many reps do I need to devote toward that?’ And you try to make educated guesses there.”
Which is to say …
“We devoted time for all of them,” Sirianni said. “We knew they had that in their package and their plan. They played a little bit more there, even than anticipated. So, of course, as coaches, you say to yourself, ‘Well, I wish I would’ve gave them a couple more reps on this one.’
“Now, you’re limited as far as how many reps you actually have at walk-through, at live, at drill work. … No one’s ever going to pitch a perfect game here. Looking back at it, yeah, sure, I wish I would’ve given us a couple more reps there.
“We prepared for the things that we thought we were going to get, some more than others, and then sometimes it doesn’t play out that way when you look at it after the game.”
The Eagles matched their high for penalties in the Sirianni era with 14. As mentioned, seven of them were on the offense and a few of them wiped out key plays.
The Eagles had three false starts. They also had an illegal formation penalty out of the jumbo package with Matt Pryor on the field as an extra blocker.
Nick Sirianni’s team shot itself in the collective foot with multiple pre-snap penalties against the Cowboys.
Sirianni said it’s “hard to sustain the success of a game when you have those.”
It has made a struggling offense’s problems even worse.
“Any time it’s penalties like that, or any time it’s ball security, or any time it’s the fundamentals, or something within ‘tough, detailed, together,’ I’m going to put that on myself,” Sirianni said.
“Just point-blank, I have to do a better job of coaching it and finding different ways to make sure it gets through.”
Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba suffered a right leg fracture in the waning moments of Sunday’s loss to Dallas and will require surgery, sources confirmed to The Inquirer.
ESPN and the NFL Network were first to report the news. Mukuba is likely headed to injured reserve.
“He’ll miss a little bit of time here,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. “But we’ll see how long.”
The second-round pick was injured after tackling George Pickens after the Cowboys receiver’s 24-yard reception with 35 seconds to play. He was helped into the locker room without being able to put pressure on his right foot, and was later seen in a walking boot and using crutches.
Drew Mukuba suffered a right leg fracture in pursuit of Cowboys receiver George Pickens on Sunday.
The Eagles lost both of their starting safeties to injury before the game ended. Earlier in the game, Reed Blankenship suffered a thigh injury and did not return.
Sydney Brown filled in for Blankenship and played 26 snaps. It’s unclear if Blankenship will miss Friday’s home game vs. Chicago.
The Eagles are thin at safety and have only those three on the active roster. Andre’ Sam is on the practice squad, and Marcus Epps is on injured reserve and unavailable to play Friday. Cooper DeJean and Michael Carter II would be potential options if the Eagles need a fill-in for Blankenship.
“This is why you need your entire roster,” Sirianni said. “It’s never just the 53 guys, it’s the 70 guys. You never know when those guys’ opportunity will come, and here we are.”
The Eagles also could be without Adoree’ Jackson on Friday. The outside cornerback suffered a concussion only a few weeks after clearing protocol from a concussion he suffered in Week 7.
The Eagles moved DeJean outside in the nickel package and had Carter playing in the slot after Jackson left. DeJean did not hold up well against a high-powered passing attack.
The Eagles return to the practice field Tuesday, and more clarity will come then on who may be available for Friday. One thing is certain, though, the Eagles need a replacement for Mukuba for an extended stretch. Brown, for now, is the next man up.
The Eagles blew a 21-0 lead at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, allowing the Dallas Cowboys to score 24 unanswered points and putting an end to the Birds’ four-game winning streak.
After the epic collapse, the Eagles face a short turnaround as they prepare to host the Chicago Bears on Black Friday. From the team’s chances this week to updates on yearly awards, here are the latest odds from two of the biggest sportsbooks …
Eagles-Bears odds
The Eagles and Bears last met during the 2022 season, a 25-20 road win for the Eagles.
This time around, the game will be in Philly as the Eagles attempt to bounce back from an embarrassing loss to their division rivals. Meanwhile, the Bears are heading into Friday’s game on a four-game winning streak, including their latest over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Despite the divergent results, sportsbooks are favoring the Eagles, with the Birds opening Week 13 as seven-point favorites.
Despite the collapse against the Cowboys, the 8-3 Eagles still hold a big lead in the race to win the NFC East. However, Dallas did manage to slightly close the gap from last week. Meanwhile, Washington is 3-8 and its chances remain the same, and the New York Giants are out of the running.
The Rams and Eagles have been among the favorites to win the NFC for most of the season.
NFC odds
As a result of Sunday’s loss, the Eagles are no longer the favorites to win the conference at both sportsbooks. Instead, the Los Angeles Rams reclaimed the top spot with a 34-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Elsewhere, the San Francisco 49ers enter the top six.
Both sportsbooks have the Rams as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, with the Eagles as a close second. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have completely fallen out of the top five after Thursday’s loss to the Houston Texans.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts leaves the field after the Birds’ 24-21 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.
MVP odds
Jalen Hurts’ MVP odds continue to fall after the latest loss. Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, and Jonathan Taylor hold the top three spots in the race to MVP, but it appears to be a race between the two QBs at the moment.
After a Week 12 performance that featured one of his weakest outings — rushing for just 22 yards on 10 carries — Saquon Barkley continues to fall in the race for offensive player of the year. Meanwhile, Taylor and Jaxon Smith-Njigba remain the clear favorites.
There are a lot of questions surrounding the Eagles after their collapse in Dallas on Sunday, their third loss of the year, and easily their worst.
Here’s what former players and media are saying about the game and where the Birds go from here …
Who deserves the blame?
The Eagles got off to a hot start on offense against the Cowboys, building an early 21-0 lead, and looking like an offense finding the form that had evaded it in previous matchups against Detroit and Green Bay.
But the Birds failed to score a single point after that, going scoreless over the game’s final 40-plus minutes and allowing the Cowboys to come all the way back to win the game, 24-21.
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton said on First Take on Monday that, despite being extremely high on many of the Birds’ players, it’s concerning that there hasn’t been one game where the Eagles’ offense has truly put it all together and shown what they are seemingly capable of for 60 minutes.
“A team of that caliber, we don’t expect those things to happen to them,” Newton said. “The thing that’s alarming is, the first three drives you score, you come out with a bang, we impose our will. The last eight drives, nothing. The frustration stems from, when are the Philadelphia Eagles are going to put it together, all together?
“You’re starting to say, is it the offensive coordinator? Is it the quarterback? The players? That’s where my frustration comes in. When you have that much talent, and to not have one game — here we are in [Game] 11 — to not be able to say, they figured it out.”
"A team of [the Eagles'] caliber, we don't expect those things to happen." ✍️
So, how concerned should fans be about the state of Kevin Patullo’s offense right now? ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky says very.
“I’m very concerned about the offense, because it’s not good enough to beat good teams,” Orlovsky said. “It will not be good enough to beat a team like the Packers in the playoffs, the Rams in the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs.
“They’re one-dimensional. They’re pass-only success when it comes to the offense’s ability. Their offensive line loses one-on-ones, they’re predictable in the run game, Saquon [Barkley] has not made people miss in space nearly as much as he was last year, and their routes — you can be predictable on offense if you’re creative with your route concepts. They’re not.”
.@danorlovsky7 says he is very concerned about the Eagles' offense 😳
Damien Woody and Rex Ryan agreed on Get Up that the Eagles’ offense was “elementary,” especially compared to more advanced NFL offenses like the Los Angeles Rams or even the Dallas Cowboys. In 2024, the Birds were able to crush teams up front with their offensive line, but Woody, a former NFL offensive lineman, said they can’t do that anymore.
“Their offensive line is nowhere near what it was in previous years,” Woody said.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Nick Foles discussed on his podcast what he sees as the biggest issues with the Eagles’ “superpowered” offense, which hasn’t been able to get into a good rhythm this year.
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Daron Bland defends A.J. Brown in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium on Sunday.
Foles, like Orlovsky, called out the Eagles’ route designs, which haven’t put A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the best position to get open, which in turn prevents Barkley from finding the holes he found last year. The former Eagles quarterback told co-host Evan Moore that the Birds utilize “simplistic” route trees (or the combination of routes a player can run at a given time) that don’t create space for the players, forcing them to get open and make plays on their own.
“The great teams, those guys are wide-open. Even when I’m watching with [my wife] Tori, she’s like, ‘Why are these guys so wide-open?’” Foles explained. “And I’m like, ‘Well, it’s a complementary route to a deep route. … You need those downfield shots because it puts more pressure on the [defensive backs], it opens up more one-on-one matchups, but you’ve got to have complementary [routes], because then the DB can’t key and can’t guess.
“So the creativity is key as a play-caller, and calling the plays at the right time. … There’s just an art. And I don’t see that this year. I don’t think anyone sees it. Fans that are passionate Eagles fans — because I’ve been to Philly several times — and you hear, every time I run across Philly fans, ’Man, what do you think is going to happen with the offense? What’s going on? Is this Jalen [Hurts]?’ I’m like, ‘Listen, it’s a team thing. Kevin Patullo is probably a great dude, a great coach, but there’s an art to play-calling that not everyone has and it’s not showing up this year.
“They’re in more of a trajectory of the 2023 season … I would argue that they’re more on that trajectory than last year’s trend line, but at the same time, I do know that they have the players.”
It took 19 minutes for the Cowboys defense to remember it doesn’t stink anymore. Once that happened, they shut down the Eagles and saved their season.
“If anything could go wrong, we had it happen to us, against one of the best teams there is,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
He stood outside a jubilant home locker room in a royal blue suit, relieved that the last six weeks of the season had not been rendered meaningless. The Cowboys roared back from a 21-0 deficit Sunday and won, 24-21, on a last-second field goal.
“We came back from it and won the game when our backs were against the wall,” Jones said.
Their backs aren’t exactly clear of the wall, and they’ll be spotlighted for the next three weeks. They host a desperate Chiefs team Thanksgiving afternoon, visit Detroit on Thursday Night Football, then host Minnesota on Sunday Night Football.
Frankly, after their first two-game winning streak of the season, they seem up to it.
Dak Prescott threw for 354 yards and the receiving tandem of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens made unreal catches. But the 41-minute shutout the defense pitched gave the man who runs this 5-5-1 team real reason for hope.
“A balanced effort with a defense carrying things,” Jones said, and paused. “I wouldn’t have dreamed that could have come out of my mouth six weeks ago.”
Six weeks ago, Jones’ defense was the worst in the league. Not only had it been ravaged by short-and long-term injuries, it hadn’t recovered from the trade of edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay just before the season began. That was a trade made necessary by Jones’ latest botched offseason contract talks, which also resulted in the crippling contracts of Prescott and Lamb.
Further fallout: Jones had to spend first- and second-round picks in a deadline trade for Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who went to the last three Pro Bowls. Williams, 27, is under contract through 2027, but the impact he’s made the last two weeks has been, to use Jones’ malaprop, “Incremental.”
We’ve covered Jerrah for 35 years. He meant “instrumental.” He continued:
“We had to have something at this level of excellence on run-stopping that he brought to the table.”
Brady has been instrumental in the hiring of staff, including retread head coach Pete Carroll and failed Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator who was fired Sunday after 11 games. The Raiders reportedly are on the hook for the remainder of Kelly’s three-year, $18 million contract, the amount it took to pry Kelly away from the coordinator job at Ohio State.
More evidence that Kelly — who also failed in San Francisco — might be able to manage lesser beings in the NCAA, but he clearly lacks the depth to coach the elite, independent athletes in the NFL. Also more evidence that Brady, who reportedly met with Kelly at least twice a week to discuss strategies, is unable to manage the roles he now fills.
The Raiders are 2-9 and also fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on Nov. 7.
Colts cooled, Chiefs saved
It was the sort of win that would have made Shane Steichen the Coach of the Year favorite and would have earned Jonathan Taylor the sort of MVP buzz that fellow running back Saquon Barkley enjoyed last season.
Alas. The coaching award now looks destined for Mike Vrabel, who has resuscitated the Patriots (10-2).
Instead of winning at Kansas City and further diminishing that dynasty‘s postseason odds, the Colts blew a 20-9 lead and went three-and-out in their last four possessions, including one overtime drive, as the Chiefs avoided a losing record with a 23-20 win.
The Chiefs are 6-5 and still outside of the playoff picture due to tiebreakers. But in two weeks they play Houston, one of the teams ahead of them in the wild-card race.
Lionhearted
Jahmyr Gibbs’ career-high 264 yards from scrimmage, including a 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime, pushed the Lions past the Giants. Like the Chiefs, the Lions are on the outside of the playoff roster looking in, but they too play one of the teams in front of them when the Packers visit Thursday to begin the Thanksgiving slate of games.
Extra points
Consider it stolen valor: Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Prime Time’s nepo-famous son, won his first game with a modest performance and stole the headlines from Cleveland’s defense, which recorded 10 sacks against the Raiders. … MVP favorite Drake Maye, whom Stephen A. Smith bizarrely called a “liar” for saying he doesn’t watch Smith’s ESPN morning show, First Take, led New England to its 10th win. He beat Joe Flacco and the Bengals, who plan to have franchise QB Joe Burrow back Thanksgiving night in Baltimore. Burrow has missed nine games with a toe injury, and the Bengals have now lost eight of them. Ja’Marr Chase was suspended for the game for spitting on Steelers corner Jalen Ramsey last week. … The Giants, who fired head coach Brian Daboll on Nov. 10, on Monday fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after they blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter for the fifth time. They lost to the Lions in overtime and fell to 2-10. … The Ravens are back atop the AFC North after a fifth straight win, the last four under the helm of Lamar Jackson, who’d missed three games with a hamstring injury.
"[Drake Maye] is a liar…First Take is the number one morning show..don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that. Don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that Cam Newton is on this show. You lying." – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/kaxxptSMpY
Nick Sirianni takes blame for Eagles’ penalty outburst
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has some words for an official during the the fourth quarter of his team’s 24-21 loss to Dallas.
The Eagles matched their high for penalties in the Nick Sirianni era with 14. As mentioned, seven of them were on the offense and a few of them wiped out key plays.
The Eagles had three false starts. They also had an illegal formation penalty out of the jumbo package with Matt Pryor on the field as an extra blocker.
Sirianni said it’s “hard to sustain the success of a game when you have those.”
It has made a struggling offense’s problems even worse.
“Anytime it’s penalties like that, or any time it’s ball security, or any time it’s the fundamentals, or something within ‘tough, detailed, together,’ I’m going to put that on myself,” the Eagles head coach said Monday. “Just point blank, I have to do a better job of coaching it and finding different ways to make sure it gets through.”
Were Eagles surprised by Cowboys’ five-man front? Depends who you ask.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts scrambles in the second quarter before completing a pass to Saquon Barkley.
Landon Dickerson said after the game that the Eagles were surprised by Dallas’ frequent use of a five-man front. Jalen Hurts said “that’s how they’re built now” after the Cowboys acquired Quinnen Williams and retooled their defense.
The front gave the Eagles fits at times, especially as they tried to establish a run game that never got going. Saquon Barkley rushed 10 times for 22 yards.
Dallas showed that five-man front a week earlier vs. Las Vegas. So, were the Eagles prepared for it or were they not?
“You go into every week and you’re trying to play the game in your mind as much as you possibly can, not just with how you call it but how you plan it for practice as well, and how you plan for drills,” Nick Sirianni said Monday. “The walk-throughs, the practice, your drill work, you’re trying to identify what you think and what you’re always trying to do is say, ‘how many reps do I need to devote towards this? How many reps do I need to devote towards that?’ And you try to make educated guesses there.”
Which is to say …
“We devoted time for all of them,” Sirianni said. “We knew they had that in their package and their plan. They played a little bit more there, even than anticipated. So, of course, as coaches, you say to yourself ‘Well, I wish I would’ve gave them a couple more reps on this one.’
“Now, you’re limited as far as how many reps you actually have at walk-through, at live, at drill work. … No one’s ever going to pitch a perfect game here. Looking back at it, yeah, sure, I wish I would’ve given us a couple more reps there.
“We prepared for the things that we thought we were going to get, some more than others, and then sometimes it doesn’t play out that way when you look at it after the game.”
Nick Sirianni sticking with Kevin Patullo as Eagles’ play-caller
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts returning to the bench and celebrating with Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, in Arlington , TX.
One day after the Eagles’ offense stalled and was shut out after building a 21-0 lead 18-plus minutes into the game, Nick Sirianni said the Eagles are “searching for answers” for their ailing offense.
But the head coach said there won’t be any changes to who is calling plays.
“I haven’t considered that,” Sirianni said when asked on Monday if he had considered taking play-calling duties away from offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
“It’s every piece of the puzzle: coaching, playing, execution, scheme, everything. We’ve got to be better in all those aspects. And so yesterday, I thought Kevin did a good job of calling it. Obviously, he’s going to want some plays back, just like every player and myself, we all want plays back.”
The Eagles hurt themselves with self-inflicted wounds. Of their 14 penalties, seven were on the offense. Two of them erased gains of 16 and 20 yards that had a major impact on the game. But even still, the offense that looked dynamic and creative for the first few series’ went silent. The Eagles didn’t get past Dallas’ 38-yard line in the second half.
What gives Sirianni confidence that the Eagles can make a course correction this late in the season?
“I feel like we’ve got the right people, as players, as coaches, that have had success,” Sirianni said. “And we’re all searching for answers to make it more consistent. There are some good things, obviously there are some not so good things. And we’ve got to find the things that we really can hang our hat on, and then the complements that come off of that.”
Watch: Nick Sirianni addresses reporters on Monday
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Safety Drew Mukuba suffered leg fracture, likely headed to IR
Rookie Andrew Mukuba was injured in the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys.
Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba suffered a right leg fracture in the waning moments of Sunday’s loss, sources confirmed to The Inquirer.
ESPN and the NFL Network were first to report.
Mukuba will likely be heading to injured reserve.
The second-round pick was injured after making a tackle on Dallas wide receiver George Pickens. He was helped into the locker room without being able to put pressure on his right foot, and was later seen in a walking boot and with crutches.
The Eagles lost both of their safeties to injury before the game ended. Earlier in the game, Reed Blankenship suffered a thigh injury and did not return.
Sydney Brown filled in for Blankenship and played 26 snaps. It’s unclear if Blankenship will miss Friday’s game vs. Chicago.
The Eagles are thin at safety and have only those three on the active roster. Andre’ Sam is on the practice squad, and Marcus Epps is on injured reserve.
Cooper DeJean and Michael Carter II would be potential options if the Eagles need a fill-in for Blankenship.
You can check out the rest of the Eagles’ injury updates, here.
Brady has been instrumental in the hiring of staff, including retread head coach Pete Carroll and failed Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator who was fired Sunday after 11 games. The Raiders reportedly are on the hook for the remainder of Kelly’s three-year, $18 million contract, the amount it took to pry Kelly away from the coordinator job at Ohio State.
More evidence that Kelly — who also failed in San Francisco — might be able to manage lesser beings in the NCAA, but he clearly lacks the depth to coach the elite, independent athletes in the NFL. Also more evidence that Brady, who reportedly met with Kelly at least twice a week to discuss strategies, is unable to manage the roles he now fills.
The Raiders are 2-9 and also fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on Nov. 7. They visit the Eagles on Dec. 14.
The Eagles will face St. Joseph’s Prep grad D’Andre Swift, a former Eagles running back, when they host the Bears on Friday.
After the epic collapse, the Eagles face a short turnaround as they prepare to host the Chicago Bears on Black Friday. The two teams last met during the 2022 season, a 25-20 road win for the Birds.
This time around, the game will be in Philly as the Eagles attempt to bounce back from an embarrassing loss to their division rivals. Meanwhile, the Bears are heading into Friday’s game on a four-game winning streak, including their latest over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday. Despite the divergent results, sportsbooks are favoring Philadelphia by a touchdown, with the Eagles opening Week 13 as seven-point favorites.
Nick Foles has a theory about the Eagles’ offensive struggles
Nick Foles was the first Eagles quarterback to win a Super Bowl title.
Even before Sunday’s game, Nick Foles seemed to have a theory about why the Eagles “superpowered” offense hasn’t been able to get into a good rhythm this year. It’s the playcalling, according to the former Eagles QB, and a lack of creativity.
Foles called out the team’s route designs, which haven’t put A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the best position to get open, which also prevents Saquon Barkley from finding the holes he found last year. The former Eagles quarterback told cohost Evan Moore that the Eagles utilize “simplistic” route trees (or the combination of routes a player can run at a given time) that don’t create space for the players, forcing them to get open and make plays on their own.
“The great teams, those guys are wide open. Even when I’m watching with [my wife] Tori, she’s like, ‘Why are these guys so wide open?’” Foles explained. “And I’m like, ‘Well, it’s a complementary route to a deep route. … You need those downfield shots because it puts more pressure on the [defensive backs], it opens up more one-on-one matchups, but you’ve got to have complementary [routes], because then the DB can’t key and can’t guess.
“So the creativity is key as a playcaller, and calling the plays at the right time. … There’s just an art. And I don’t see that this year. I don’t think anyone sees it. Fans that are passionate Eagles fans — because I’ve been to Philly several times, and you hear, every time I run across Philly fans, ’Man, what do you think is going to happen with the offense? What’s going on? Is this Jalen?’ I’m like, ‘Listen, it’s a team thing. Kevin Patullo is probably a great dude, a great coach, but there’s an art to playcalling that not everyone has and it’s not showing up this year.
“They’re in more of a trajectory of the 2023 season. … I would argue that they’re more on that trajectory than last year’s trend line, but at the same time, I do know that they have the players.”
Snap count takeaways: Jihaad Campbell’s decreasing playing time
The Eagles were forced to dip into their depth chart on defense due to multiple injuries during their 24-21 loss to the Cowboys.
But another player saw his playing time decrease even more Sunday.
Here are some notes and thoughts on the Sunday snap counts.
Jihaad Campbell’s playing time continues to decrease. Nakobe Dean’s play has forced Vic Fangio’s hand, and the Eagles don’t really need Campbell taking snaps on the outside. Campbell played just 11 snaps, and his snap total and snap share (15%) were lows for the season. Campbell told The Inquirer recently that he’s handling the change well and sees the bigger picture.
A rare thing happened Sunday: The Eagles started and finished a game with the same offensive line. All five linemen played 100% of the snaps.
But Lane Johnson’s absence and Fred Johnson’s start at right tackle led to the Eagles using the jumbo package less. Matt Pryor came on the field for that package just twice Sunday.
Tank Bigsby has been running well for the Eagles when given a chance, but the running back was on the field for just three snaps Sunday, five fewer than Will Shipley.
Reed Blankenship’s thigh injury led to Sydney Brown playing 26 snaps. Michael Carter II (25) also saw an increase in work after Adoree’ Jackson (26) left with a concussion.
Brandon Graham played just eight snaps Sunday, the same number as last week vs. Detroit. Meanwhile, Nolan Smith’s workload increased from 22 snaps last week to 40 this week as he works his way back from a triceps injury.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley rushed for just 22 yards Sunday.
There was a disagreement in the visitor’s locker room at AT&T Stadium, 20 minutes and 20 feet apart.
“I’m in a little funk right now,” Saquon Barkley said at his locker stall after he totaled just 22 rushing yards on 10 carries, his lowest output in a game with at least 10 carries since 2022.
Jordan Mailata doesn’t agree.
“He’s not in a funk, man,” Mailata said. “He’s hard on himself. … It’s on all of us up front.”
One thing the running back and left tackle could probably agree on, though, is that what happened Sunday — the Eagles blowing a 21-point lead in a 24-21 loss to the Cowboys — would never, could never, have happened to the 2024 Eagles.
The Eagles lost for a lot of reasons Sunday. They beat themselves with 14 penalties, which tied a high in the Nick Sirianni era. They raced to a 21-0 lead behind an opened-up and aggressive playbook and then went too conservative. They didn’t apply enough pressure on Dak Prescott. They struggled covering Dallas’ one-two punch at wide receiver, especially later in the game with a banged-up secondary.
But they lost Sunday, too, because of their yearlong problem running the football. Yes, they tried to — and sometimes with great success — get their passing game going against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL, but they have consistently struggled this season to control a game and control the clock with what was their greatest weapon in 2024: a running game that broke records. This, with almost the same personnel.
Eagles secondary will limp into Black Friday matchup against the Bears
Eagles safety Reed Blankenship limps off the field in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss.
It is still a little too early to speculate, but the Eagles could be looking at a makeshift secondary for a pivotal Black Friday game vs. the Chicago Bears (8-3) in just four days.
The unit was decimated during Sunday’s defeat.
Adoree’ Jackson, who left the Eagles’ Week 7 game in Minnesota and missed their Week 8 home game vs. the New York Giants due to a concussion, suffered another head injury Sunday. He was being evaluated for a concussion and never returned to the game.
The Eagles opted to roll with Cooper DeJean on the outside in the nickel package and put Michael Carter II in the slot. DeJean was burned twice on deep passes. The Eagles also tried Kelee Ringo for a few snaps, and on his first he was flagged for pass interference.
The Eagles also lost both safeties. Reed Blankenship left the game first with a thigh injury, and later, Drew Mukuba was injured on the final Dallas drive. Mukuba had to be helped into the locker room by Dom DiSandro and a team trainer and couldn’t put weight on his right foot. He was later seen in a boot and using crutches.
It’s unclear how severe any of the injuries are — though you can make some assertions regarding Mukuba. Still, there’s a non-zero chance the Eagles enter Friday without either of their safeties.
What would happen? The Eagles don’t have much safety depth. They could try using Sydney Brown and DeJean, or maybe Brown and Carter, who has the ability to play safety.
Safety Marcus Epps is on injured reserve, and the Eagles also have Andre’ Sam on the practice squad.
If DeJean is used as a safety, that would diminish the corner position. That unit, with DeJean at safety and Jackson in concussion protocol, could have Quinyon Mitchell and Kelee Ringo or Jakorian Bennett outside with Carter in the slot.
Whoever is captaining the Eagles offense veered off course Sunday
Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo and Jalen Hurts during Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.
The Eagles couldn’t run the ball again, and yet, after they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, Saquon Barkley rushed on four first downs in the next five possessions.
He gained a total of five yards on the carries.
The play-calling defied logic after the offense had used an 8-18 run-pass ratio to score touchdowns on their first three drives. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo powered down the engine, but make no mistake, it was coach Nick Sirianni who was at the commands.
He’s the driver of the Eagles’ conservatism this season and it finally caught up to his team, who coughed up a 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
There were myriad reasons for the Eagles falling to 8-3. Two uncharacteristic turnovers. Fourteen penalties — many of them unforced. And an injury-marred defense that succumbed under the weight of the offense’s ineffectiveness.
But Sirianni and Patullo turtled up when they should have pounced on the Cowboys’ sloppiness. Running the ball into five-man fronts — more on that mystery later — was puzzling. The lack of aggressiveness before the half and in fourth-down situations weren’t as egregious, but decisions in those situations were emblematic of the overall timidness.
“We just weren’t very efficient as an offense in that second half,” Sirianni said. “I didn’t really feel that we took our foot off the gas.”
It’s been the tale of the Eagles’ offense for the past three months. They have spurts or even an entire half of efficiency. But consistency has been fleeting. The game plan opened with quick passes from quarterback Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown, and eventually a downfield shot to DeVonta Smith.
There was diversity in the calls and innovation in the red zone. But the Cowboys adjusted and the Eagles failed to counter.
Wide receiver Xavier Gipson was hurt in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys.
With 35 seconds remaining in the game, safety Drew Mukuba went down after George Pickens’ 24-yard catch. On Monday, Jeff McLane reported that he’s headed to IR after suffering a leg fracture.
Safety Reid Blankenship left the game in the third quarter after injuring his thigh while making a tackle.
Wide receiver Xavier Gipson went down with a shoulder injury following his fourth-quarter fumble on a punt return. He was carted from the medical tent to the locker room. After the game, Gipson was in the locker room with his right arm in a sling.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson suffered another head injury Sunday. He was being evaluated for a concussion and never returned to the game.
NFC playoff picture: Eagles drop out of the top spot
An Eagles fan reacts to the Birds’ loss against the Cowboys Sunday.
The Los Angeles Rams’ (9-2) blowout win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5) Sunday night bumped the Eagles (8-3) down to the No. 2 spot in the NFC.
The Birds’ last-second loss to the Dallas Cowboys (5-5-1) dropped Philly’s odds of landing the No. 1 seed (and a first-round bye) down to 33%, according to the New York Times playoff simulator.
The Eagles will face the Chicago Bears (8-3) on Friday, with the winning team gaining a crucial tiebreaker as the top NFC teams remain bunched together in the standings.
While they aren’t scheduled to play the Seattle Seahawks (8-3) this season, the Eagles currently hold the tiebreaker with a better conference record (7-2 vs. 4-3).
The San Francisco 49ers (7-4) could also quietly improve to eight wins with a win against the Carolina Panthers (6-5) Sunday night. While that would give the 49ers a better conference record than the Birds (8-2 vs. 7-2), the Eagles would remain in the No. 2 spot because San Francisco trails the Rams in the division.
We also had our first playoff elimination — the New York Giants (2-10), who lost to the Detroit Lions (7-4) Sunday.
It’s the earliest playoff exit for the Giants since 1976 and the soonest a team has been eliminated since the New York Jets in 2020, according to NFL playoffs analyst Joe Ferreira. The Giants also became just the 11th team since 1990 to be eliminated from playoff contention before their bye week.
NFC standings
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As for the NFC East, the Eagles’ magic number remains four.
Despite Sunday’s loss, the Birds still hold a 2.5 game lead over the Cowboys in the division with six games remaining. The New York Times gives the Eagles a 98% chance to win the NFC East, so long as they can avoid a 2023-level collapse.
The Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive, almost assuring their Thanksgiving matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-5) will be the most-watched regular season NFL game in league history.
The Washington Commanders (3-8) were on their bye Sunday, but with Jayden Daniels sidelined, their playoff chances are barely better than the eliminated Giants.
NFC East standings
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Refs were off the mark again during Eagles-Cowboys
Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith talk with the ref after offensive pass interference call in the fourth quarter Sunday.
Can we go a single week without a bad penalty impacting a game?
During the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys Sunday, Cooper DeJean was called for pass interference on a 48-yard Cowboys pass that seemed very clearly to be offensive pass interference by CeeDee Lamb. Though neither Tom Brady nor Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira seemed to notice.
“A little hand fighting,” Brady said during the broadcast.
The Eagles also benefited from a roughing the punter call that gave them a free first down in the first quarter. The ball was tipped, which should have negated the penalty, but the refs missed it and the Cowboys didn’t challenge.
The Cowboys tipped (blocked) the punt on which the roughing penalty retained the ball for the #Eagles, but Ryan Flournoy, who blocked it, must not have told his coaches, since they didn't ask for a replay. https://t.co/ofAWDx60s8
Poor officiating wasn’t limited to the Eagles-Cowboys game. Over in Kansas City, CBS analyst Tony Romo blasted the refs over a phantom offensive pass interference penalty called on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“This is the worst call I have seen all year,” Romo said.
Tony Romo called this OPI on Travis Kelce "the worst call I have seen all year" 😳 pic.twitter.com/yVQxKd6OBd
Chip Kelly was in his first season as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator.
The Eagles won’t get to face their former head coach after all.
The Las Vegas Raiders fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly following a 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the team announced Sunday night.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” head coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
The Raiders hired Kelly away from Ohio State in February, where he served as offensive coordinator and helped push the Buckeyes to a national title. He was reportedly being paid $6 million a year. He also served as the head coach of UCLA and spent one season with the San Francisco 49ers after the Eagles fired him with one game left in the 2015 season.
The Eagles face the Raiders in Week 15 on Dec. 14.
Chicago Bears up next on a short week for the Eagles
Caleb Williams and the Bears will face the Eagles on Black Friday.
No rest for the weary.
The Eagles (8-3) will be back in action in just a couple of days, taking on the Chicago Bears (8-3) the day after Thanksgiving on Amazon’s Black Friday game.
The Bears are coming off a narrow win against the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5), where Caleb Williams threw for three touchdowns and Aaron Rodgers didn’t play due to a fractured left wrist.
The surprising Bears have now won four straight games behind the league’s second-best rushing offense, averaging 142.3 yards on the ground per game. Former Eagles running back D’Andre Swift leads the team with 649 yards rushing, through he was stonewalled Sunday by the Steelers, limited to just 15 yards rushing on eight carries.
The Eagles have faced the Bears just twice over the past seven seasons (2019 and 2022) and won both games, though they were close.
While Thanksgiving games have been a tradition for decades, it’s just the third season the NFL has scheduled a game on Black Friday, which will stream exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Eagles couldn’t run the ball again, and yet, after they jumped out to a 21-0 lead, Saquon Barkley rushed on four first downs in the next five possessions.
He gained a total of 5 yards on the carries.
The play-calling defied logic after the offense had used an 8-18 run-pass ratio to score touchdowns on its first three drives. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo powered down the engine, but make no mistake, it was coach Nick Sirianni who was at the commands.
He’s the driver of the Eagles’ conservatism this season and it finally caught up to his team, which coughed up a 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
There were myriad reasons for the Eagles falling to 8-3. Two uncharacteristic turnovers. Fourteen penalties — many of them unforced. And an injury-marred defense that succumbed under the weight of the offense’s ineffectiveness.
But Sirianni and Patullo turtled up when they should have pounced on the Cowboys’ sloppiness. Running the ball into five-man fronts — more on that mystery later — was puzzling. The lack of aggressiveness before the half and in fourth-down situations wasn’t as egregious, but decisions in those situations were emblematic of the overall timidness.
“We just weren’t very efficient as an offense in that second half,” Sirianni said. “I didn’t really feel that we took our foot off the gas.”
It’s been the tale of the Eagles offense for the past three months. They have spurts or even an entire half of efficiency. But consistency has been fleeting. The game plan opened with quick passes from quarterback Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown, and eventually a downfield shot to DeVonta Smith.
There was diversity in the calls and innovation in the red zone. But the Cowboys adjusted and the Eagles failed to counter.
“They tried to take away some of the things that we were throwing to A.J. and Jalen did a good job on some of those, getting the ball down to Saquon [Barkley] in the flat,” Sirianni said. “Just a little different variations of how they played the coverages from what I’m seeing on the fly.
“Hats off to them.”
Saquon Barkley had another substandard day on the ground for the Eagles attack.
But this wasn’t a comparable defense to that of the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, who held the Eagles to 16 and 10 points in the previous two games. The Cowboys’ defense entered Week 12 ranked 31st in expected points added per drive, 30th in points per drive, and near the bottom in most other statistical categories.
They’ve had marginal improvement after the trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, partly due to a schematic change. Coordinator Matt Eberflus started utilizing more five-man fronts — with Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa also in the interior — to help a unit that was last in the NFL in rush success percentage.
“I think that’s just how they’re built now, given the three interior defenders they have,” Hurts said. “They want to keep their best guys on the field, and it’s very effective, and it was something that we didn’t handle as good as we like to.
“So good opportunity to build if that’s something that teams show us.”
Eagles guard Landon Dickerson had a different take on Dallas’ five-man front.
“It’s not usually, typically something they were running a whole lot,” he said, “and turns out that was their flavor of the day.”
But opponents haven’t been vanilla in defending the Eagles ground game all season. They’ve been exotic and the offensive line has yet to find a blocking scheme to counter extra bodies in the box.
“I think a big thing is … time on task,” Dickerson said. “Obviously, you can’t run every play to every defense during the week, so I think we really just have to [home] in on having a game plan for every defense that a team has run, and every possible defense that they could run, and make sure that we can execute against all of them.”
This is who the Eagles are on offense now. They used to run the ball at will, especially when matched up against nickel defenses. But the O-line isn’t as strong because of injuries, a personnel change at right guard, and age.
And Barkley, who gained 22 yards on 10 tries and had a costly fumble as a receiver, just doesn’t seem to have the same pop. He said he’s healthy, but he’s clearly wearing down from all the attention.
“I’m tired of the excuse of people trying to stop the run game,” said Barkley, who’s gone from last year’s 5.8-yard rushing average to 3.7. “I don’t really subscribe to that. Just got to be better. Got to make plays.”
Jalen Hurts put up good passing numbers against the Cowboys and scored two TDs on the ground, but also had some notable negative plays.
And that goes for Hurts, as well, who should be able to check out of bad runs vs. heavy fronts. But more than anything, he needs to make defenses pay when they’re light in the secondary, and he and the pass offense didn’t do it enough.
The quarterback’s numbers don’t look so bad on paper: 27 of 39 for 289 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers. Hurts also rushed for two TDs. But given the chance to lead the Eagles on a game-winning drive, he took a third-down sack after holding the ball for four-plus seconds.
“There’s nothing more you can ask for than to have the ball in your hands to go out and drive and finish the game on your terms, and we had an opportunity to do that,” Hurts said. “And I didn’t do enough.”
But this loss was more on the coaches. Fourteen penalties — for 96 yards — matched a high in the Sirianni era.
“You always put that on me,” Sirianni said. “If there’s stuff that like that that we spend time going over, obviously, I’ve got to get my message across better. So that’s got to be on me.”
Two offensive penalties negated catches for 20 and 16 yards in the second half. On the first, Matt Pryor was flagged for lining up in an illegal formation.
“I believe I was supposed to line up off the ball,” Pryor said. “Miscommunication going in. So it’s just something that I have to catch onto the formation that we call and make sure we’re aligned.”
Lane Johnson’s absence due to a foot injury forced Fred Johnson in at right tackle and meant Pryor filled the latter Johnson’s role as a sixth O-lineman. But why wasn’t he prepared in that moment?
Sirianni called the high number of penalties “uncharacteristic,” but the Eagles’ 84 penalties are the seventh-most in the NFL, and have consistently put them behind the sticks. The offense added three more three-and-outs to its league-worst total. Sirianni’s game management is seemingly an admission that he knows his once-potent unit is substandard.
Given the ball with 17 seconds left in the half and two timeouts at the Eagles 28, Sirianni had Patullo call a running play. Barkley gained a yard running off left tackle.
“We tried to run it to see if we could bounce one out of there and see what happened after that,” Sirianni said, and noted the Cowboys “had their timeouts, as well, and that kicker can make it from long range. We had a 21-7 lead.”
The score remained the same early in the third quarter when the Eagles punted on fourth-and-5 at their own 48. The Cowboys cut the margin in half two series later. Early in the fourth quarter, Sirianni elected to have Jake Elliott attempt a 56-yard field goal on fourth-and-5. The kicker missed wide right.
Jake Elliott’s rare field goal miss helped magnify the Eagles’ issues, and conservatism, on offense.
Both decisions can be justified. But they were indicative of a coach who has increasingly played not to lose. Even that philosophy can be defended to some degree. Sirianni won eight of his first 10 games that way.
Losing to the 5-5-1 Cowboys shouldn’t be the end of the world. The Eagles control their NFC East destiny, if no longer for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. A win over the 8-3 Bears on a short week would right the ship.
But after 11 games, it’s difficult to see the offense at the wheel, and whether there’s someone competent on the bridge.
“I’m not going to make any sweeping judgments right this particular time,” Sirianni said. “I think it was a wide variety of things. Obviously, at the end of the day, we didn’t coach well enough, we didn’t play well enough.”
LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired Sunday night after yet another rough offensive performance.
Kelly’s dismissal came less than four hours after the Raiders were beaten 24-10 by Cleveland. Las Vegas allowed the Browns to sack Geno Smith 10 times.
“I spoke with Chip Kelly earlier this evening and informed him of his release as offensive coordinator of the Raiders,” coach Pete Carroll said in a statement. “I would like to thank Chip for his service and wish him all the best in the future.”
Kelly was the biggest-name assistant hired by Carroll, who’s in his first year coaching the Raiders after leading the Seattle Seahawks for 14 seasons.
