The Philadelphia Eagles are trending within the unsuitable course throughout the stretch run of the common season and their protection has been the primary offender of their collapse. Regardless of the unit’s poor play on the sector, head coach Nick Sirianni is making an attempt to maintain the religion.
His protection had one other depressing displaying on Sunday as they allowed 35 factors to the Arizona Cardinals in a surprising 35-31 loss, dropping the Eagles again down right into a wild-card spot within the NFC and handing them their fourth loss in 5 video games for the month of December.
After Sunday’s efficiency, the Eagles are permitting 25 factors per recreation and rank among the many backside 10 within the league in factors towards. They’ve additionally allowed greater than 30 factors six instances this season, together with thrice in December.
It’s a large fall for a unit that completed eighth within the NFL in factors towards only one 12 months in the past on their approach to the Tremendous Bowl.
“I do imagine. I nonetheless imagine within the guys in that locker room, the gamers. I nonetheless imagine within the coaches. I feel we’ve received the fellows on this place to get turned in the fitting course. We don’t have a lot time, clearly, proper,” Sirianni said. “We’ve received yet another recreation earlier than playoffs begins, and we’ve received to do every little thing we will do to get again on observe this upcoming week. I feel there’s been spurts, clearly, the final couple video games the place we performed good ball on protection. Tonight wasn’t a type of instances.”
The Eagles misplaced defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon this previous offseason when he took over the head-coaching job for the Cardinals. There have been main points since his departure and it has left the Eagles scrambling for in-season solutions.
The largest change concerned stripping defensive coordinator Sean Desai of his play-calling tasks and giving them to Matt Patricia. That has not come near fixing the issues because the Eagles protection has repeatedly been crushed within the weeks since that change.
After all Sirianni goes to say he nonetheless believes in all people as a result of no coach – particularly a coach of a playoff workforce – goes to say anything at this level within the season. What he says and what he truly believes deep down, nevertheless, may be two very various things.
The Eagles are nonetheless heading to the playoffs, however they’re now ready the place they could let home-field benefit, a bye week and maybe even a single residence recreation all slip away. No person in Philadelphia needs to be optimistic about this workforce going into the playoffs.