As soon as upon a time, the Philadelphia Eagles ran their document to an NFL-best 10-1 with wins over such playoff-bound groups as Miami, Dallas, Kansas Metropolis and Buffalo.
To begin December, nevertheless, the Eagles misplaced to San Francisco and Dallas by a mixed rating of 75-32. Whereas these two losses had been ugly, Philadelphia nonetheless stood at 10-3. There was no motive to panic.
Except you had been head coach Nick Sirianni.
In a determined transfer, Sirianni demoted first-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai and handed play-calling duties to senior assistant Matt Patricia.
In 4 video games since then, Patricia has solely made issues worse. With a 27-10 loss on the New York Giants Sunday, the Eagles completed the common season 11-6 and losers of 5 of their closing six regular-season video games. Their collapse allowed the Dallas Cowboys to win the NFC East and the house playoff recreation that comes with it. Philadelphia now should journey to Tampa as a wild card.
For Sirianni to make issues proper forward of Monday night time’s playoff recreation on the Buccaneers, he should give the defensive play sheet again to Desai.
What precisely was Desai’s crime? Getting gashed by the 49ers and Cowboys, two of the top three scoring offenses within the NFL? What about all of the protection had completed earlier than that?
Miami is sandwiched in between San Francisco and Dallas because the league’s second-best scoring offense. The Eagles held the Dolphins to 17 factors in Week 7. The Los Angeles Rams rank eighth in offense and had been held to 14 factors by Philadelphia in Week 5. And in Week 11 in Kansas Metropolis, the Eagles obtained revenge for his or her Tremendous Bowl LVII loss by gutting out a 21-17 over the Chiefs.
In Patricia’s 4 video games calling the performs on protection, Philadelphia allowed a 92-yard successful drive to Seattle backup quarterback Drew Lock in Week 15, coughed up 29 second-half factors to Arizona’s Twenty fourth-ranked offense in Week 17 and surrendered 52 factors over two video games to a Giants offense that completed thirtieth in factors.
When the Eagles first visited Tampa this season, Desai’s protection held the Buccaneers to 1 garbage-time landing and 41 speeding yards in a 25-11 win. Sirianni’s reminiscence cannot be that brief. He ought to recollect the defensive efficiency that obtained Philadelphia to the playoffs within the first place.
Forward of Monday night time’s return to the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium, Desai ought to retake the defensive helm and Patricia ought to stroll the plank.
