PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Who’s to blame?
That’s the central question confronting the Philadelphia Eagles as they enter the playoffs.
Yes, a team that finished the regular season tied for the third-highest win total in the NFL has more doubters than believers. Based on how the last six weeks have gone, the skepticism makes sense.
After racing out to a 10-1 start that culminated with a five-game winning streak against stiff competition, the Eagles fell flat on their face, dropping five of their final six games.
The last two defeats came against opponents that were a combined 7-23 before the Eagles played them.
Results like that lead to rubbernecking.
It can also prompt decision-makers in positions of power to start asking questions.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Eagles beat reporter Jeff McLane, that’s exactly what Jeffrey Lurie has started doing in recent weeks.
Specifically, the Eagles’ owner has taken a more “active interest” in football operations.
What Lurie’s increased involvement means remains to be seen.
But the more the Eagles struggled down the homestretch, the more the issues became undeniably connected to head coach Nick Sirianni.
Take the offense, for instance — the side of the ball that is supposedly 42-year-old Sirianni’s expertise. He brought the Eagles’ scheme with him from Indianapolis, where he had previously served as offensive coordinator.
For as explosive and potent as the Eagles were last season when they made a run to the Super Bowl, the offense has regressed this year, and star quarterback Jalen Hurts along with it.
Then there’s the defense — a total mess.
Sirianni began to gradually strip first-year coordinator Sean Desai of his play-calling power just nine games into the season. At that point, the Eagles were 8-1 (8-1!).
A month later, Desai was officially demoted. Senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia took his place, but the defense got worse.
While certain details of the switch still aren’t known, the move, in hindsight, smacks of a knee-jerk reaction.
If Sirianni was a driving force behind the change, the misstep has been glaring — at least based on four games of evidence.
Lastly, Sirianni’s temperament has also warranted scrutiny.
Taunting fans and getting into testy sideline exchanges become fodder for criticism when teams aren’t winning.
The extent to which Lurie holds Sirianni accountable for these issues and deems them responsible for the Eagles’ end-of-season woes could very well come down to how the team performs Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Wild Card round.
To hear more about what’s been happening behind the scenes with the Eagles, check out the latest episode of unCovering the Birds: