Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

A Challenging Time

Posted October 5th, 2026 | No Comments »

Injuries are the worst part of football. Every now and then it leads to backup having a great night (see Case Keenum), but it usually leads to bad football. You want the best players on the field for your team and the opponent. Injuries aren’t an excuse for losing, but they are a significant reality that can’t just be ignored. And the Eagles are going through a brutal injury streak all of a sudden.

I sounds like Barkley will miss this week. With Bigsby also out, the Eagles will need to make a move or two at RB. They will likely add a RB to the roster. They could add a second or just elevate someone. Dameon Pierce makes the most sense for being added to the roster. Maybe all the Carson Steele fans will get to see him make his Eagles debut.

If Jurgens misses the game, we will get to see Willie Lampkin make his NFL debut. I know a ton of people would love to see that happen. We all want to know if the high level of play from the summer will translate to the regular season. With the Eagles flying to London, I could easily see Jurgens missing this game.

We’ll have to wait and see on Q. It would be great to have him play, but if a week of rest will make a long term difference, you need to be smart with that.

Howie is going to have a busy week with how to handle these injuries and make sure the team has the players they need for the next week or two. The coaches and players need to do their part to make the most out of who is available. This is Next Man Up to the nth degree.

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I know a lot of people get frustrates with Sirianni’s non-answers at his press conferences. That’s just Football 101 these days. Coaches used to speak their minds, but Bill Walsh’s highly influential book Finding The Winning Edge talked about the need for coaches to internalize as many issues as possible. That has been like a coaches bible over the past 20 years.

Sirianni will have to articulate some real answers to Lurie. I think Lurie has a pretty good BS meter so the answers can’t be “Tough. Detailed. Together” or “We just need to get 1 percent better every day”. Sirianni needs to have good explanations for what has gone wrong and good solutions for how to fix the problems.

This doesn’t mean Sirianni is on the hot seat. Firing a coach midseason rarely proves to be the right answer.

Someone posted on Twitter that he wants Sirianni gone. Doesn’t care about all the wins or Super Bowls. Just wants Nick fired. I do not understand that. I get that Sirianni can be a frustrating coach, but going to a pair of SBs and winning one isn’t something to be dismissed casually. The Detroit Lions have never been to the SB. Do you know how bad they want to go to one, let alone win one? Cleveland Browns fans would probably kill to go to a SB. Bills fans have been to four big games, but lost them all. Those fans desperately want to know what it is like to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The Vikings also lost all four SBs they went to.

If you could talk to a SB fan from pre-2017, they would tell you winning the SB would be a life-changing event. Watching them win in a blowout so you can enjoy every second would be like asking to win the lottery. But we got to live that experience. And it is absolutely worth any frustrations you have with Sirianni. Hell, he might have two rings if the first game wasn’t played on an ice skating rink.

Sirianni is burning through the goodwill the SBs bought him. That’s why it is important for him to have good answers for Lurie. That 2024 title doesn’t give him a lifetime exemption. We saw that with Doug Pederson. You better keep winning games and putting out a product the fans want to see. That isn’t happening now and must be fixed. Lurie will hopefully ask tough questions and push Sirianni for real answers.

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Jalen Hurts is a very frustrating player right now. He played well at Tennessee and then in the first half vs Chicago. He was okay in the first half on Sunday, but really struggled in the second half. There is no question that pressure has been an issue. Still, if you’re a star QB making megabucks, you’ve got to be able to find a way to get the job done.

And there are times when plays are there to be had and he’s not on time or on target.

The Eagles must block better. The DL must be more disruptive. And Hurts has to get back to playing like a star QB. He’s got the ability. We’ve all seen him do great things. This team needs him to step up.

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Good Start Goes Bad

Posted October 4th, 2026 | No Comments »

I wrote before the Eagles-Rams game that I was going to be more focused on how they played than what the result was. After the game, I’m as confused as ever. What an absolutely strange day.

I had some old friends in town this weekend and went to eat lunch with a buddy today. Normally I’m at home by 11am and focused on football. Today I was gone from 11am until 1255pm. I waled in, turned on the TV and heard that Lane Johnson was out. WTF??? That was a sign of things to come. Saquon Barkley got hurt. So did Tank Bigsby. And Quinyon Mitchell. And Jonathan Greenard. And all of that was on top of the Eagles already being without several key players.

When talking about this game you have to grade on a curve. That’s a on of key players standing on the sideline and watching.

The Eagles were able to build a 20-10 lead and were playing like a scrappy underdog. They made key plays and did the little things needed to get that lead. They were fun to watch in the first half. Drew Mukuba had an INT. So did Cooper DeJean. Jake Elliott hit a long FG. Darius Cooper had a pair of TD catches. Britain Covey had a long punt return. The Eagles gave us hope.

The third quarter was frustrating, but both teams were scoreless and the Eagles still led 20-10.

The fourth quarter? No bueno. The Rams scored a pair of TDs and came away with a 24-20 win. The Eagles had one drive, but failed to convert on 4th & goal. Their last two drives were 7 plays for -14 yards. Ugh.

The offense struggled in a huge way. They gained 172 yards. Jalen Hurts only completed 2 passes in the second half. The team was 0 for 12 on 3rd downs and just 1 for 4 on 4th downs. The fact they scored 20 points is a minor miracle. A showing like that leaves Nick Sirianni, Sean Mannion and Jalen Hurts open to plenty of criticism. At the same time, they were missing WR1, TE1, RB1, and OT1. Missing a player or two is one thing. Missing that much firepower is tough to overcome.

Mannion had no answers. Hurts couldn’t make plays and put the team on his back. The OL couldn’t take the game over. No skill player stepped up with an insane performance. Cooper’s TDs were impressive, but he finished the game just 3-33-2.

The defense was great for part of the game, but wore down since the offense couldn’t stay on the field. Losing the best cover guy and pass rusher really hurt them in the fourth quarter. Matt Stafford had time to throw and his WRs started getting open.

A lot of people are upset with Sirianni over some of his game management decisions. I’m okay with him being too aggressive. It felt like that was a bit of an over-correction for him not going for it on Monday night. My only complaint was the Tush Push when it was 4th & a long one. That play is usually god for one yard, but you sure can’t count on anything more than that.

I do give Sirianni credit for having the team focused and ready to play. The Eagles felt different than the previous three weeks. I think they can build off that, assuming they get some of the missing players back. The Birds go to London to the on a tough Jags team next Sunday. That won’t be easy.

I don’t know how to feel about the Eagles right now. I was impressed with the first half. I was depressed by the fourth quarter. And I’m definitely concerned by all the injuries. While I’m not confident in them, I don’t want to dismiss the positive signs from the Rams game. The safeties played well. The pass rush was good at times. The STs gave the team a big boost. Rookie Markell Bell did some good things in his first NFL start.

But the offense…yikes. Regardless of who is out, the offense must handle the blitz better. That is on the OL, Hurts, the skill players and the coaches. Everyone owns some of the blame for those struggles. Teams will continue to attack until the Eagles show they can block it and/or burn it.

There is going to be some hyperbolic criticism this week. Sirianni can’t coach. Howie is overrated. The assistants aren’t good enough. The roster lacks talent. And on and on. It is fair to be critical of anyone involved with the team based on what we’ve seen through four weeks, but we are seeing the team at their floor, nowhere close to their ceiling. They should improve as guys get healthy and as the coaches have time to come up with solutions to problems. If the team ends up having a disastrous season, that changes things. I just don’t see that happening. I still like this group’s potential.

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