Almost Over

The regular season came to a crashing halt on Sunday, as the Eagles got beaten by the Giants 27-10. For the second week in a row, the team with nothing to play for significantly out-played the team that needed to win. That is the reddest of red flags.

How bad did things get? The Giants were up 24-0 in the first half so Nick Sirianni pulled some of his key veterans. The hope was that he would do that in the second half when the Eagles had a comfortable lead. Oops.

A lot of fans don’t care that there is a playoff game next week. They want someone to pay for the epic meltdown this team has given us. “Fire Nick!” The Eagles 10-1 start is a distant memory. The team is 1-5 since then and has some embarrassing losses. Saying things have spiraled out of control would probably be an understatement.

I don’t think we can have a good discussion about Sirianni and the coaching staff until the season is officially over. We need to see what happens next week and possibly beyond that so we can put everything in context. This isn’t a way to try to defend anyone. I just think you need all the information to make the best judgment.

Some wanted Sirianni fired after last week. I objected to that, saying we needed to see how things played out. I assumed his team would win this week and that might help him. Instead, the dreadful performance will be used in the argument against him.

The biggest news in the game was injuries. AJ Brown left with a knee injury. He walked off on his own, but we’ll have to see how that is. Cam Jurgens had an eye injury. Sydney Brown was carted off with a knee injury. Reed Blankenship left the game with a groin injury. Jalen Hurts suffered a finger injury. He went into the medical tent and got it taped up. He came back for one more series before he got pulled.

So the Eagles got out-played, they lost and they got hurt while doing so. 2024 is off to a crappy start. Yikes.

Sirianni and Hurts started with the team’s messaging in their press conferences right after the game.

“We’re 0-0. Everybody is 0-0.”

“Our goals are still there in front of us.”

Both statements are true, but boy that doesn’t sound very compelling when we’re talking about a team that went 1-5 down the stretch and looked awful the lst two weeks.

Someone asked Sirianni why he still believes this team can flip the switch next week. He gave a typical coach answer. That’s fine. He’s not going to spill his guts in a PC. But I hope that question resonates with him and he really considers it.

The Eagles have the theoretical potential to win some playoff games. But the team hasn’t played well in forever. What makes anyone have confidence they will be able to get that switch flipped next week?

There isn’t just one problem with this team. Coaching is an issue. Jalen has had way too many turnovers. Key players have made mistakes on both sides of the ball. Injuries have been a factor. The coaching change on defense is an issue. Players getting old or underachieving is an issue. There isn’t just one thing to solve or fix.

I thought last week was rock bottom. Seeing the first half of the Giants game was even worse. There was no sense of urgency. How do you respond to a bad showing by giving us a worse one? That left me speechless.

Another week, another dismal performance.

I don’t know if Sirianni will be coaching for his job next week, but he needs to have that mentality. He and his players need to have an edge. They have got to find a way to win a game and try to get this thing turned around.

Or else.

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