Roob’s Observations: Another catastrophic loss for Eagles caps off regular season – NBCSP
1. I’m going to start with Nick Sirianni because I’ve scoffed at the notion that he could lose his job this offseason a year after taking the Eagles to the Super Bowl. I still don’t think he will, but I could see how Jeff Lurie could be thinking about it. After this? How could you not? It’s not Lurie to make rash decisions, and even Chip Kelly got a third year after not winning playoff game his first two seasons and missing out on the playoffs his second year. But this is a collapse the likes of which the NFL has never seen. The Eagles didn’t just finish 1-5 after a 10-1 start, they lost in spectacular fashion. Blowing big leads, losing to awful teams, getting picked apart by backup quarterbacks, falling apart week after week in every way imaginable. The league has been around a long time and this is unprecedented stuff. Sunday was supposed to be a chance for the Eagles to get their confidence back heading into the playoffs after blowing a 17-point lead to the Cards Sunday at the Linc. Instead they suffered their worst loss in 11 years to a division rival they always beat. And what’s most alarming is that the Eagles had already begun getting blown out while the Commanders were actually up 10-7 against Dallas. So even with the NFC East in play, they still couldn’t stop playing awful football. There’s still a playoff game to be played in Tampa next weekend – although I half expect the NFL to just rule that the Eagles don’t deserve to be in the postseason and put somebody else in. But I can’t think of a single reason to believe the Eagles can shrug off the last six weeks and beat the Bucs. And I fear the 53 guys in that locker room probably feel the same way.
Week 18: Buffalo’s $4-Million Division Title and Green Bay’s 10-Percent Playoff Bid – FMIA
Who kidnapped the Eagles? This is the one of the weirdest collapses I’ve seen in 40 years covering the NFL. […] 4. I think the Eagles being favored in their Wild Card game at Tampa might be the funniest betting line since … well, since forever.
Eagles 2024 opponents – BGN
After blowing a golden opportunity to clinch the NFC East in back-to-back seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles officially finished in second place. As a result, we now know all of the Birds’ 2024 regular season opponents. Based on the league’s formulaic schedule structure, here’s an overview of the teams they’ll play.
BGN Instant Reaction Show – Week 18: Eagles lose to Giants, 27-10 – BGN Radio
By halftime Jess Taylor and Shane Haff had seen enough, so this week the crew started to stream early and shared live reactions during the Eagles loss to the Giants.
The Eagles have lost four of five games. Frankly, they could be on a six-of-seven skid. They need to get things stabilized, sooner than later. This week, receiver A.J. Brown attempted to help provide some stabilization, by convening a players-only meeting. Brown, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, told players they need to start believing in their coaches. Which implies, of course, that they haven’t been believing in their coaches. Which isn’t a good sign for their coaches.
Handing out 10 awards from the Eagles-Giants game – PhillyVoice
5) The ‘Hot Seat’ Award: Nick Sirianni. Sirianni has a career regular season record of 34-17. He has won double the number of games that he has lost. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl about 11 months ago and the Eagles have gone to the playoffs all three years under his watch. It would be unprecedented for a team to fire a head coach with that kind of résumé. And yet, if the Eagles are one-and-done in the playoffs and Sirianni doesn’t have good answers for how to get the team headed back in the right direction for 2024 and beyond, there’s an argument for him to be let go. Even if Sirianni keeps his job, there’s little doubt at this point that other heads will roll.
Actions speak louder: Eagles players are showing they’ve lost confidence in Nick Sirianni – Inquirer
The Eagles are not lacking in leaders. Graham, Kelce, and Cox have won a Super Bowl and been to another. They have also been on losing teams that got coaches fired. But they’ve never been on a team that has limped into the postseason like this. “We got a lot to fix, we got a lot to do better,” Kelce said. “This is about the worst stretch of football since Nick has been here and it’s very, very frustrating. But we’re in the playoffs and now it’s one and done you’re out.” Kelce likely meant to say something more positive about the Eagles’ chances. But his faux pas may end up the most accurate thing said to reflect the waning confidence in the team under Sirianni. If they feel otherwise, they’re running out of time to show it.
With the Philadelphia Eagles reeling badly, it’s fair to wonder if Nick Sirianni’s job is on the line – Yahoo! Sports
While most will point to his record — three straight years of making the playoffs and one Super Bowl appearance after the 2022 season — there is something else to consider. Or more to the point, someone else to consider: team owner Jeffrey Lurie. The guy who fired Andy Reid. Also the guy who fired Doug Pederson, only three seasons after Pederson won the Eagles a Super Bowl. It’s worth remembering that in the three years following that title, Pederson had only one losing season and a significant amount of quarterback chaos. Yet, when he finished 4-11-1 in 2020 and finally refused to make ownership-dictated changes to his coaching staff, Lurie threw up the deuces and Pederson was out. Keep that in mind as we head into the first round of the playoffs. If there’s one thing Lurie cares about most with his head coaches, it’s that they have a plan and a strong concept of how to transform a team into a Super Bowl winner. In the absence of that — especially in the presence of a small regression of a franchise quarterback — no coach is really safe. Not even one with the résumé of Sirianni.
2023 NFL season, Week 18: What We Learned from Sunday’s games – NFL.com
The Eagles are bordering on hopeless right now. A division title was on the line for Philadelphia Sunday, and it played as if it was Week 3 of the preseason. The Eagles couldn’t do anything right in the first half on both sides, struggling to move the ball and playing even worse on defense. Their tackling was sloppy, their discipline in coverage was nonexistent, and before they knew it, the Giants had a 24-0 lead. That was the sign Nick Sirianni needed to pull the plug on the operation, replacing key starters (Jalen Hurts, Jason Kelce) before halftime and accepting defeat. Perhaps that will send a message to an Eagles team that not only appears dysfunctional, but also looks like it’s just not enjoying football. The numbers suggest this, too. The Eagles own the worst turnover margin in the NFL since Week 13, (negative-eight), and are tied for the sixth-worst turnover margin (-10 on the year) by a team with 11-plus wins in NFL history. Things have been bad for a while now, and Sunday definitely didn’t inspire confidence they’ll suddenly figure it out. With a road playoff game awaiting them in Tampa, they better get it turned around quickly.
Almost Over – Iggles Blitz
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.
NFL playoff bracket: Schedule, Super Bowl odds, stats, more – ESPN
Reason for concern: The defense. A switch from Sean Desai to Matt Patricia as the defensive playcaller has not led to the desired turnaround to this point. The Eagles struggle on third down, in the red zone and in pass defense, and now the strength of the unit — rush defense — is faltering as well. Philadelphia will likely exit the postseason early if there isn’t marked improvement.
Spadaro: 7 takeaways as Eagles turn their focus toward the playoffs – PE.com
6. This is going to be a challenging week for the players and coaches, and the important thing is that the players turn off social media and focus in on the work ahead. The playoffs are a new season and we know that anything can happen. But it won’t happen unless the team is completely locked in. The fans are not happy. Nobody is happy. Keep it all within the team and block out everything else.
Buccaneers opponent set for Wild Card Weekend – Bucs Nation
Since they met, Rachaad White has been a big focal point in the Bucs offense both in the run game and in the pass game while falling just shy of 1,000 yards, Baker Mayfield met career highs in different statistical categories, and the defense saw the emergence of names like Calijah Kancey and Yaya Diaby while seeing continuous stellar play from the likes of Antoine Winfield, Jr. and of course Lavonte David. Tampa Bay was also hurting in Week 3 as cornerback Carlton Davis III was out, linebacker Devin White and offensive lineman Cody Mauch were playing with injuries, and Kancey had missed the matchup due to his injury. The Bucs won five of their last six heading into the playoffs while Philadelphia lost five of their last six to end their season. The NFL will release the day and time of the game later Sunday evening.
Cowboys vs Packers: Dallas opens as 7-point favorite for Wild Card Round – Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys dismantled the Washington Commanders 38-10 and are moving on to the tournament. Now they get the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. The game will be at AT&T Stadium and everyone already knows how much better of a team the Cowboys are at home. The Packers have surprised this year by making the playoffs, and should not be taken lightly. Doing that will get a you a quick exit out of the playoffs.
Giants-Eagles ‘things I think’: A fun way to end the season, but the real work has yet to start – Big Blue View
Sunday was a lot of fun at MetLife Stadium for the New York Giants and the handful of faithful fans who braved the weather, ignored the Giants’ 5-11 record entering the game, and dealt with the throng of Philadelphia Eagles fans in MetLife Stadium. The Giants pummeled the Eagles, 27-10, in a game that was so far out of hand that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was pulled before halftime with the score 24-0. The ‘Let’s Go Giants’ chants, rarely heard at MetLife Stadium this season, were heard before the half. Some of the Eagles writers in attendance were overheard counting the days until the Philadelphia Phillies begin Spring Training. Can’t blame them. The Eagles have lost five of six, and what happened Sunday said more about what a mess they are than it did about the Giants.
The Washington Commanders will have the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders finish the fourth and final season of the Ron Rivera era with his worst record as a head coach. Their 4-13 record earns them the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and last place in the NFC East. Washington has a lot of big question marks going into the 2023 season. Quarterback is the biggest one again after Sam Howell was benched multiple times to end the season. Howell is still under contract for two more years, but with a new GM and head coach coming in, he might get replaced by Washington’s top pick in the draft. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are the top two QBs, and one of them is likely to be coming to Washington unless they get a deal to trade down that they can’t turn down.
NFL Draft 2024: Updated order at conclusion of NFL regular season – SB Nation
The order for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is coming into focus, and now that the regular season is in the books, the top half of the first round is set. [BLG Note: Silver lining to the Eagles losing to the Giants? New York doesn’t get a top five pick!]
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