Nothing about this season was supposed to be easy. It rarely is for Super Bowl losers.
The Philadelphia Eagles regular season can be defined by one word: hubris. It didn’t have to be this way, because the people who let it get this way are smarter than this. Talented people let this happen and that’s what makes heading into a Wild Card matchup in Tampa Bay so frustrating.
It’s almost like getting to 10-1 put the Eagles in an uncomfortable position of being NFL favorites. We know this team is far more content being the underdog. It’s also unfortunate that the powers that be, from front office to on field leader, allowed the rest of the league to catch up in just one offseason.
The narratives went from league domination to overhauling the entire coaching staff.
It’s exhausting and should never have gotten this way.
The season turned from a party to a fight, from hugs to fists – with finger pointing and blame replacing a showering of praise.
The Eagles latest regular season collapse is now part of a pattern, not of losing, but failing to learn. There’s nothing more egregious than seeing talent fail to learn from failure itself. Sometimes that failure comes from not making the playoffs, other times it’s from losing the Super Bowl. Either way, you can’t sit on your hands.
It’s one thing for it to happen once, but this is now twice in less than one calendar year. It’s becoming part of who this team is, and no firing or benching or current player-coach is going to fix it. They had all semester to study for a test and now must cram for one night to ace it. Even if they do, how hard it will be to double down and do it again will be the true test.
What’s truly wild about this latest breakdown was we all saw it happen and spoke up, yet were met with patronizing responses, looks, and overall disdain for the concerns.
We all knew the emperor had no clothes, tried to warn him, but suffered a collective shut down. Now we painfully watch as bad teams were shouting at the unclothed leader only to finally come to grips with being naked.
Jalen Hurts has already experienced a career’s worth of stardom so far in his young tenure with the Eagles. He also watched his predecessor leave early in a bad breakup, knowing how the media, fans, and team all intertwine. Whether he regressed as a talent or simply wasn’t given enough to evolve as one is still to be determined.
This isn’t about the regular season but you can’t go into Tampa Bay without acknowledging the above. It’s a massive part of this year’s DNA, tattooed on the arm of Sirianni. There is a ridiculous amount of pressure now on the Eagles that nobody other than the Eagles put on themselves.
So, here’s the biggest question of them all, if they win in Tampa are you back on the believe train?
What will it take for you to move on from the recent past and acknowledge this team has a chance to win something. Will it be just beating the Bucs on the road? Only six of the last 30 teams have won on the road following a division loss to end the year. Will it take a blowout of Mayfield and the Bucs? Or is that not enough?
Nothing is guaranteed in this crazy world of football. The Patriots said goodbye to a legend, the Seahawks did the same to another hall of famer. Even Alabama said goodbye to Nick Saban. If the Philadelphia Eagles think any or all of those names are better than what they currently have, then this will be a defining game for the head coach.
If two years down the line the Eagles find a better fit in the draft for Hurts, then they too will move on. Much like they did with Wentz. So, everyone on the Eagles is playing for their job, even if this isn’t their last game with the team.
The biggest influencer in your decision is probably going to be style points. Like if the Eagles can actually win the Super Bowl based on if/how bad they blow out the Bucs. Another faulty line of thinking as winning ugly is just as fine as winning pretty in the postseason. Opponents may change too, so that can help determine if you are back on the train.
Glass full or half empty, buying or selling, there’s going to be one moment come Monday night in Tampa when you are back. Remember that moment when the Eagles pull this one out of a hat, or helmet – or dog mask.