The Philadelphia Eagles are left with a shambles – and many unanswered questions – after a bitter playoff loss to the Buccaneers.
There was no shortage of horror statistics after the Philadelphia Eagles’ bitter 9:32 defeat in the Wild Card Round of the NFL playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Philly failed to convert a single third or fourth down attempt in the entire game. 0 of 11 was the sobering result. The Eagles are the first team since 1988 to fail to make at least one of these plays in a playoff game.
But that’s not all. Not since the game against the New York Giants in Week 7 of the 2021 season has the franchise scored so few points.
What makes this season’s woes stand out, though: The Eagles are now only the second team in NFL history to start a season with a record of 10-1 or better, but finish the season with seven losses. Only the New York Jets in 1986 have ever suffered such a collapse.
“When you see what this team was and you see how it finished and you see the slump we had, it’s very frustrating,” said tackle Lane Johnson: “It’s a wild business, nobody’s safe. “
Dramatic crash after 10:1 start
After losing the Super Bowl last February, all signs were pointing to offense in Philly. With a top squad – led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, who signed a mega-deal – the plan was to make another run to the Super Bowl. And everything looked good at first.
Ten wins from the first eleven games, the division title and the number 1 seed in the NFC seemed within reach. Then everything changed with the 19:42 defeat against the San Francisco 49ers. Game after game was lost, even against supposedly weaker opponents such as the New York Giants or Arizona Cardinals, no victory was achieved. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys took first place in the NFC East.
A downward spiral that might not have been so bad had it not happened in the Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A blowout win for the hosts from Florida, the end of all hopes for Hurts and Co.
Will Sirianni remain head coach?
The 9:32 not only marks the elimination of an NFL team from the playoffs, it also reveals a shambles. Starting first and foremost where it so often begins with desolate teams: The coaching staff
After the elimination, head coach Nick Sirianni was confronted with his future. “I’m not thinking about it,” he said when asked if he was worried about his job.
He continued: “I’m thinking about the guys. All the guys in the locker room, every single one of them, put their heart and soul into it. I’m not worried about myself. As a head coach, I’m just trying to be there for our guys and our team and get them through a tough time.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, avoided giving a concrete answer to the question of whether he wants Sirianni back for another season. “I didn’t know he was going anywhere,” the playmaker said, “I have a lot of confidence in everybody in this building. It just comes down to us going out there and playing clean football. That’s something we haven’t done. “
Eagles secondary causes horror
After the dramatic fall from grace, Sirianni can’t be sure of his job, and neither can his assistants. After last season, both the Eagles’ offensive and defensive coordinators left the franchise to take head coaching jobs elsewhere. Their successors did no better.
The attempt to strengthen the defense was unsuccessful. Against the Buccaneers, the problems were obvious. Above all, the miserable tackling of the secondary caused horror.
But things didn’t go well offensively either. Signal caller Hurts, who was still highly rated in the MVP race a few weeks ago, was no longer able to build on his top performances. His behavior in the quarterback pocket caused experts to frown, in addition to a game plan that was anything but variable and brilliant
Jason Kelce ends his career
And then there’s the matter of Jason Kelce. The TV cameras showed the center towards the end of the game – highly emotional. The 36-year-old couldn’t hold back his tears and didn’t want to speak in front of US reporters
– wow that was crazy (@CowardlyDoggo) January 16, 2024
A little later, the crowd favorite and seven-time Pro Bowler told his teammates in the locker room that he wanted to end his career. A big loss.
“I love him. He’s one of the best to ever play the game. I don’t think we’ll see a player of his ability again anytime soon,” said tackle Lane Johnson.
Who will replace Jason Kelce? Will Nick Sirianni remain head coach? How can the defense be stabilized? There are tons of questions to be answered in the 2024 Eagles offseason. But one question above all: How did the NFL’s top team crash so dramatically after its dream start?
Comments
No Comments