TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Going from a promising 10-1 start to an unexpected early exit, the Philadelphia Eagles have experienced a stunning collapse. The defending NFC champions will not be making a return trip to the Super Bowl, facing a potentially tumultuous offseason after an early playoff departure that few anticipated just a month ago. Monday night's 32-9 defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card game increases the scrutiny on owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman, and coach Nick Sirianni.
Despite an impressive 34-17 regular-season record and three consecutive playoff appearances, including a narrow miss in last year's Super Bowl against Kansas City, Nick Sirianni is now under intense scrutiny. The pressure has mounted as his team stumbled, losing six of the last seven games in a season that carried high expectations of championship success.
When questioned about his job status, Sirianni redirected the focus to the players in the locker room, expressing concern for the team's current emotional state rather than dwelling on his own situation. The Philadelphia team, loaded with talent and playing in a city with a fervent demand for success, had set nothing short of a Lombardi Trophy as an acceptable goal.
However, the disappointing exit—a sloppy performance marked by inadequate tackling and a decisive loss to a mediocre team—has left the City of Brotherly Love more disgruntled than ever. Calls for owner Jeffrey Lurie to dismiss Sirianni and bring in Bill Belichick began last week, even while the Eagles were still in contention. Following this debacle, the usually unpredictable Philly fans are now vehemently opposed to Sirianni remaining with the team, to the extent that they don't want him on the flight back home.
Instead of reveling in a triumphant postseason, players find themselves fielding questions about their head coach in a somber locker room atmosphere.
I had no idea he was considering a departure," commented quarterback Jalen Hurts, expressing his unawareness of the speculations surrounding Sirianni's job status.
When given the chance to support his head coach, Hurts asserted, "I have immense confidence in everyone within this organization."
Earlier in the day, an injury-laden Hurts struggled to conjure any magic on the field, especially without star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Cornerback James Bradberry and the defensive unit faced challenges, missing multiple tackles that contributed to a couple of long touchdown passes by Baker Mayfield.
Now, Sirianni faces the task of elucidating what went awry and how the team succumbed to adversity. Naturally, blame is being distributed across the board, from the front office to high-earning players who fell short of expectations.
Acknowledging the team's significant decline, Sirianni admitted, "Clearly, we're in a substantial slump. I didn't perform well enough. We couldn't break free from the rut we found ourselves in. We all need to self-reflect and find solutions... Expectations were lofty, and we hit a rough patch, so I'll scrutinize play calling, scheme, practices, and every aspect of our approach.
The Eagles experienced a soaring high following an overtime victory against Buffalo on Nov. 26, propelling them to a 10-1 start for the second consecutive season. Up to that point, they had secured victories in 27 of the previous 29 regular-season games started by Hurts.
However, their fortunes took a sharp downturn after a resounding defeat at home against the San Francisco 49ers in the subsequent game. Subsequent heavy losses to Dallas and a last-minute defeat to Drew Lock and the Seahawks followed. Despite a narrow win over the Giants on Christmas Day, their season spiraled downward. Back-to-back losses to the struggling Cardinals and Giants resulted in Philadelphia losing the NFC East title and plummeting to the No. 5 seed.
Nevertheless, when entering Tampa Bay, they were still considered three-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook, facing a team that had struggled to defeat a two-win Carolina the previous week to secure the NFC South with a 9-8 record.
From the outset, the Buccaneers demonstrated superior skill and coaching, outperforming a team that, on paper, possessed more talent.
Acknowledging the situation, Hurts commented, "The reality is we have to be better, and it starts with me."
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