Analyzing the Eagles' Season Under Nick Sirianni’s Leadership
Although his career numbers say otherwise, the last month is easily the most intense pressure Nick Sirianni has endured in Philadelphia. Dating back to the later slate of last season, the fourth-year head coach has a 4–7 record in his last 11 games. For Sirianni, many in favor of what he’s accomplished would point to the 2022 season, where the Eagles went to the Super Bowl and nearly dethroned quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The reality is, that the last 22 games from that night have shown a talented team that lacks execution. Fast forwarding to the beginning of the 2024 season, the Eagles stand at 3-2, respectfully with the NFC East seemingly wide open. In his previous three seasons, Sirianni has driven the Eagles into a postseason spot each season, not missing the playoffs once. On the outside looking in, it seems unfair to put Sirianni into questioning, wouldn’t it? Well, if you ask anyone in Philadelphia, it is easily justifiable for Nick Sirianni’s recent outings to be criticized.
Far too often, fans are waiting to see an identity conveyed through four quarters while watching the Eagles this season. They get off to sluggish starts and have not had a victory by more than five points so far this season. Although a win in the NFL is the goal regardless of how it looks, the team simply hasn’t lived up to what many expected it to be thus far. They have a star-studded supporting offensive cast that should make the offense have a better flow throughout the game. Of course, it’s important to factor in wide receiver A.J. Brown and wide receiver DeVonta Smith’s missed time, but that is the reality. Since the 2022 season, anyone who’s been attentive to the regression of the Eagles knows some of it falls on Sirianni. He has claimed that he ran last year’s offense which was historically bad, and all signs point to his continued control this season.
The play-calling has continued to be abysmal, being nearly unwatchable and frustrating some drives. Although Jalen Hurts is to be held accountable, he has led the league in turnovers dating back to last season. The domino to fall right behind is Sirianni, and some of the play designs have been poor in hopes of getting receivers open. For a roster as talented as the Eagles, it is unacceptable for their margins of victory to be as minimal as it is. For thought, they beat arguably the worst team in the NFL by only four points at home, practically squeaking by with a victory. While we center on last week’s game against the Browns, it’s important to note a development in Nick Sirianni’s confrontation with a few fans. The fan took to Twitter and stated, “We yelled at Sirianni to run the ball more, not heckle him. Then, as time expired, he ran up to us and said, ‘I told you guys, we got this’!” Many national media outlets criticized Nick heavily, saying it was immature of him to respond to the fans assuming he was bragging about the average win they had at home.
This seems to not be the case, and Nick was only responding to them running the ball. Moving forward, it has been less than evident of seeing a disciplined football team for quite some time. They miss open-field tackles, and it continues to be stressed how much more creativity is desperately needed in the offense. All of these factors point towards Nick Sirianni when it’s all said and done. For Nick to gain his respect back in Philadelphia and across the league, he needs to change something about the preparation. It is evident their game plan preparation is lacking, specifically in the first halves. Time will tell if Sirianni can prove his status as a leader amongst one of the league's talented rosters, or if his time in Philadelphia will continue to spiral.
