The image of Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown screaming at each other during the first half of Sunday’s playoff loss served as an encapsulation of the Philadelphia Eagles’ season.
Because as battle-tested and talented as the Eagles were, something was off with them all year.
Brown voiced his frustrations with the Eagles’ passing offense multiple times during the regular season.
Jalen Hurts became the subject of controversy, too, after a midseason report suggested teammates felt the quarterback was reluctant to throw into tight coverage.
A year after he rushed for 2,005 yards on 5.8 yards per carry, Saquon Barkley managed only 1,140 yards on 4.1 yards per carry in the same number of games.
“I feel like it’s been the same thing: We go out there, we don’t execute, and when we do get something good, we shoot ourselves in the foot,” wide receiver DeVonta Smith said after Sunday’s 23-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Philadelphia.
And now that the Eagles’ Super Bowl defense is already over after the Wild Card Round, changes could be on the horizon.
Despite the practically annual speculation about his job status, it would be bold for Philly to fire Sirianni. The head coach is less than a year removed from winning the Super Bowl, and he just led the Eagles (11-6) to a fifth consecutive playoff berth and a second consecutive NFC East title.
Maybe the presence of John Harbaugh on the open market makes the Eagles consider a move. But the more likely outcome is a change at offensive coordinator after the Eagles’ offense significantly regressed to 311.2 yards per game and 22.3 points per game in its first year under Kevin Patullo.
Philadelphia managed only six points in the second half of Sunday’s loss, despite facing a 49ers defense ravaged by injuries. The Eagles’ final drive stalled at San Francisco’s 21-yard line when Hurts’ pass to tight end Dallas Goedart on 4th and 11 fell incomplete with less than a minute remaining.
Afterward, players were supportive of Patullo, who replaced Kellen Moore as OC when the latter became the head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
But Sirianni acknowledged there “will be time to evaluate everybody’s performance.”
“I think it’s tough to single out one individual, especially in a moment like this,” said Hurts, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. “We’ve all got to improve, and that’s how I look at everything that we go through.”
And then there’s Brown, who was the subject of trade rumors before the November deadline and now returns to the center of speculation.
Brown, 28, finished with 78 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games — his worst season out of four years with the Eagles.
The wide receiver declined to address the media after Sunday’s season-ending loss.
“I think he knows how I feel about him. I have a special relationship with him,” Sirianni said of Brown, referring to Sunday’s sideline spat.
“We’ve probably went through every emotion you can possibly have together. We’ve laughed together. We’ve cried together. We’ve yelled at each other. We’re both emotional. I was trying to get him off the field, and that happens in this game. But I love him.”
Those are only a few of the questions facing owner Jeffrey Lurie and general manager Howie Roseman as the Eagles begin a pivotal offseason earlier than expected.
As for whether the players believe the current Eagles core can bounce back from the disappointing season?
“We’ll be all right,” Smith said. “Right now, the season’s over. I’m not thinking about next year right now. I’ve got time to think about that later.”
