The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a phenomenal start this season, but things have gone downhill drastically over the last six weeks.
The team was regarded as one of the best in the league for most of the season but has collapsed in recent weeks as they finished the campaign with a 1-5 record over the final month-plus.
Eagles Fall to Giants in Disappointing End to Season
While the Eagles have clinched a playoff spot for the third year in a row under Nick Sirianni, they had the chance to win the NFC East and finish as the No. 2 seed if the Cowboys lost to the Commanders and Philadelphia beat the Giants. Instead, the opposite happened.
Dallas took down Washington, 35-10, while the Eagles suffered another devastating loss to New York.
The lopsided defeat was a tough ending to the regular season, as the team has lost five of their last six.
Philadelphia’s late-season derailment began in Week 13 against the 49ers, which throttled them by a 42-19 score. They subsequently lost to the Cowboys and Seahawks before taking home one more win against the Giants. They then dropped the final two games of the season, taking defeats at the hands of the Cardinals and Giants.
The loss to the Cardinals was especially shocking, as Arizona entered the contest at 3-12.
The Cardinals’ offense could not be stopped by Philadelphia’s struggling defense. Arizona racked up 221 yards on the ground while averaging 5.5 yards per carry and outscored the Eagles by a 29-10 margin in the second half.
The struggles continued against the Giants in the regular-season finale. The first half was an absolute disaster, as they fell behind, 24-0, to the 5-11 Giants.
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Eagles starters rested in the loss, but most of them weren’t officially taken out of the game until the start of the third quarter.
Several key Eagles also suffered injuries: Star receiver A.J. Brown, who left in the first quarter with a knee injury; three defensive backs in Sydney Brown (knee), Reed Blankenship (groin), and Eli Ricks (undisclosed); and right guard Cam Jurgens.
In addition, Jalen Hurts injured his finger in the first half. He went in the medical tent but didn’t miss a snap until he was pulled in the final minute of the first half. He completed seven of 16 passes for 55 yards with an interception.
Sirianni said postgame that he expects Hurts to be good to go for next week.
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The Eagles went from from a 10-1 record and No. 1 overall seed in the NFC to 11-6 and losing the NFC East title to the Dallas Cowboys. They are the first team in NFL history to start 10-1 or better and not reach 12 wins.
Kevin Byard told reporters that Nick Sirianni’s postgame message to the team was: “We are 0-0. It’s time to go on a run.”
After the game, center Jason Kelce said he still feels that the locker room has faith in Sirianni.
“I think everyone in the locker room has faith in Nick Sirianni,” Kelce said. “It hasn’t been pretty, obviously, the last month … We’ve had a lot of successful football with Nick, every game we play is ultimately a reflection of the team … I think there’s a lot of things that collectively we can all do better at, but for me, I don’t have any lack of faith or trust in Nick Sirianni.”
Postgame, Sirianni was asked if he thinks he has lost the locker room.
“I know what I felt in that locker room,” he said. “We have a lot of belief in that locker room. A lot of teams want to be in our position. We’re in the playoffs, and now it’s time for all of us to give it everything we got.”
For the second time in the last three years, the Buccaneers host the Eagles at Raymond James Stadium in the NFC’s Wild Card Round. The Buccaneers beat the Eagles in the 2021 playoffs, taking a 31-0 lead into the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns made the final score 31-15.
As Sirianni said, the team is now 0-0 in the playoffs and will have the chance to correct their mistakes and prove themselves as they take on Tampa Bay next week.
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