Eagles' historic meltdown raises questions about Nick Sirianni's leadership

This isn’t a slump. This isn’t a tough stretch. 

This is a collapse that’s virtually unprecedented in NFL history.

And as easy as it is to blame coordinators Brian Johnson, Matt Patricia or Sean Desai for their play calling or Howie Roseman for roster decisions that haven’t panned out or the players for not fighting back when faced with increasing adversity the last few weeks, this is on one person more than anybody.

Nick Sirianni.

He’s the head coach. He’s the one responsible for everything that happens between the white lines. It’s his team, his staff, his culture, his core values, his locker room. 

It’s his football team. It’s his mess.  

This isn’t just a team struggling down the stretch. This is a team whose head coach is facing a monumental challenge to his command.

Is his voice still getting through? Are the players still listening? Do his core values still mean anything to the 53 guys in the locker room? 

And most importantly, does he have what it takes to fix what we’re seeing?

This is the same guy who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl 10 months ago and we can’t dismiss that. The Eagles still have the most wins in the NFL over the last two seasons. They’ve made the playoffs in all three of Sirianni’s years as head coach. As awful as this team looks right now, the Eagles can still salvage the season by winning a couple playoff games.

But it’s fair to wonder if Sirianni can turn this around. Because with each passing week, the blown leads keep adding up, the defensive woes keep getting worse, the offensive issues keep resurfacing and it sure looks like none of his messaging is getting through. 

All of which gives off the impression that he's losing his grip on the locker room.

To get an idea of just how monumental this collapse is, consider this:

The Eagles are only the third team since 1960 to open a season 10-1 or better in a 16-game season (or 8-1 or better in a 14-game season) and then lose four of their next five games. 

The 1986 Jets did it – with Rich Kotite as their offensive coordinator. They were 10-1, then lost five straight games. That team actually won a home wild-card game.

The 2020 Steelers did it, opening up 11-0 before losing four of their last five games. They went on to lose a wild-card game.

No team ever opened up 8-1 or 9-0 in a 14-game season and lost four of their last five games. In a 12-game season, the 1950 New York Yankees and 1959 49ers were both 6-1 and lost four of their last five. The 1939 Lions were 6-1 and lost their last four. That’s not quite the same.

But you get the idea.

Collapses like this don’t happen. They can’t happen. But three times since 1960 they have happened.

Sirianni has overseen a historic meltdown. A No. 1 seed, a division title were both within the Eagles’ reach if they could have just protected a couple 4th-quarter leads. And now they’re facing the likely prospect of life as a road wild-card team and the likelihood that they’ll become the first team since those 1986 Jets to open a season 10-1 or better and not win their division.

Barring an improbable postseason run – and how are you going to beat good teams on the road when you can’t beat a 3-12 West Coast team at home after leading by 15 at halftime – this will go down as one of the most disappointing seasons in Eagles history. 

The Eagles, a team that nearly won a Super Bowl in February, that was 10-1 a month ago, that was in control of the No. 1 seed in the NFC just three weeks ago, now finds itself desperate for answers after yet another mind-boggling team-wide debacle.

And Sirianni’s utter inability to find any way to stop the bleeding week after week is alarming. So far, he’s had no answers. None. Just the same old cliches about staying together and working harder.

He’s not getting fired, no matter what happens these next few weeks. He’s done too many good things in his three years here. Jeff Lurie isn’t one to make knee-jerk moves. Sirianni gets at least 2024 to figure this all out.

But we also can’t downplay what a critical juncture this is for Sirianni and this franchise. 

Are the Eagles still an elite team that just needs an infusion of young talent and some coaching staff changes to get back to where it was not that long ago?

Or are we seeing the beginning of the end? 

Sirianni’s future is riding on the answer to those questions. And after everything we’ve witnessed the last month and a half? Honestly? It’s hard to feel confident.

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