Would the Eagles dump Nick Sirianni less than a year after playing in a Super Bowl? As poorly as the team played down the stretch, you have to wonder.
They looked poorly coached. Opponents got a better feel for Philadelphia unconventional offense, and there was a lack of any adjustments. They missed coordinator Shane Steichen, apparently, who had an impressive first season with the Indianapolis offense.
The defense was simply a disaster, allowing the 2nd-most touchdown passes in the league. There’s a lack of talent at linebacker and in the secondary, and they appeared to miss their coordinator on that side of the ball as well (with Jonathan Gannon taking the head coaching spot in Arizona).
Worst of all, it looks like Sirianni may have simply lost the locker room. There was a lot of sniping in the media in the second half of the season, and the team looked flat and disinterested in the playoff loss at Tampa Bay. The tackling effort on the Trey Palmer touchdown looked like something you might see in a touch football game outside a fraternity.
Whatever the reasons, the collapse was epic. The Eagles started 10-1, then proceeded to lose six of their final seven games. No team has ever done that before. In the 32-team era, 30 teams have started by winning at least 10 of their first 11 games; only six of those other teams (tagged with dots) had losing records the rest of the way. But none fell as hard as the Eagles.
Philadelphia now needs answers, and it’s fair to wonder if they think Sirianni (armed with a pair of new coordinators) is the guy who can deliver them. He’s meeting owner Jeff Lurie today. Lurie fired both of his last two coaches after three seasons, and both had winning records (Chip Kelly, Doug Pederson).
There are a bunch of intriguing coaches available right now. Bill Belichick or Raheem Morris definitely would get more out of the defense, and Ben Johnson or Bobby Slowik would definitely upgrade the offense.
| TEAMS STARTING 11-0 OR 10-1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Start | End | |
| 2003 | Kansas City | 10-1 | 3-3 | lost divisional rd |
| 2004 | Pittsburgh | 10-1 | 6-1 | lost conf champ |
| 2004 | Philadelphia | 10-1 | 5-3 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2004 | New England | 10-1 | 7-1 | won Super Bowl |
| 2005 | Indianapolis | 11-0 | 3-3 | lost divisional rd |
| 2006 | Indianapolis | 10-1 | 6-3 | lost conf champ |
| 2007 | Green Bay | 10-1 | 4-3 | lost conf champ |
| 2007 | Dallas | 10-1 | 3-3 | lost divisional rd |
| 2007 | New England | 11-0 | 7-1 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2008 | • NY Giants | 10-1 | 2-4 | lost divisional rd |
| 2008 | Tennessee | 10-1 | 3-3 | lost divisional rd |
| 2009 | • Minnesota | 10-1 | 3-4 | lost conf champ |
| 2009 | Indianapolis | 11-0 | 5-3 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 11-0 | 5-3 | won Super Bowl |
| 2011 | Green Bay | 11-0 | 4-2 | lost divisional rd |
| 2012 | Atlanta | 10-1 | 4-3 | lost conf champ |
| 2012 | • Houston | 10-1 | 3-4 | lost divisional rd |
| 2013 | Seattle | 10-1 | 6-2 | won Super Bowl |
| 2015 | • New England | 10-1 | 3-4 | lost conf champ |
| 2015 | Carolina | 11-0 | 6-2 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2016 | Dallas | 10-1 | 3-3 | lost divisional rd |
| 2017 | Philadelphia | 10-1 | 6-2 | won Super Bowl |
| 2018 | New Orleans | 10-1 | 4-3 | lost conf champ |
| 2018 | LA Rams | 10-1 | 5-3 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2019 | San Francisco | 10-1 | 5-3 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2019 | • New England | 10-1 | 2-4 | lost wild card rd |
| 2020 | Kansas City | 10-1 | 6-2 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2020 | • Pittsburgh | 11-0 | 1-5 | lost wild card rd |
| 2022 | Philadelphia | 10-1 | 6-3 | lost Super Bowl |
| 2023 | Philadelphia | 10-1 | 1-6 | lost wild card rd |
—Ian Allan