Nick Sirianni’s lackluster support from Jalen Hurts could be the last straw for the Eagles coach.
After an ugly playoff loss at Tampa Bay, Sirianni may be fired, but Hurts’ decline is just one of the numerous problems plaguing the Eagles.
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Although Jalen Hurts is frequently difficult to read, there was a lot he didn’t say when he was asked to support Nick Sirianni.
Hurts responded, “I didn’t know he was going anywhere,” when asked if he wanted the Eagles coach to return.
When informed that there has been a great deal of conjecture regarding Sirianni’s employment, Hurts responded, “I was unaware of that.”
The quarterback responded, “I have a ton of confidence in everyone in this building,” in response to the question of whether he was certain he could turn around the Eagles’ late-season free fall, which ended with a thud at Raymond James Stadium.
All that was missing from Hurts’ three dodges was a rooster’s crow.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie will have the final decision on Sirianni’s future after the Eagles lost six of their final seven games, lastly a 32-9 embarrassment to the Buccaneers in the first round of the postseason.
The 42-year-old coach certainly had as much to do with his team’s tailspin as anyone. He failed to script an offense that would be ahead of defensive coordinators who spent all offseason studying ways to stop his scheme. He took responsibility for defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s demotion for the even worse Matt Patricia.
And he provided little evidence that a Sirianni-Hurts marriage could be a lasting one. The 25-year-old quarterback regressed and he made it clear he isn’t happy with the offense with his indifferent defense of the coach and an ESPN report ahead of Monday night’s game that said Hurts’ “desired direction for the offense has not materialized.”
Hurts wasn’t attributed directly, but a source close to him was, and when asked about the report, he didn’t deny it.
“We’ve had a ton of opportunities to do great things and we haven’t taken advantage of them,” Hurts said. “And I’ve talked about the ownership of that and me taking ownership for the things that I can control and challenging everyone to take ownership for the things that they control.”
But Hurts hasn’t always taken ownership behind the scenes, and the ESPN report, a team source said, was just the latest overt example of him escaping culpability.
The finger-pointing may be moot if Sirianni is fired. But the question then will become: Who can steer Hurts back to his 2022 form? There’s at least proof that Sirianni can get him to play at an MVP level.
That offense was designed around Hurts’ capabilities. His preferred choice to replace offensive coordinator Shane Steichen was Brian Johnson. He had one of the best offensive lines to play behind, one of best wide receiver pairs in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, a quality tight end in Dallas Goedert, and competent running backs.
The Eagles’ offensive collapse cannot be solely attributed to Sirianni and Johnson’s play-calling. Hurts may not have had his coach’s support, but Sirianni was still there to defend him until the very end. The offense struggled throughout the game, but the Eagles were only down 16-9 in the third quarter when Hurts returned to his own 14-yard line on third-and-6. Todd Bowles, the coach of the Bucs, had blitzed the quarterback nonstop, which was to be expected, but in this particular instance, he only rushed four times. Hurts flushed to his left, pumped once to throw, and then grounded the ball for an automatic safety.
“He’s trying to make a play,” Sirianni said. “He does so many good things of making plays and when he extends plays when something’s not there. You can’t get really excited when he makes game-changing plays and crush him when something like that happens.”
There was some pressure up the middle, and only one of five routes stopped short of the first-down marker. So there were multiple variables at play, as there is on any given play, but Hurts should have thrown the ball away when he had the chance.
“I got held up in the pocket,” he said. “Was trying to make a play outside the pocket and make a throw down the field and move the chains. … I guess I didn’t get it past the line of scrimmage. So it’s a safety. I’ll have to watch the film to see what actually happened.”
It was a devastating turn of events. Tampa Bay scored a touchdown after the ensuing free kick for a 25-9 lead. And even though a quarter remained, the result was academic. The Eagles have been a dead squad walking for weeks. Hurts’ final numbers didn’t look so bad — 25 of 35 passing for 250 yards and a touchdown without a turnover — especially considering the injury to the middle finger on his right throwing hand. But he failed to convert nine third downs on pass plays.
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