Heading into their Monday Night Football showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles made a notable shift behind the scenes: head coach Nick Sirianni took a more hands-on role in shaping the offensive game plan.
Sirianni, who built his reputation as an offensive coordinator in Indianapolis before taking the reins in Philly, ramped up his presence in offensive meetings and spent extra time working directly with that unit. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo remained in his post, but Sirianni’s fingerprints were clearly all over the preparation leading into Week 14.
The result? Not exactly what the Eagles were hoping for.
Philadelphia managed just 19 points in a game that felt like a missed opportunity from start to finish. Quarterback Jalen Hurts had arguably the roughest outing of his career, coughing up five turnovers in a game that was winnable despite the miscues. For a team with postseason aspirations, the performance raised more questions than answers-especially on the offensive side of the ball.
Still, Sirianni isn’t backing away from his increased involvement.
“I'm the head coach so my attention goes to places that I feel like it needs to go,” Sirianni said postgame. “This week was with the offense, and I'll continue to go in there with those guys and grind it out through the weeds with them and continue to move forward with that.”
That’s the tone of a coach who knows things aren’t clicking the way they should-but also one who believes the fix is internal.
Despite the final score and the turnover tally, there were flashes of functionality on offense. Saquon Barkley turned in his second-best game of the season, giving the Eagles a spark on the ground. The offense moved the ball at times, but drive-killing mistakes-particularly turnovers-kept them from cashing in.
“I thought we moved the ball and did a lot of good things today,” Sirianni added. “But we didn't finish drives for multiple reasons and had some turnovers for multiple reasons.
You always look to improve the process, and we'll get back to work and grind through it again. I anticipate being in there still.”
It wasn’t all on Hurts, either. A.J.
Brown, usually one of the most reliable receivers in the league, had a couple of costly drops-plays he normally makes in his sleep. If just one of those turns into a catch, the entire complexion of the game could have changed.
That’s the margin in the NFL: razor-thin and often brutal.
Hurts, for his part, has generally been one of the league’s most secure quarterbacks with the football. Monday night was an outlier, and the Eagles will be counting on it staying that way. Because if this team is going to make any noise in the postseason, it starts with protecting the ball and finishing drives-two things they struggled with mightily against the Chargers.
There were enough encouraging signs to suggest the offense isn’t broken beyond repair. The run game showed life.
The passing game created opportunities, even if they weren’t capitalized on. And Sirianni, stepping deeper into the offensive trenches, seems committed to being part of the solution.
The Eagles don’t have much time to sort things out. The NFC playoff race is tight, and every game from here on out carries weight. But if they can clean up the turnovers and convert those flashes of promise into points, they still have the talent-and the leadership-to make a run.