The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of a highly disappointing loss to the Niners. As the dust settles, there’s a lot to reflect on for a young team who couldn’t get out of their own way. The good news is that both of its major leaders, Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, are putting the onus on themselves.
Nick Sirianni
Nick Sirianni will undoubtedly catch the most heat for this loss. After a 91-yard pass to Quez Watkins, the offense were unable to punch the ball in the endzone despite four attempts. This summed up a gameplan that just looked unbalanced from the start. The Eagles Head Coach made some focusing decisions to run on third and medium, failed to get his playmakers the ball in the open field, and of course burned all three timeouts before the final five minutes. After the game, he was quick to recognize his impact on the loss.
I don’t think I called good plays in that area {red zone}. There are going to be times where you’re going to look at it and be like, ‘I want those calls back.’ When they work, it was a good play. They didn’t.
So, it was my fault. I didn’t call good enough plays right there. I didn’t put the players in good enough positions, but we’re all in this together, coaches and players.
When asked about his sentiment to the players after yesterday’s defeat, Sirianni remained calm and composed, referencing the importance to get up for a divisional game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The bell is going to ring for round three, regardless of if we won or we lost. We have to put ourselves in position to win round three by correcting this tape hard, by rehabbing hard and by meeting hard and walking through hard and by practicing hard to put ourselves in position to try to win next week in a division game.
As I mentioned yesterday, there shouldn’t be any real major reason for concern when it comes to Nick Sirianni’s performance yesterday. This is a young team and it’s his second game as an NFL Head Coach. There are bound to be teething problems. What makes it frustrating is that the team flash just how good they can be one minute, only to be negated by their own flaws the next. That’s all. The main thing is that the team takes a step closer to reaching that ceiling and overcoming those early setbacks.
Jalen Hurts
On the surface, Hurts had a pretty solid game. He passed for 190 yards and led the team with a season-high 82 on the ground, the second-highest total of his career. In the fourth quarter, he put the team on his back and charged down the field for a 75-yard drive that ended in a rushing touchdown. However, he wasn’t perfect.
There were a few throws that were dangerous to say the least and could’ve easily resulted in turnovers. His deep shots were often under thrown and only two of ten attempts of 10+ Yards were completed. Not all of this is his fault, but after such a solid and composed game in week one, a boom-or-bust approach seven days later was a little concerning. The Eagles QB had this to say following the loss:
.We have to be consistent in our execution. I have to be consistent in my execution and operation as a field general. It’s something to learn from today – a lot to learn from. They were things we could control, so that’s what hurts the most. We give credit to a good team and a good defense out there. Those wounds out there were self-inflicted.”
Hurts is still yet to turn the ball over this season and he has played well, but there is still plenty of work to be done if he is to take that next step in his development.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
