Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to the media on Wednesday following the NFL’s trade deadline, an upcoming road trip to Dallas, and praised a defensive unit that has been among the best in the league this year. Philadelphia’s head coach expressed confidence in the direction the Eagles’ organization is headed following last week’s win against Jacksonville and a 6-2 start to the 2024 NFL regular season.
No Action at Trade Deadline for Eagles
With the NFL trade market closing for business yesterday and no action from Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman, much of the chatter in circles around Philadelphia is whether or not the 2024 version of the Philadelphia Eagles has enough talent to make another charge toward a second Super Bowl trophy in the organization’s history.
When asked about the Eagles’ mid-season inactivity in the NFL trade market, Sirianni stood behind his current group of Birds. “Speaking on my end of it,” Sirianni said. “I feel really strongly about our team and where we are. Howie’s done a great job of building it to date. (He) didn’t feel that there was anything to do.”
Road Trip to Dallas Looms in Week 10
On Wednesday, Sirianni did his best to downplay the Philadelphia-Dallas rivalry despite the Eagles’ five-game road losing streak in Dallas. “Obviously, we haven’t won there since I’ve been here. Merrill made it very clear that we haven’t won in Cincinnati ever with that awesome voice that he has,” Sirianni said with a smile. “It doesn’t mean anything to us. We just got to go out there and play a good game against a good football team.”
The fourth-year NFL head coach has never enjoyed success at AT&T Stadium but he is not alone as the Eagles organization has struggled in the venue since it opened before the start of the 2009 NFL season. Philadelphia is 6-9 in the regular season and 0-1 in the postseason at the Dallas Cowboys Billion-dollar stadium.
Philadelphia (6-2) might be catching Dallas (3-5) at the right time to snap the extended road losing skid in Texas. The Cowboys have lost three straight games with their last home game in Week 7 against Detroit resulting in the worst Dallas loss in Jerry World history. Earlier this week, Jerry Jones announced Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott is out for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia following a hamstring injury suffered against Atlanta last weekend.
Cooper Rush will start in Prescott’s place for the Dallas Cowboys. Rush was an injury replacement for Dallas in 2022 at Lincoln Financial Field in a 26-17 Philadelphia win. Rush completed 18-of-38 passes with a touchdown but three interceptions by the Eagles’ defense led to a QB Rating of 37.3 on the afternoon.
Eagles Defense is Dominating the Opposition
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of only six NFL teams allowing opponents under 300 yards per game this season. Philly’s defense places third in the NFL with 290 yards allowed behind only the Houston Texas, (282) and the Tennessee Titans (269). The Eagles are also keeping the opposition out of the endzone with 16 touchdowns through eight games placing them in a tie for fifth place in the NFL with the reigning, two-time defending Super Bowl Champion, Kansas City Chiefs (8-0).
Nick Sirianni credited Vic Fangio’s defensive playcalling acumen before crediting the athletes’ work ethic for improved results this season. “You can see signs of us just getting better with our tackling, getting better with our ball security, (and) getting better with how we are all on the same page. It’s always going to be relentless effort getting to the football and playing team defense.”
Sirianni dropped some wisdom on success in football that equally applies to life during his presser on Wednesday. “The secret to success is to work your butt off,” chimed Sirianni. “Have good people in place, work your butt off, and try to get better each week, and control the things you can control. “There’s a price you pay for success. It’s working hard.”
That hard work is something the Philadelphia coaching staff is intent on drilling home every day at the NovaCare Complex in South Philadelphia. “Make no mistake about why we are getting better,” Sirianni tells his players and coaches. “We’re getting better because of the work. That doesn’t matter if it’s in practice, walk-through, meetings, (or) bye week. It’s such a long season and you just want to continue that rise.”
The Eagles will have a chance to follow that upward trajectory with their fifth straight win next Sunday. Of course, it is never an easy battle during Dallas Week, particularly the road version of the yearly matchup. Nick Sirianni is 0-3 in Dallas and 2-4 in all-time meetings against the Eagles biggest rival.
The Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) and the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) battle during the NFL’s Week 10 on Sunday at 4:35 pm EST from AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
