Nick Sirianni Setting Eagles Up to Fail During Stretch Run

Sirianni is doing his roster no favors.

ByMichael Bohlin|Nov 29, 2025

Nov 23, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Following their one-sided loss to the Chicago Bears on Black Friday, the Philadelphia Eagles have been outscored 41-15 since the second half of their loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12.

There are several issues facing this team as the calendar turns to December, unfortunately the problems are rather glaring and they fall on both sides of the ball after the Bears exposed the Eagles' rush defense by, rather easily, putting up 281 yards on the ground in their 24-15 victory to improve Chicago's record to 9-3, and drop Philadelphia to 8-4.

While figuring out how to shore up the run defense is a job for Vic Fangio, the Eagles' offense continues to look listless and, based on Sirianni's stance on the matter, that isn't likely to change anytime soon.

Nick Sirianni Doing Eagles No Favors With Loyalty to OC Kevin Patullo

Following Philadelphia's latest loss, Sirianni met with the media in attendance at Lincoln Financial Field and, yet again, pledged his loyalty to the Eagles' offensive coordinator, Kevin Patullo. After giving an initial response filled with coach-speak, Sirianni was flat-out asked whether he'd make a change at playcaller, and that was met with a hard no.

"No, we're not changing the play caller, but we will evaluate everything,” Sirianni said, via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "This weekend, we'll have another little mini-bye. Another short week that leads to a long weekend where we'll evaluate everything. But again, like I said after that, it's never just about one person. You win as a team, you lose as a team, and you try to evaluate everything, win, lose or draw and get better from it.”

Patullo and his playcalling have been an issue all season long. Despite that, Sirianni has stood by him the entire time, no matter how ugly things have looked on that side of the ball. At this point, it isn't overly surprising to see him continue to stick with his hire, but it cannot be understated just how much of a disadvantage this is forcing Philadelphia to overcome.

With the defense now facing major issues of its own, this doesn't appear to be the type of roster that should be expected to contend for a Super Bowl championship. Now, this can all change between Week 14 and the end of the regular season campaign, but after 13 weeks of the same thing, it is hard to expect an epiphany to occur overnight.

As long as Sirianni sees no issue with the way things are going on offense, he is putting his own team behind the 8-ball in what will be their most important stretch of the 2025 campaign.

https://section215.com/nick-sirianni-setting-eagles-up-fail-during-stretch-run-01kb819nak9s

I’m not saying Sirianni should be fired… but if he oversees a second collapse in 3 years then I think he should. He’s the CEO HC who talks about the culture and being prepared and being disciplined. Well this team has a poor culture and are ill prepared and ill disciplined. So if he’s not doing those things then what is he doing?

15 minutes ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I’m not saying Sirianni should be fired… but if he oversees a second collapse in 3 years then I think he should. He’s the CEO HC who talks about the culture and being prepared and being disciplined. Well this team has a poor culture and are ill prepared and ill disciplined. So if he’s not doing those things then what is he doing?

I would not be unhappy if he were fired and replaced with an offensive-minded head coach. That said, he has built incredible equity in his time here. Two Super Bowl appearances. One ring. A 62-27 regular and postseason record.

It's more likely that he again loses the right to hire his staff and Howie selects the next OC.

48 minutes ago, Erie said:

I would not be unhappy if he were fired and replaced with an offensive-minded head coach. That said, he has built incredible equity in his time here. Two Super Bowl appearances. One ring. A 62-27 regular and postseason record.

It's more likely that he again loses the right to hire his staff and Howie selects the next OC.

That's a popular thing to conclude if the season ends the same way it did in 2023. But I'm willing to bet there will be more of a power struggle this time around. Sirianni oversaw an epic collapse in 2023 after losing the SB the year before. Now he has a SB win under his belt...and if Howie/Lurie come in hard like they did after the 23' season, Siri may "push back" more. It will be a pride/ego thing.

The only plausible exception would be if Howie/Lurie/Sirianni all agreed that the offense's limitations and issues are mainly due to Hurts. Hard to say that about the reigning SB MVP, but at the same time it's not like Hurts has exactly lit the world on fire with his passing prowess. He is a QB who has won with his running ability as a huge part of his game and having an exceptional surrounding cast.

It's my ongoing question that I wish I had an inside answer on....is the offensive design due to Sirianni's inability to "scheme up" creative/effective plays against defenses? Or do they have to limit their design because Hurts can't handle anything more comprehensive/complex?

3 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

It's my ongoing question that I wish I had an inside answer on....is the offensive design due to Sirianni's inability to "scheme up" creative/effective plays against defenses? Or do they have to limit their design because Hurts can't handle anything more comprehensive/complex?

If Hurts was that limited, the Front Office would have known this prior to offering him an insanely expensive contract extension. I know Hurts isn't perfect. I believe he stunk up the field two consecutive weeks. I don't believe he's the root problem.

1 hour ago, Erie said:

If Hurts was that limited, the Front Office would have known this prior to offering him an insanely expensive contract extension. I know Hurts isn't perfect. I believe he stunk up the field two consecutive weeks. I don't believe he's the root problem.

They signed Hurts to that contract fresh off a Super Bowl appearance, of course they were going to lock him up. How many QBs have you seen get crazy money yet are mediocre, at best? Numerous. The NFL is a QB-starved league so teams are basically forced to sign mediocre talent to big money because the alternatives are worse.

Hurts definitely has his share of blame for this offensive mess. Whether or not he's the root cause, it's hard to say because there's so much badness to get a definitive read.

Sirianni has some really good qualities......unfortunately, he couples them with some really bad priorities.

At this point into the season, the OC and the offense shouldn't be looking for "answers". Being the OC on the reigning Super Bowl champions is not and should not be a "learn on the job" position. Lurie and Roseman should never let Sirianni hire another OC after the Brian Johnson and now the Kevin Patullo disasters.

Sirianni let his personal friendship get in the way in 2023 and now he's destroying the eagles chance for a repeat with this nonsense with Patullo.

On 12/1/2025 at 8:49 AM, EaglesAddict said:

That's a popular thing to conclude if the season ends the same way it did in 2023. But I'm willing to bet there will be more of a power struggle this time around. Sirianni oversaw an epic collapse in 2023 after losing the SB the year before. Now he has a SB win under his belt...and if Howie/Lurie come in hard like they did after the 23' season, Siri may "push back" more. It will be a pride/ego thing.

The only plausible exception would be if Howie/Lurie/Sirianni all agreed that the offense's limitations and issues are mainly due to Hurts. Hard to say that about the reigning SB MVP, but at the same time it's not like Hurts has exactly lit the world on fire with his passing prowess. He is a QB who has won with his running ability as a huge part of his game and having an exceptional surrounding cast.

It's my ongoing question that I wish I had an inside answer on....is the offensive design due to Sirianni's inability to "scheme up" creative/effective plays against defenses? Or do they have to limit their design because Hurts can't handle anything more comprehensive/complex?

Sirianni bought himself a longer leash with the Super Bowl win but after watching how this season is unfolding (and hard to have much confidence it is going to get much better ... I get it other teams have issues too but this team just looks dejected ... saw it all over Hurts face during that Chicago game) have to think that leash has gotten considerably shorter again. Patullo should be and better be fired immediately at the conclusion of the season, and Sirianni simply cannot have final say on who the next OC will be. And if a power struggle arises (kinda like how it did with Pederson when they wanted him to fire Groh), then he can hit the bricks. He offers absolutely NOTHING on offense. His main responsibilities are really just clock management, in game strategy (when to call TOs, when to go for 2 pt conversion, when to go for it on 4th down, when to challenge a call, etc.) and he has not been doing a good job with those this year. I really wish we had a HC like McVay or Payton or B.Johnson who have a high IQ offensively - that way when our OCs get poached we aren't stuck in this situation where, if we hire the wrong one, we suck on that side of the ball.

I think part of the issue with Hurts is that Patullo (as former pass game coordinator) simply cannot come up with a scheme that fits his strengths. Hurts was THE best player on the field in 2 Super Bowls ... not like he forgot how to function at a high level all of the sudden. Reich was credited for changing up the overall scheme to tailor the offense to Foles' strengths after Wentz went down and it led us to our first Lombardi. We need someone like that.

20 minutes ago, time2rock said:

Sirianni bought himself a longer leash with the Super Bowl win but after watching how this season is unfolding (and hard to have much confidence it is going to get much better ... I get it other teams have issues too but this team just looks dejected ... saw it all over Hurts face during that Chicago game) have to think that leash has gotten considerably shorter again. Patullo should be and better be fired immediately at the conclusion of the season, and Sirianni simply cannot have final say on who the next OC will be. And if a power struggle arises (kinda like how it did with Pederson when they wanted him to fire Groh), then he can hit the bricks. He offers absolutely NOTHING on offense. His main responsibilities are really just clock management, in game strategy (when to call TOs, when to go for 2 pt conversion, when to go for it on 4th down, when to challenge a call, etc.) and he has not been doing a good job with those this year. I really wish we had a HC like McVay or Payton or B.Johnson who have a high IQ offensively - that way when our OCs get poached we aren't stuck in this situation where, if we hire the wrong one, we suck on that side of the ball.

I think part of the issue with Hurts is that Patullo (as former pass game coordinator) simply cannot come up with a scheme that fits his strengths. Hurts was THE best player on the field in 2 Super Bowls ... not like he forgot how to function at a high level all of the sudden. Reich was credited for changing up the overall scheme to tailor the offense to Foles' strengths after Wentz went down and it led us to our first Lombardi. We need someone like that.

That's my quandary when thinking about this whole thing...would those guys be able to get more out of Hurts? Or would they too have to whittle down their scheme/playbook to suit Hurts? We'll never know.

Hurts definitely played great in both Super Bowls. But I've seen enough of Hurts over his career (as have you) to know that he is also a limited QB overall. If you take away his running, what are you left with? You're left with a QB who can hit some nice deep balls down the sideline where his receivers make the play, but also a QB who can't get through progressions fast enough to find the open receiver on a given play, leaves the pocket too early many times, and has to see his target be wide open if it's anything other than one of those sideline passes. His running threat is what makes him above average and makes the offense move. We can blame KP all we want, but Hurts is a veteran QB who ultimately makes the on field choices and decisions with where to go with the ball.

All that said, if this season ends on the same note as 2023, there will definitely be changes in the offseason and I'm sure OC will be the minimum....and quite possibly, Siri himself. Which, is mind blowing to even see that as a "rational" thing when you're talking about a HC who has made the playoffs every season and has been to 2 Super Bowls, winning one. Yet, here we are.

16 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

That's my quandary when thinking about this whole thing...would those guys be able to get more out of Hurts? Or would they too have to whittle down their scheme/playbook to suit Hurts? We'll never know.

Hurts definitely played great in both Super Bowls. But I've seen enough of Hurts over his career (as have you) to know that he is also a limited QB overall. If you take away his running, what are you left with? You're left with a QB who can hit some nice deep balls down the sideline where his receivers make the play, but also a QB who can't get through progressions fast enough to find the open receiver on a given play, leaves the pocket too early many times, and has to see his target be wide open if it's anything other than one of those sideline passes. His running threat is what makes him above average and makes the offense move. We can blame KP all we want, but Hurts is a veteran QB who ultimately makes the on field choices and decisions with where to go with the ball.

All that said, if this season ends on the same note as 2023, there will definitely be changes in the offseason and I'm sure OC will be the minimum....and quite possibly, Siri himself. Which, is mind blowing to even see that as a "rational" thing when you're talking about a HC who has made the playoffs every season and has been to 2 Super Bowls, winning one. Yet, here we are.

You are definitely right about that. But I don't think the playoffs are a given this year. If we close out this season going 2-3 to end up 10-7 (or worse) and Dallas continues building momentum (their game against Detroit this Thursday is absolutely huge ... can't say I am feeling all that confident they will lose considering Detroit seems to have taken a couple steps back on both offense and defense), they would very well steal the division away from us like they did in 2023. And it would be quite likely Seattle, SF, and GB (or Chicago) would have better records than us to take the WC spots.

1 hour ago, time2rock said:

I think part of the issue with Hurts is that Patullo (as former pass game coordinator) simply cannot come up with a scheme that fits his strengths. Hurts was THE best player on the field in 2 Super Bowls ... not like he forgot how to function at a high level all of the sudden. Reich was credited for changing up the overall scheme to tailor the offense to Foles' strengths after Wentz went down and it led us to our first Lombardi. We need someone like that.

Speaking of Reich …

If Sirianni has even half a brain cell he’s calling Frank now to bring aboard as a consultant.

14 minutes ago, time2rock said:

You are definitely right about that. But I don't think the playoffs are a given this year. If we close out this season going 2-3 to end up 10-7 (or worse) and Dallas continues building momentum (their game against Detroit this Thursday is absolutely huge ... can't say I am feeling all that confident they will lose considering Detroit seems to have taken a couple steps back on both offense and defense), they would very well steal the division away from us like they did in 2023. And it would be quite likely Seattle, SF, and GB (or Chicago) would have better records than us to take the WC spots.

Could you friggin imagine if we collapse bad enough to where we don't make the playoffs? Wholly hell. That said, I'd rather lose out (better draft slot) than make the playoffs knowing we'd be one and done like 2023.

But I'm not there quite yet. I think we will win our next 2 games....and if we win them decisively, we'll be back to talking about a repeat! If we win ugly like we have this year, it'll be the same trepidation. If we lose, well, KP better put some egg shields up around his house, lol.

1 minute ago, time2rock said:

Speaking of Reich …

If Sirianni has even half a brain cell he’s calling Frank now to bring aboard as a consultant.

Absolutely. He's the guy I wanted as OC anyway. But, it takes 2 to tango. Who knows if Reich would be interested, and who knows if Sirianni's ego is just to big to admit he needs help.

5 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Absolutely. He's the guy I wanted as OC anyway. But, it takes 2 to tango. Who knows if Reich would be interested, and who knows if Sirianni's ego is just to big to admit he needs help.

Agreed on both. I mentioned in another thread that perhaps we did contact Reich (before promoting Patullo) and he wasn't interested in working for the guy that used to work for him. Everyone assumes it is a given we didn't bother to reach out to gauge interest. Or perhaps Sirianni thought it would be awkward to have his former boss under him and didn't want to go that route. Who knows.

11 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Could you friggin imagine if we collapse bad enough to where we don't make the playoffs? Wholly hell. That said, I'd rather lose out (better draft slot) than make the playoffs knowing we'd be one and done like 2023.

If we limp into the playoffs and it looks like it would end the same as 2023 did (when we got absolutely smoked by TB), then yeah I completely agree.

11 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

But I'm not there quite yet. I think we will win our next 2 games....and if we win them decisively, we'll be back to talking about a repeat! If we win ugly like we have this year, it'll be the same trepidation.

You have more confidence that me. I think we go 2-3 to close out the season with our 2 wins coming against LV and 1 of the 2 against WASH.

11 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

If we lose, well, KP better put some egg shields up around his house, lol.

Just now, time2rock said:

You have more confidence that me. I think we go 2-3 to close out the season with our 2 wins coming against LV and 1 of the 2 against WASH.

Just trying to stay positive

1 minute ago, EaglesAddict said:

Just trying to stay positive

Hey man, I'm not intentionally trying to be a pessimist. I am just going by what I see and what seems most likely based on that. The season is 71% over and they are STILL trying to find their identity??? That pretty much means they are not going to in the last part of the season. Just keeping it real (no matter how much I hate to feel this way).

7 minutes ago, time2rock said:

Hey man, I'm not intentionally trying to be a pessimist. I am just going by what I see and what seems most likely based on that. The season is 71% over and they are STILL trying to find their identity??? That pretty much means they are not going to in the last part of the season. Just keeping it real (no matter how much I hate to feel this way).

Oh I know, man. I'm right there with ya. I'm a realist too...am I confident? Hell no. I try to keep a perspective of hey, this is ultimately entertainment and crazy things can happen. Hell, remember way back in 2010 or 2011 when the VaGiants looked dead in the water but went on a run to win the SB, beating the undefeated Patriots? I mean, that WAS crazy! Just never know sometimes.

During games we look like garbage and after bad losses I become an angry pessimist at times. I used to let it ruin my day and sometimes my whole following week! I still get pissed, but I am able to let it go faster nowadays.

Go Birds

We saw what the eagles offense did with an experienced and creative OC in Kellen Moore. A Super Bowl sandwiched between 2 seasons of terrible offensive performances.

The eagles, despite the offseason personnel losses, were in a good position to repeat with the offensive talent they have that could have won games while the defense and it's new faces got up to speed.

OCs don't just call plays.....they put in new plays designed around the talent they have on offense, game plan, make adjustments based on the defenses they play, communicate and rely on player feedback, understand that the early play calling can set up plays later in the game, take advantage of mismatches etc.........these things don't seem to be happening.

At this point of the season, the HC and OC shouldn't be "looking for answers"........If that statement doesn't alarm Roseman and Lurie, I don't know what will.....