Following their 38-35 loss in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles were seen as a promising team pegged to be a contender going into the 2023-2024 season. For the bulk of the 2023-2024 season, the Eagles lived up to this reputation, boasting an impressive 10-1 record in their first 11 games. However, this domination came to a sudden halt in their week 13 game against the San Francisco 49ers, which they lost 42-19. Including week 13, they would then go on to drop 4 of their last 5 games, all culminating in their 32-9 wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the last few weeks of the season, there appeared to be several issues with the team. The Eagles had endless struggles trying to stop opponents rushing attacks, while also having trouble putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and seeing a dramatic drop off in offensive productivity. Possibly the biggest problem was the Eagles coaching staff, led by Nick Siriani. They showed a concerning lack of leadership down the stretch, while also being largely unable to adjust their playcalling to effectively compete with what other teams were doing.
In his previous two years with the Eagles, Nick Siriani was widely seen as a positive locker-room presence, often motivating his team at various lows and enabling them to continue dominating through various rough patches. However, it became apparent that any amount of motivational speeches or messages were not going to be effective this time around. Analysts and fans alike were quick to speculate that the downfall of the Eagles’ season was due to an underreported locker room issue. While several sources claim different narratives regarding the Eagles locker room, at this time it would be hearsay to conclusively argue that a possible rift was the reason for such a sudden collapse. Despite this, Nick Siriani was not able to lead his team through their struggles effectively, falling short of providing the motivation he relied on in previous years.
Another contributing factor to the Eagles’ collapse was former offensive and defensive coordinators Brian Johnson and Sean Desai’s distinct inability to adapt as the season progressed. As opponents became more familiar with the Eagles’ offensive and defensive schemes and tendencies, they were able to capitalize on their weaknesses. This became apparent in their week thirteen 42-19 loss against the San Francisco 49ers. The game saw 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy rip apart the Eagles’ secondary, throwing for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns, complemented by Christian McCaffrey rushing for another 93 yards and a touchdown. Soon after, it became apparent this was not a one-game fluke as the Eagles would go on to drop the next five games out of six, with their sole win coming against the Giants in week 16, whom they lost to just 2 weeks later. The Eagles ran similar, predictable schemes while not addressing the weaknesses posed by injuries and positional unproductivity throughout the rest of the season.
Going into the 2024-2025 season, the Eagles hope that former Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, as well as former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, can help rebuild the foundations of their offense and defense, bringing the Eagles back into the threat they hope to be.
