In Roob’s observations: Why next 4 games could determine Sirianni’s future with Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Why the next month could very well determine Nick Sirianni’s future, a rookie we need to see more of and a very simple adjustment that could get Jalen Hurts back on track.
1. The Browns are 1-4 and haven’t scored more than 18 points. The Giants are 2-3, ranked 27th in offense and 4-17 in their last 21 games against the Eagles. The Bengals are 1-4, and only the Panthers (the one team they’ve beaten) are allowing more points. And the Jaguars are 1-4, have lost six straight road games and rank 30th in defense. For an Eagles team that’s been scuffling on both sides of the ball, you couldn’t ask for a better four-game stretch. Combined record of their first four opponents is 11-9. Combined record of their next four opponents is 5-15. On paper, the Eagles should beat all these teams. But on paper they should have won a lot of games recently and they didn’t. It’s only Week 6, but this is a critical stretch for Nick Sirianni because if this team continues to lose games it should win, continues to get blown out on a regular basis, continues to fall behind early, continues to blow 4th-quarter leads, he’s not going to be here much longer, and these four games give him and his program a real chance to fix a lot of problems and re-establish the Eagles as a legit postseason contender. But if the Eagles falter during this next month? You hope for 4-0, you’d sign up for 3-1, but 2-2 would be disappointing and anything worse would be disastrous. If they go 2-2, then they’re 4-4 with the Cowboys and Commanders up next and it’s not a clear path from their to the playoffs. The Eagles have lost six straight in Dallas and the Commanders are suddenly dangerous with the otherworldly play of rookie QB Jayden Daniels. So I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say these next four games could decide Sirianni’s future. Four lousy opponents. Four winnable games. A real opportunity to put this 3-8 stretch to rest and go on a little run. If the Eagles can’t beat these teams, who can they beat?
2. The Eagles’ streak of games with either one or no interceptions has now reached 31 consecutive games, 4th-longest in NFL history behind the Raiders’ 40-game stretch from 2003 through 2006, a 34-game Lions streak in 2018 through 2020 and the Raiders’ 33-gamer over the 2021 through 2023 seasons. Last time the Eagles had two INTs in a game was 2022 vs. the Packers, when Josiah Scott and Reed Blankenship both recorded their first career interceptions off Aaron Rodgers (who has the best interception percentage in NFL history). The Eagles have had four defensive coordinators during the streak – Jonathan Gannon for nine games, Sean Desai for 13 games, Matt Patricia for five and Vic Fangio for four.
3. How about a little more Jalyx Hunt? The rookie 3rd-round edge from Houston Christian got his first taste of NFL defense with five snaps in Tampa, and considering the lack of production the Eagles have been getting from their edge rushers I want to see what Hunt can do with 12 to 15 snaps per game. Take half a dozen snaps from Nolan Smith and Bryce Huff and give them to Hunt. He’s got some juice, we all saw it in training camp and you can see it on special teams, where he’s played 41 snaps the last three games. What do you have to lose? Brandon Graham has two hurries and one sack and Josh Sweat has one hurry and one sack. Smith and Huff have a combined no sacks and one hurry and they’re both averaging 27 to 28 snaps per game. They’ve both been utterly ineffective and the Eagles have nothing to lose by giving a hungry rookie a shot. He can’t generate less pressure.
4A. The last Browns quarterback to throw more touchdowns than interceptions in a game in Philadelphia was Gary Lane in 1967. The last six Browns QBs who’ve faced the Eagles here have thrown more or as many INTs as touchdowns: Bill Nelson in 1969 (one TD, two INTs), Mike Phipps in 1977 (one TD, one INT), Brian Sipe in 1979 (two TDs, three INTs), Mark Rypien in 1994 (one TD, one INT), Ken Dorsey in 2008 (no TDs, two INTs) and Robert Griffin III in 2016 (no TDs, one INT). In 1967, Lane threw two TDs and one interception in a 28-24 Eagles win at Franklin Field. It was the only start of Lane’s career. They were the only touchdowns and interceptions of his career.
4B. Lane became an NFL official after his brief playing career and was a referee from 1992 through 1997. He was the ref for the 1995 Eagles opener at the Vet against the Seahawks, a 38-0 loss better known as the Ricky Watters “For Who, For What” game.
4C. Lane’s son-in-law is Mike Matheny, a four-time Gold Glove-winning catcher with the Cards and Padres, was manager of the Royals from 2020 through 2022.
5. It’s mind blowing that the Eagles haven’t won a game by more than one possession since the Dolphins in Week 7 last year. That’s 15 straight games over the equivalent of close to a full season that they’ve either lost or won by eight or fewer points. That’s their 7th-longest streak since 1942 and longest since a 20-game stretch over 2012 and 2013 covering the last 15 games of Andy Reid’s final year and the five games of Chip Kelly’s first year.
6A. The Eagles have the fewest impact plays on defense in the NFL this year – six sacks, two interceptions, no forced fumbles – and even accounting for the fact that they’ve only played four games they still have the fewest per game with eight in four games. The Vikings have the most with 33, and the Packers (30), Giants (27), Broncos (27), 49ers (27) and Bears (25) are next. The Eagles have eight. The most defensive impact plays the Eagles have ever had after four weeks is 27 in 1991. The only times the Eagles have had eight or fewer after four games since sacks became an official stat in 1982 are 1997 (six), 1998 (six) and 2019 (seven).
6B. The Eagles haven’t forced a fumble in their last eight games. The last opposing fumble they recovered was at Dallas in Week 14 last year when Fletcher Cox strip sacked Dak Prescott and Jalen Carter recovered and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. Opposing teams have fumbled six times since then but the Eagles haven’t recovered any of them. This is the Eagles’ longest streak of games without forcing an opposing fumble since a nine-game stretch running from the Panthers game in Week 7 to Washington in Week 16. That streak ended on the last day of the 2015 season when Connor Barwin sacked Eli Manning and forced a fumble that Walter Thurmond recovered and returned 83 yards for a touchdown in a game the Eagles won 35-30 under interim head coach Pat Shurmur.
6C. The Eagles have drafted 45 defensive players since 2013 (not including this year) and only one of them has made a Pro Bowl. That’s Josh Sweat, a 4th-round pick in 2018 and a Pro Bowler in 2021. The last defensive Pro Bowler they drafted before Sweat was Jordan Poyer in the seventh round in 2013. He’s the last Eagles draft pick to make a Pro Bowl, going in 2022 with the Bills. The last four defensive players the Eagles drafted who made a Pro Bowl as Eagles – Sweat, Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox and Trent Cole – are defensive linemen. The last time the Eagles drafted a defensive player who wasn’t a defensive lineman that went to a Pro Bowl for the Eagles 2002 with Lito Sheppard – who went to Pro Bowls in 2004 and 2006 – and Michael Lewis – a Pro Bowler in 2004.
7. Quarterbacks who’ve spent time with both the Eagles and Browns: Ty Detmer, Joe Flacco, Jeff Garcia, Brad Goebel, Kelly Holcomb, Cody Kessler, Thaddeus Lewis, Josh McCown, Nick Mullens, Doug Pederson and Mark Rypien.
8. Just because A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are back doesn’t mean Jalen Hurts should forget about throwing to anyone else. Hurts has gotten into trouble when he’s either waited for Brown or Smith to get open or when he’s forced the ball to them when they haven’t been open. They’re going to be targets 1A and 1B as long as they’re here, but Dallas Goedert showed what he can do the last couple weeks and Saquon Barkley is still a good receiver despite the costly drop against the Falcons, and Hurts has to embrace taking the safe, short, low-risk underneath throw for five or six yards to Goedert or Barkley instead of putting the ball in harm’s way down the field. There’s nothing wrong with methodically moving the chains and wearing down the opposing defense. And there’s still room for taking that vertical shot when it’s there … but only when it’s there. Somewhere along the way, Hurts lost sight of this, and just about every negative play he’s made has been related to holding onto the ball too long or forcing throws to 6 and 11. Fix that and he’ll go a long way toward fixing his season and fixing this offense.
9. The Commanders are No. 2 in the NFL in yards per pass attempt, No. 1 on third down and No. 1 in points per game. Their rookie quarterback is the 2nd-most accurate QB in NFL history through five weeks, and their 31 points per game is their highest after Week 5 in 25 years. Their passing game coordinator? Brian Johnson.
10. Wouldn’t it be incredible if Cam Jurgens made the Pro Bowl in his first season at center replacing fan all-timer like Jason Kelce? Jurgens has quietly been very good so far this year and if he keeps playing the way he has been – and why wouldn’t he? – he’ll be in the mix. Several of the top NFC centers are hurt – Erik McCoy of the Saints is out indefinitely after getting hurt against the Eagles, Frank Ragnow of the Lions has been out a couple weeks with a torn pec, the Falcons’ Drew Dalman is on IR with a high ankle sprain. Jurgens, McCoy and the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey are the only centers that Pro Football Focus grades at least 70 as both a run blocker and pass blocker, and McCoy is hurt and Humphrey is in the AFC. Jurgens isn’t Kelce and he’s not trying to be Kelce, but he’s been very effective, very consistent and really other than the three illegal man downfield penalties there’s not a lot to criticize. He hasn’t allowed a sack or a quarterback hit through four games, and he’s handled the pressure of following a Hall of Famer as well as anybody could. He doesn’t have a world-class podcast, he’s not on every other TV commercial, you won’t see him on the news chugging beer at some bar at the shore, and he doesn’t hang out with Taylor Swift. But he’s got something more important in common with Kelce and that’s a whole lot of ability to play center at a high level.
