It seems like the Philadelphia Eagles’ late-season performance may have head coach Nick Sirianni on thin ice, and the team’s owner seems to be surprisingly keeping his opinions about the situation to himself ahead of their Wild Card Playoff game on Monday.
Over the first 12 weeks of the 2023 NFL season, the Eagles were one of the best teams in the league. They were 10-1 and again looked like favorites to make a second straight trip to the Super Bowl. However, disguised in their impressive record was a team that was not nearly as dominant as they were in 2022.
In their final six games, they went into a tailspin as Philadelphia lost five of those matchups, including embarrassing blowout defeats to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. It led to a play-caller change on defense, and rumblings of an unhappy locker room.
- Nick Sirianni coaching record by season: 9-8 (2021), 14-3 (2022), 11-6 (2023)
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As the team’s slump persisted and they blew their lead in the NFC East, there has been speculation that head coach Nick Sirianni’s future with the franchise was on shaky ground. On Saturday, there was also a report of a former NFL head coach with ties to the organization believing team owner Jeffrey Lurie would move on from his head coach if the team suffered a surprise loss in the Wild Card Round on Monday.
While it is all just conjecture, the Philadelphia Eagles owner could easily shut down the talk and confirm Sirianni is going nowhere, win or lose. However, he hasn’t publicly, and a new report claims he hasn’t intimated his opinion about Sirianni to those in the organization either.
“There continues to be speculation about Sirianni’s future despite the fact that the Eagles have gone to the playoffs in three straight seasons,” ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said during a Sunday appearance on “NFL Countdown.” “The organization doesn’t believe it’s substantiated but the wild card to all of this, of course, is what does the owner Jeffrey Lurie think?
“And nobody really knows that. It’s not like he’s telling people but if Lurie is unhappy with how this team shows out in the postseason then it becomes an issue that could be worth tracking.”
Related: Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles job reportedly on the line in Monday night NFL Wild Card game
It is fascinating that Lurie has not looked to dispel the drama surrounding his team with a public statement like so many franchise owners would do. It just seems to add even more ramifications to their NFL Playoff game against the Buccaneers on Monday night.