PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Remember training camp, when Super Bowl hopes were high and optimism flowed through Philadelphia?
Heck, even most sportsbooks gave only the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle better odds out of the NFC to win a Super Bowl than the Eagles.
Let's take a look at the Eagles' progress, shall we?
Jalen Hurts is likely done for the season because of blood clots. Lane Johnson unexpectedly retired. Jordan Davis signed a contract extension worth
$65 million guaranteed and was subsequently traded. DeVonta Smith has played in four games, and Saquon Barkley is averaging 42.3 yards rushing per game.
Joe Milton III has lived up to his name as the third quarterback to start a game for the Eagles this season.
The Eagles entered their bye having lost seven straight games for the first time since an eight-game slide in Andy Reid's final season in 2012. They currently are projected to have the No. 5 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon. Oh, and the Eagles' playoff odds have fallen to just 0.2% once they resume their schedule on Nov. 22 against Pittsburgh.
(Deep breath).
Sean Mannion has overseen one of the NFL’s worst offenses in his first season as coordinator. Among the ugliest statistics: The Eagles have been outscored 126-40 in the second half and have not surpassed 341 total yards in a game this season.
Just two seasons removed from winning a Super Bowl, Nick Sirianni might be coaching for his job if owner Jeffrey Lurie decides the franchise needs a fresh start to move beyond this debacle.
(Exhale).
OK, one last one: The Phillies have won more games (three) since the Eagles' last win on Sept. 20 in Tennessee. The Phillies' season ended Oct. 1.
There's still plenty at stake over the final eight games.
Will the Eagles actually move on from yet another play-caller? Kevin Patullo got one season and so did Kellen Moore (who left to coach the Saints) and so did Brian Johnson. Shane Steichen went back-to-back in 2021-22, the last time the Eagles enjoyed any continuity at the position.
Sure, injuries to Hurts, Barkley, Smith and the offensive line — and a sharp falloff from veteran left guard Landon Dickerson — haven't helped Mannion in his first season, but the numbers have been too awful to ignore, no matter who's in the lineup.
Sirianni hadn't made a change as of Thursday. He had said everything was on the table, and the only move was to bench Tanner McKee for Milton.
“We’re going through our self-scout process,” Sirianni said during the bye week. “Guys are working on studies right now and we’re determined to figure things out and get on the right track, and that’s what we’re worried about right this particular time.”
Milton threw for only 169 yards and watched the New York Giants use two quarterbacks to rally past the Eagles 19-11 on Sunday. He was signed off the Cowboys’ practice squad just three weeks earlier.
They could give Cole Payton a look at some point in the second half. Payton was a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft out of North Dakota State. He joins Carson Wentz as NDSU QBs drafted by Philadelphia.
“He does some stuff on scout team where he’s not the quarterback sometimes,” Sirianni said. “Even sometimes in developmental periods, if we need a clear-out route or something like that, he’s had a couple nice catches in those, too. I can’t say enough good things about him and his willingness to do anything to help the football team and also help his growth.”
The Eagles were quick to tout Sirianni's accomplishments after a 2-0 start this season. Among them, he was one of only five head coaches in NFL history ever with a .700 career winning percentage (it's now at 65%).
Sirianni has won three division titles, two NFC championships and one Super Bowl while making five playoff appearances in five seasons.
Lurie has never been shy to fire coaches, no matter how successful with the franchise, once the team hits the skids.
Reid was fired in 2012 after his first losing season since 1999. Chip Kelly had back-to-back 10-win seasons and was then fired with the Eagles at 6-9 in 2015. Doug Pederson led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship in franchise history and followed that up with two more playoff appearances. He was fired after posting a losing record in the 2020 season.
“My job is to do everything I can do to turn this around and fix this, and worry about the things I can worry about, nothing else matters because anything else, anything that distracts you from getting the job done, is just noise, and it just can affect you from doing what you need to do, and so I don’t think about that," Sirianni said this week to Philadelphia sports radio station WIP.
Time is ticking.
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