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The Philadelphia Eagles are left with many questions this offseason following a 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild Card round matchup at Raymond James Stadium on Monday night, and it appears one of those questions will be how they can get their identity back.
Speaking Tuesday on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that a team source he spoke with said that “the entire locker room really lost their identity.” Fowler added that staff changes could be on the horizon.
“There are some people in the building who are certainly on high alert today. So, no firm decision made as far as I know right now but it does appear tenuous because of the way they lost. I talked to a team source that said—So, I don’t know if there’s much coming back from that. I think at the very least you’re looking at staff changes, offense and defense.”
Given how Philadelphia played to close out the 2023 season, it’s hard to imagine the Nick Sirianni-led Eagles were contending for a Super Bowl title last year and sat atop the NFC with a 10-1 record roughly two months ago.
The team’s fall from grace began with a 42-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 3. That loss sparked a three-game losing streak as the Eagles also dropped games to the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks.
Philadelphia bounced back with a win over the New York Giants on Dec. 25 but fell to the Arizona Cardinals and Giants in Weeks 17 and 18 to close out the regular season. The team lost five of its last six games to finish with an 11-6 record.
Amid the struggles, defensive coordinator Sean Desai was stripped of his play-calling duties and the job was given to senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia. That move didn’t pay off.
Some expected the Eagles to bounce back in a big playoff game against the Buccaneers, but their struggles persisted. They failed to control the line of scrimmage, couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t get enough pressure on Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield didn’t tackle well.
NFL @NFL
56-yard TD for @treythekiid3 💨 Nobody was catching him!
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📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/VoOilAqH1t
NFL @NFL
SAFETY!!! 😳
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/0B4YZd9q3E
NFL @NFL
Too smooth! David Moore takes it in for a 44-yard TD 🙌
📺: #PHIvsTB on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rFlj59UzNi pic.twitter.com/K04XZqqPvb
Following the loss to Tampa Bay, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts attributed the struggles to several things, including a lack of identity and execution.
“For us this year, I don’t think we played well,” Hurts told reporters. “Didn’t play well enough. the identity, the consistency, the execution for us, the turnovers — everything, all of those come into play when you talk about having the opportunity to win championships. Something we have to be able to learn from.”
ESPN’s Tim McManus even reported prior to Monday’s game that Hurts was frustrated with Philadelphia’s lack of identity:
“On top of those struggles, Jalen Hurts’ desired direction for the offense has not materialized, which has been a source of disappointment for the franchise quarterback, according to a source with direct knowledge of Hurts’ thinking. A disconnect between the visions of Sirianni, Hurts and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson has affected the offense’s ability to land on an identity, the source said.”
If the Eagles want to truly contend in 2024 alongside the likes of the 49ers, they are going to have to have a much stronger identity moving forward.
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