10/09/2026 08:03:00
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10/09 05:00 CDT Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are facing their toughest test
with the Eagles
Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are facing their toughest test with the Eagles
By ROB MAADDI
AP Pro Football Writer
Injuries are piling up for the Philadelphia Eagles. Key starters are gone. A
new offensive coordinator is off to a rough start. The head coach is hearing
more criticism.
It's a familiar story the Eagles hope has a similar ending.
It was at this point of the NFL season two years ago that the notoriously tough
Philly fans were chanting "Fire Nick! Fire Nick!" at coach Nick Sirianni during
a lackluster victory over the Browns that improved Philadelphia's record to 3-2.
Sirianni screamed and gestured at them toward the end of the game and was
mocked nationally by television analysts and hot-take artists who said he
deserved to lose his job.
He kept it, and ended up hoisting a Lombardi Trophy four months later.
Led by Saquon Barkley's record-setting running, Jalen Hurts' steady performance
in Kellen Moore's offense and Vic Fangio's impressive defense, the Eagles won
10 straight games, finished the regular season 14-3, rolled through the
playoffs and dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
The task is much more difficult this time around.
The group of Eagles heading to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars on
Sunday morning barely resembles the team that opened the season.
"This is life in the NFL, and we will do the things that we can control to put
ourselves in the best position to win against a very good football team,"
Sirianni said. "You will never hear me use anything as an excuse. Our job is to
go handle the things that we can control, tough, detailed and together, and put
ourselves in the best position to win this upcoming week."
All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson retired abruptly on Tuesday, citing a desire
to focus on his mental health. Two-time Pro Bowl center Cam Jurgens was traded
to Baltimore a day later after poor performances at left guard. Three-time Pro
Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson hasn't played since Week 1. Center Drew
Kendall hasn't practiced this week. Top receiver DeVonta Smith will miss his
second straight game. Barkley is injured and backup Tank Bigsby is out, too.
Starting tight end Dallas Goedert has been limited in practice after missing
the last two games.
And, that's just the injuries on offense.
No wonder the Eagles have only scored 27 points in two straight losses to the
Bears and Rams, have managed just 420 total yards in those games and have
failed to convert 17 straight third downs in the last six quarters.
Rookie offensive coordinator Sean Mannion already was under intense scrutiny
when all his starters were available. Now, he's trying to build an identity
with a patchwork offensive line and reserves filling in for most of his best
skill players.
"We're implementing something that we absolutely believe in," Mannion said.
"You're always looking, like we've said, throughout this process, to make it as
good as it can be and add tweaks and add wrinkles here and there. We believe in
the things that we've installed and that we've implemented from a fundamental
perspective in terms of the structure of our offense. We're going to keep
leaning into that and make it as good as it can be."
The Eagles wasted a 10-point lead against Los Angeles in the final five minutes
last week in a 24-20 loss. But if Jurgens didn't make a mistake in a crucial
spot, the Eagles would be 3-1 instead of 2-2.
On third down from the Rams 2 midway through the fourth quarter, Jurgens pulled
too early to the right to block on a play that was a designed handoff to
Bigsby. There was an open lane for Bigsby to run into the end zone and extend
Philadelphia's lead to 26-10. Instead, Jurgens' hand collided with Hurts,
dislodging the ball and messing up the timing. Hurts had to improvise and kept
it for no gain. Then Sirianni went for it on fourth down and Hurts threw
incomplete to Darius Cooper.
That gave Matthew Stafford and the Rams an opportunity for a comeback.
Hurts had one of his least effective games, completing just 44.4% of his passes
(12 for 27) for 93 yards and two TDs. He was 16 of 25 (64%) for 153 yards with
one interception in a 27-7 loss at Chicago on Sept. 28.
The pressure is on Hurts now to prove what he can do without a star-studded
supporting cast. Hurts was the Super Bowl MVP two seasons ago and outplayed
Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl loss in 2023. Yet, despite his accomplishments,
questions about his ability to carry an offense have persisted.
"This is when you find out what you have," Hurts said. "You find out who you're
going out there to battle with. You see how you respond to adversity, how you
show up to work every day, what's your energy, what's your level of persistence
and resilience and determination to go out there and do the job."
Sirianni and Hurts have been winning since they came together in 2021: five
straight playoff appearances, three NFC East titles, two conference
championships, one Super Bowl victory.
But neither the coach nor the QB have been fully embraced in fickle Philly.
Sirianni was widely disparaged after fumbling his way through his introductory
news conference. They were calling for his firing when he used a flower analogy
to inspire players after the Eagles started 2-5 in 2021.
Sirianni and Hurts have persevered through adversity and kept stacking wins. No
active coach has a better winning percentage than Sirianni's .685. But this
season will be their biggest test yet.
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