Before Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts arrived on the scene, the Philadelphia Eagles were no strangers to the funky loss.
Losses that had fans up for nights on end wondering how the team blew the game. Defeats that had fans wondering how positive the future would be. Sure, the team had won a Super Bowl during that time frame, but the Eagles had a history of losing in some of the most bizarre ways.
For five years, things were different. Sirianni had built a culture that never seemed to play down to competition. They had a quarterback who would never make the bone-headed play. Every time the Eagles were in a clutch situation, they always seemed to make the obvious and easy call to execute.
What makes the team's 2-3 start to the season so frustrating for Eagles fans isn't just the fact that they are on a three-game losing streak, or have the worst second-half offense in recent memory.
No, the underlying frustration in Philadelphia is because, for the first time in five years, Sirianni and Hurts look like every other coach and quarterback duo that had come before him. The logic has been lost. The clutch gene, nonexistent.
It's frustrating, because the most successful QB-HC duo in team history has finally come down to earth.
Can Eagles get back to greatness?
There are detractors to both Sirianni and Hurts citing the fact that it was general manager Howie Roseman who built such dominant rosters for the team over the last five years. The argument is that the head coach and quarterback only needed to not screw up, and they would win a lot of games.
Those arguments are disingenuous compared to what Eagles fans have gone through over the last nearly three decades.
Andy Reid, for example, had a top-five defense for most of his career, a franchise QB, a great running back, and failed to win a Super Bowl because he made decisions in big games that hurt the team. Chip Kelly lasted three seasons in Philadelphia. Doug Pederson caught lightning in a bottle, but was never able to duplicate the success in later seasons.
Pick a frustrating loss: every past head coach in team history has had them:
- 2019 losing to the five-win Dolphins
- 2018 blowing a 14-point lead to the Titans
- 2006 losing to the four-win Buccaneers on a 62-yard field goal
- 2008 tying the bad Cincinnati Bengals
- 2013 being blown out by the five-win Vikings
Sunday's loss to Jacksonville was not uncommon in Eagles history. In fact, they are a dime a dozen.
It's not just in Eagles history either. Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay are considered two of the most elite coaches in football right now. Shanahan has a penchant for losing in big moments, and McVay hasn't been back to the Super Bowl since 2021. During that same stretch, the Eagles won a Super Bowl by 18, and went to a second one.
The level of consistent domination the franchise has put forth over five years under Sirianni and Hurts is unprecedented. In many ways, Eagles fans should be more patient and appreciative of the two going forward.
But that's not how this city is. People will argue about needing a new coach and quarterback so long as the losing continues.
The frustration stems, though, not just based on execution or missed calls from the coaching staff. It's based on the fact no one has won quite like Sirianni and Hurts.
And for the first time in years, it seems like they both are running out of wins.
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