And So, It Begins! Anonymous Philadelphia Eagles’ Players Rip Play Calling after Two Game Slide

The Philadelphia Eagles are mired in their first significant two-game losing streak* since the end of the 2021-22 NFL season. That year, Nick Sirianni’s first as the Birds’ head coach, the Eagles dropped the regular season finale to Dallas, 51-26, and the NFC Wild Card Game to the Buccaneers, 31-15. Fast forward to 2023-24, the Eagles are in the midst of a six-game gauntlet against the best teams in the NFL, and while they’re 3-2 through the first five games of the gauntlet, they’ve been outscored 75-32 over the past two weeks and are giving up 36.3 points per game overall. For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, things are starting to boil over, specifically on the offensive side of the football where things are seemingly stuck in neutral. 

Fans and critics have noticed the Birds’ offensive offense since the beginning of the season. Many chalked it up to new Eagles’ offensive coordinator Brian Johnson taking over play calling for Shane Steichen, who is now the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. Many called it growing pains, if you will. And that’s a fair argument, especially through the first few weeks of the season, however now into the last quarter of the 2023-24 NFL regular season it’s obvious the Birds’ offense is lost.

Gone are the RPO-reads that made Jalen Hurts such a dangerous weapon. And not just with his legs, the 2022-23 RPO-heavy offense allowed the Eagles to hit short quick passes getting their playmakers into space. 

This Philadelphia Eagles offense is TOUGH to stop for many reason especially plays like this.

Jalen Hurts reads the RPO as good as anyone in the league. He sees the LB take the run leaving the middle of the field open for the slant. #Eagles #PhiladelphiaEagles pic.twitter.com/3rFc9yWAhJ

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) December 20, 2022

An exciting, nuanced offense has been replaced by what can best be described as a 9-year-old playing NCAA Football ‘14 on Heisman difficulty for the first time and finding the one or two plays that work and running them over-and-over again.  But as successful as those plays might be, they eventually become repetitive and predictable. And that’s reportedly how members of the Birds’ offense feel about their current predicament. 

Speaking on Jakib Media’s Eagles postgame program, Eagles’ reporter Derrick Gunn, dropped a doozy about a text exchange he had with unnamed Eagles players immediately following the game.  Here’s what D-Gunn reported on Sunday:

The Philadelphia #Eagles are desperate for a change as players tell @RealDGunn the team has become too “predictable”.

“Look at our pass routes compared to the Cowboys pass routes, our pass routes take too long to develop. Dallas gets their bleep out real quick.” pic.twitter.com/QXxHTkxPik

— JAKIB Sports (@JAKIBSports) December 11, 2023

Let the speculation begin on the unnamed players, but they’re right!

This Birds’ offense has been bland, uncreative, and predictable all season long. There’s nothing to it other than “line up and play football.” Look, sometimes that works but more often than not –especially at the NFL level– there needs to be some creativity and scheme. Do the Eagles need to be the Niners or Dolphins and motion people all over God’s green earth? No, but the 2023-24 Philadelphia Eagles offense is as predictable as any high school team that runs the Delaware wing-t. 

The real question becomes: can the Eagles’ offense be fixed during the final four games of the regular season? And, honestly, that’s a tough ask for a team that has been locked into a system the way they have been since the summer. Maybe a little wrinkle or two can be added. And maybe said wrinkle or two will be enough, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it will be. Unfortunately, the offense “is what it is” at this point. Any changes, and there needs to be changes, need to come during the offseason. 

The time’s yours.

NOTE: *- the Eagles had a two-game losing streak with Garnder Minshew as the QB losing back-to-back last season against Dallas and New Orleans, respectively.