December 9, 2025
The first sign of a crisis came late last week, when word leaked out that Nick Sirianni was riding to the rescue of the comatose Eagles offense.
Nick Sirianni? The same head coach who oversaw the worst collapse in franchise history two years ago? The same frat brother who plays the fool on the sideline every game? The same genius who has won regularly only when he had someone else running the offense?
Yeah, that’s the guy.
What I never considered – not for a second – was that Sirianni’s influence would turn his franchise quarterback, Jalen Hurts, from the most secure protector of the ball in the NFL into a bumbler whose generosity in a 22-19 loss to the Chargers etched his name into the record books.
Hey, I am in no way absolving Hurts from arguably the worst performance of his six-year NFL career on Monday night. He was indecisive in the pocket, his passes were scattershot in the pristine indoor conditions, and his ineptitude in protecting the ball was astounding.
Of course, the play everyone will remember is the interception he threw in the second quarter that led to a fumble by Da’Shawn Hand, then one by Hurts, and finally a recovery by Troy Dye.
Three turnovers for the price of one – and two by Hurts on the same play, the first time that has happened in 47 years.
What made the performance even more perplexing was the fact that Hurts had thrown a league-best two picks in the first 12 games before launching four against Los Angeles.
The mistake that cost the Eagles a spirited comeback win, despite all of the mistakes, was one last lame duck down the sideline that was tipped into the hands of Tony Jefferson just one tantalizing yard from the Los Angeles end zone.
So close. If Hurts had released the ball a millisecond earlier in the direction of an open Jahan Dotson standing one step in front of the right pilon, all of the indignities that preceded that play would have swept aside by the celebration of the Eagles and the tens of thousands of loud fans who made the 3,000-yard trek to LA to support their freefalling team.
What changed so radically for Hurts between the Chicago debacle and this latest exercise in futility?
Oh, that’s right, Sirianni got more involved, at the expense of his best pal, novice OC Kevin Patullo. Did the head coach tell his star QB to loosen the reins a little, take more chances with the ball? Or did Hurts hit a breaking point after trying to hide the cluelessness of his immediate bosses for the first three-quarters of the season?
We may never know, given the tight lips that engulf the Eagles locker room. All I can say for sure is, that was not the Jalen Hurts I have been watching since 2019, one of the smartest minds on any football field, and clearly the brightest among the dim bulbs who have been coaching him.
After the game, Hurts took the blame with the usual boilerplate response: “The we – I look at it, it’s I. How I play, how I lead, and my ability to go out there and figure it out. There’s no excuses.”
And then there was Sirianni, who said . . . .
No, not this time. You will have to take my word for it that the coach had nothing illuminating to add. As if there were even a remote chance that he would.
All you need to know about that sideline embarrassment is that Sirianni went berserk on a totally legitimate holding penalty against Jordan Mailata that cost the Eagles a touchdown, then bumped heads with him endearingly when the refs missed another even more blatant Mailata hold that would have wiped off the board the only TD the Eagles scored all night.
Yeah, the Eagles need Sirianni more involved in the offense.
That’s definitely the answer.
Because the world is ruled by knee-jerk jackasses on social media, the outcry will build this week for the ascension of unproven exhibition-game stud Tanner McKee. Hey, I loved the kid QB last summer myself. I did a whole blog post about him. But if you think handing the keys of the offense to McKee instead of a Super-Bowl winner is a brilliant idea, well, you should apply for a job on Sirianni’s offensive staff, where morons are welcome.
A quick glance at the schedule suggests that the crisis will reach its peak this week, before the hideous Raiders arrive next Sunday to bring back some swagger on an Eagles team in dire need of it. Then it’s the Commanders corpse twice in the last three weeks, sandwiching a trip to frosty Buffalo.
The Eagles will make the playoffs. They will win the NFC East. There’s no reason to believe otherwise, especially given that soft schedule. The real problem comes right after that, though. Given the three straight losses to Dallas, Chicago and LA, which playoff team can the Eagles beat? Any of them?
The only hope the Birds have is that Jalen Hurts will tune out all of the clowns in his ear, figure it all out soon and play much better football than he did against the Chargers.
More than ever now, the 2025 season is in his hands.
And, for the first time, I’m not so sure he can do it.
Other things on my mind. . . . .
- So the Phillies are bringing back Kyle Schwarber on a new five-year, $150-million deal. There is joy in the streets over this, I’m sure. I said before and will repeat here that, down the road, the fan jubilation will give way to frustration. He will not be a great hitter in five years. He will be an old one. The K’s will go up and the RBIs down. Enjoy the news today. While you can.
- Andy Reid turned back the clock on Sunday night when he blew a huge game against the Texans. Never a master of strategy – remember his clock mismanagement in his Eagles days? – the Chiefs coach decided to go for it with 10 minutes left and the score tied at 10. The only problem was, he did it during a defensive battle, and the ball was on his own 31-yard-line, fourth and one. The ensuing pass failed, and the Texans turned the field position into the winning points. So, if you’re wondering whether I still delight in Reid’s failures, there’s your answer. Yes. Definitely yes. More so now than ever, really.
- At the same time that they have found a new star in rookie E.J. Edgecombe, the Sixers appear to have lost their franchise player, Joel Embiid. No, he’s not injured again. (Or at least not injured enough to do what he does best, which is sit on the sidelines counting his $55 million annual salary.) At the moment, Embiid is able to play – just not very well anymore. In a 112-108 loss to the Lakers on Sunday night, he was 4 for 21 from the field, missing 13 of his first 14 shots. Games like that make you wish he could find a new excuse not to play.
- The Flyers are still a year or two away from being a true contender, but I’m thrilled with their progress this season under president Keith Jones and new coach Rick Tocchet. (I may have been wrong about Jonesy making a mistake by hiring a close friend to run the team. I hope so). The best part of this rebirth, at least for me, is how awesome the Flyers are this season in shootouts. They are 5-0. That’s right. The franchise that ranked among the worst in NHL overtimes forever is now among the best. Bravo for that.
- Now a few words about the brilliant job Jonathan Gannon is doing as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Widely regarded as a defensive wizard (by idiots) when he was the DC of the Eagles, Gannon’s horrible football team gave up 45 points to the Rams on route to a 28-point loss on Sunday. In his third year as a head coach, the Cards are 3-10, and 15-32 since he got there. Now let’s listen to all the talk about what a great defensive mind he has. Can you hear it? Me neither.