At a Glance
- The Eagles’ offense sputtered all season and failed again in a 23-19 wild-card loss to the 49ers
- Head coach Nick Sirianni refused to single out offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo post-game
- Players defend Patullo but admit execution errors persisted into January
- Why it matters: A coaching change appears inevitable as the team looks to fix a broken offense
Nick Sirianni stayed diplomatic minutes after the Philadelphia Eagles’ season ended with a 23-19 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Asked about offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s performance, the head coach offered no immediate verdict.
“There will be time to evaluate everybody’s performance,” Sirianni said. “Right now, I feel for all our guys in the locker room, all the players, all the coaches, the front office, everybody that works so hard, the fans that come out and support us, Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie. I feel for all of us, all of them, and there’ll be time to evaluate everything coming up.”
That evaluation is underway. According to News Of Philadelphia, the findings are stark: an offense that never found rhythm, never evolved beyond basic concepts and collapsed in the same ways in January that it had in September.
A Season-Long Struggle
The numbers tell a blunt story. Philadelphia returned 10 of 11 offensive starters from its Super Bowl roster. The lone change came at coordinator, where Patullo stepped in after Kellen Moore left for the Saints’ head-coaching job.
The results regressed:
- Points per game dropped
- Third-down efficiency fell
- Red-zone touchdowns dipped
- Sack rate climbed
Same players, new voice, worse output.
Players Defend Their Coach
Left tackle Jordan Mailata pushed back on the idea that play-calling doomed the season.
“That’s very unfair,” Mailata said. “When you look at the play from a player’s standpoint, execution plays a massive role and there were just so many plays, so many games, where we just weren’t executing up front. I do think it’s a little unfair to point the finger at KP for the way the season ended.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts echoed the sentiment.
“I think it’s tough to single out one individual, especially in a moment like this,” Hurts said. “We all got to improve and that’s how I look at everything that we go through.”
Left guard Landon Dickerson acknowledged the noise around Patullo but praised his composure.
“It does bother me,” Dickerson said. “Everybody shares blame but everybody’s going to point to somebody. It’s hard for people on the outside that don’t understand what goes on and the details of everything. I think he handled the criticism well, didn’t let it get to him and that’s all you can do.”
Mailata framed the issue in blunt economic terms.
“It’s easier to blame somebody who gets paid less than your starting people, right?” he said. “And everybody knows that. Everyone in this f- locker room, even you guys know that. But the story makes better sense if we’re pointing to somebody else, not the players.”
Ownership and Accountability
Sirianni promoted Patullo from within, calling plays himself before handing the reins to his longtime aide. When the offense stalled, the head coach could not fix it.
Sirianni remains a Super Bowl-winning coach with organizational equity. Hurts signed a long-term extension last offseason. The roster’s core is locked in.
That leaves one obvious lever: the coordinator spot.
The Eagles fired Brian Johnson after the 2023 season even though his unit out-produced this year’s group. Patullo’s offense failed to match those numbers, intensifying scrutiny.
The Inevitable Decision
Jordan M. Lewis reported that retaining Patullo would be “unfathomable” given the results and expectations. The coach becomes a near-certain scapegoat, fair or not.
Does the move guarantee improvement? That remains uncertain. Changing one voice in the headset does not address execution errors, personnel usage or schematic balance.
Yet the status quo failed. The Eagles scored 19 points at home against a banged-up 49ers defense that had allowed 30+ four times during the regular season. The same issues-slow starts, stalled drives, untimely penalties-plagued the club from Week 1 through Wild Card Weekend.
What Comes Next
Team officials must decide whether a new coordinator alone can unlock the talent on hand or if broader changes are required. Sirianni could reclaim play-calling, hire an external candidate or promote from within.
Any solution must solve core problems:
- Predictable formations
- Poor early-down success rate
- Inconsistent perimeter blocking
- Turnover spikes in crucial moments
The clock is ticking. The Eagles open 2025 with Super Bowl aspirations and a roster built to contend. Another slow offensive start would place immense heat on everyone in the building.
Key Takeaways
- Kevin Patullo appears unlikely to return as offensive coordinator after one season
- Players publicly defend Patullo but admit repeated execution breakdowns
- Nick Sirianni faces pressure to fix an offense that regressed despite continuity
- The looming coaching change signals win-now urgency inside the NovaCare Complex
