You Can’t Blame Sean Desai For Missed Tackles

Blaming coordinators is a Philly tradition like no other. Eagles fans haven't been happy with a defensive coordinator since Jim Johnson tragically passed away. In some cases, fan complaints have been justified. Juan Castillo had no business being a defensive coordinator, but that is more Andy Reid's fault than Juan's. Jonathan Gannon was not good at his job, and we saw that any time they played a good QB. But not everything is the coordinator's fault. And this year it feels like Sean Desai is getting blamed for something that is not his fault.

Giving up 42 points is awful. Even to an offense as good as the Niners. But how many of those TDs would have been short gains if the Eagles defenders just, you know, actually tackled the guy?

And that is just the tip of the iceberg. All game long Eagles defenders were bouncing off of 49ers players. It was like watching a freshman football team that hasn't learned proper tackle technique yet. That is on the players, not the coach. These are pro players, they don't need to be taught how to tackle. There are plays where they could have had stops if they just wrapped up. Instead, they bounced off, and the Niners made big plays.

It is worth remembering that this Eagles' defense kept the Chiefs and Dolphins in check. They also held the Cowboys to fewer points than most teams have. We can't just rip Sean Desai when things go wrong, but then ignore the good things his defense has done this year. The truth is this defense is way less talented than last year's team was. They are missing Avonte Maddox and TJ Edwards badly. The linebacker group, that was mediocre to begin with, is banged up badly.

Yesterday was bad. There is no way around that. But before you start calling for Sean Desai's head, take a step back and look at the larger picture. His defense is banged up, and lacking talent across the middle of the field. They are coming off a game where the defense played 95 snaps. And the 49ers had a major rest advantage.

Do those things excuse giving up 42 points? No. The team needs to be better. But it is context we can't ignore. And Sean Desai has done more than enough in other big games this year that he deserves some benefit of the doubt. This isn't Jonathan Gannon whose defenses never stopped or beat a good QB. His defense has beaten Mahomes, Prescott, and Tua. And got some key stops when needed against Josh Allen. So maybe let's not freak out about one awful game. Given the roster he has been given, this defense has performed well apart from the 49ers game.

The Philadelphia Eagles met their worst embarrassment of the 2023 NFL season in Week 13. The San Francisco 49ers dominated at Lincoln Financial Field in a 42-19 blowout.

The Birds have dealt with injuries to key players in recent weeks. Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams returned against the 49ers. Zach Cunningham was out of the lineup, and the linebackers struggled without him and Nakobe Dean on the field. Jack Stoll started in place of the injured Dallas Goedert.

Who will return as Week 14 starters for the Eagles?

The 49ers failed to move the chains with a first down on their first two drives. The Eagles defense fell apart in the second quarter, however.

Brock Purdy moved the San Francisco offense down the field with ease and incredible efficiency for the remainder of the afternoon. Starting linebackers Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss struggled to contain offensive standouts Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey.

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia offense started with two effective drives, but they stopped short of the end zone both times. They failed to take control of the game while the defense struggled.

Nick Sirianni has begun his NFL head coaching career with a 33-13 record in regular-season games. However, the 23-point loss was the worst the Eagles have suffered under their third-year head coach.

Dallas Goedert and Zach Cunnigham will be the most important Eagles to keep an eye on leading up to a Week 14 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.

Goedert has missed the past three games with a forearm injury. The Eagles initially chose not to put him on injured reserve, which designates a four-game absence. His status was in question last week, and the sixth-year tight end would theoretically return against the Cowboys.

Cunningham missed the 49ers game with a hamstring injury, and Jeff McLane suspects that he might remain on the sidelines longer. While Jalen Hurts left the Week 13 game for concussion tests, his status shouldn't be in question moving forward.

With the need for a bounce-back effort, Sirianni hopes to have his roster at full strength. 

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020

Tight End, #88
South Dakota St.
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #41
Greensville University
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)

Linebacker, #50
South Carolina St.
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (December 2023)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)

Cornerback, #33
Ohio State University
10th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)

Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)

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