The Eagles Can’t Break Out the Underdog Masks

The one thing that I did not expect to hear come out of the Eagles locker room, especially from a leader like Brandon Graham, was the tired old talking point of “everybody is doubting us." The Eagles are not even the underdog against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s important to note that Graham has been singing a tune of “this team will bounce back” for weeks now. I’m sure that was to try and calm the waters and support locker room morale. The one thing I can’t accept is anyone in that organization trying to now spin their fan base as doubters who are driving them by their disbelief. There are so many reasons why this is a problem THEY created for themselves.

The Eagles hired Nick Sirianni as an offensive innovator. He has failed to deliver on that resume line. Seven games into his head coaching career, he told the fan base he wasn’t good at play-calling before turning things over to Shane Steichen.

Now with his team careening off the cliff, he refused to take on play-calling duties. That tells me that you either were afraid to show you still stink at it or you were refusing to grasp that Brian Johnson was over his skis. Either way, it’s unacceptable. 

Brian Johnson and his offensive play design was just featured on ESPN by Dan Orlovsky this week as the most simplistic to defend in the NFL. One year they had NFL defenses on their heels and cruised to a Super Bowl berth. The next year, more people are mocking the approach.

Don’t get me started on the collective work of Sean Desai and Matt Patricia. The defensive performance has back slid and failed to improve. A house cleaning is in order.

Where are the storied veteran personalities in this locker room like Jason Kelce, Fletcher Cox, and Lane Johnson? Why have they not managed to help stem the tide of failure? Have they checked out on the leadership? I’m open to any suggestion because the silence has been staggering. It seems the fan base is more angry than the players.

Being a bottom-three NFL defense is truly crazy. There is too much talent on this squad to ever be hanging out at the bottom of the points per game allowed standings. It indicates that the approach has been terrible and that the players have failed to rise above the challenge to execute the basics with competency.

No team has ever had a 10-1 record and ended with just 11 wins in the 17-game era. Feel free to insert your own expletives here.

Please spare me any underdog chatter about the Eagles. You can’t walk around naked and complain that others don’t like the view. There are so many reasons to be disgusted as a fan. There is no time for underdog masks and fake narratives trying to cover the stench!

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the NFC Wild Card Round with several starters in question. Jalen Hurts, Cam Jurgens, and A.J. Brown all suffered injuries in Week 18. DeVonta Smith sat out the brutal loss against the New York Giants in Week 18. Nick Sirianni is desperate for a playoff victory. He hopes to have a healthy lineup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Eagles are reeling badly. They lost five of their final six games to finish the 2023 regular season. The fan base has no optimism heading into the playoffs just one month after the team sat at 10-1 in sole possession of the best record in the NFL.

Nobody can confidently say the Eagles have any momentum heading into the playoffs. They lost consecutive games to finish the regular season against opponents in the bottom tier of the NFL with nothing to play for. The Eagles struggled with the same weaknesses throughout the 2023 season, and their recent opponents have exposed their flaws brutally.

Darius Slay will likely return after missing the final four games of the regular season after arthroscopic knee surgery. Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks will still rotate into the defensive backfield after filling in for Slay the past four games. Sydney Brown is unavailable after a serious injury in Week 18.

DeVonta Smith is nursing an ankle injury suffered in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals in Week 17. D'Andre Swift also sat out the loss against the Giants. Both should also return against the Buccaneers.

Cam Jurgens suffered an eye injury against the Giants. His status is still in question. All eyes will turn to A.J. Brown. Assuming Jalen Hurts plays through a dislocated finger, Brown's status will be the most impactful is the most significant of any injury news. 

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

Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

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, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 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, #29
University of Pittsburgh
Drafted in 4th Round (125th overall) in 2018

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)