TAMPA, Fla. — From 10-1 to one-and-done, the Philadelphia Eagles’ collapse is complete.
The defending NFC champions won’t be going back to the Super Bowl. They’re heading into a potentially turbulent offseason after an early vacation that few could’ve imagined heading into December.
A 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC wild-card game on Monday night turns up the pressure on owner Jeffrey Lurie, general manager Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni.
Despite a 34-17 regular-season record and three playoff appearances in three seasons, including coming up just short in the Super Bowl last year against Kansas City, the heat is on Sirianni because his team lost six of seven to close out a season that had championship-or-bust expectations.
Anything less than a Lombardi Trophy was going to be unacceptable for a team loaded with talent playing in a city that demands success.
But going out like this — a sloppy effort featuring plenty of poor tackling and a lopsided loss to a mediocre team — will have the city of Brotherly Love angrier than usual.
A banged-up Jalen Hurts couldn’t pull off any magic without star wide receiver A.J. Brown. Cornerback James Bradberry and his defensive teammates missed several tackles, including a few that led to a pair of long touchdown passes by Baker Mayfield.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks on during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Monday, Jan. 15, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Credit: AP/Chris O’Meara
Now, Sirianni has to explain what went wrong and how he allowed the team to crumble. Of course, there’s plenty of blame to be spread around from the front office to highly paid players who underachieved.
The Eagles were flying high after an overtime win against Buffalo on Nov. 26 gave them a 10-1 start for the second straight season. At that point, they had won 27 of the previous 29 regular-season games started by Hurts.
But everything unraveled after…
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