Eagles Coaches Bear Brunt of Responsibility for Lackluster Offensive Output

Jalen Hurts needs to return or Nick Sirianni and Shane Steichen have to find a way to better tailor the offense to Gardner Minshew and an O-line without Lane Johnson

PHILADELPHIA - The Jalen Hurts watch will drag into a third week.

The will-he-or-won’t-he-play conversation will dominate the first week of the new year and head coach Nick Sirianni will keep on pressing play when asked about the MVP-candidate quarterback's right shoulder injury suffered on Dec. 18.

“We'll evaluate that as the week goes,” said the Eagles' head coach following a most uninspiring 20-10 loss to a Saints team that had won six games coming into Sunday. “Obviously if he's ready to go, he'll play.”

Hurts was a limited participant at practices on Thursday and Friday, but was given a doubtful designation about 48 hours before kickoff.

So, buckle up for more of the same this week.

Hurts, though, has to play now.

It doesn’t matter if the Giants don't play their starters, since they have nothing to gain from a win when the two teams meet on Sunday (time TBD), the Eagles need to win, and Hurts gives them the best shot at doing that.

Not that this two-game losing streak is all on backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, though his fingerprints are all over it. Sirianni and Shane Steichen have to bear the brunt of the responsibility for the team's worst offensive showing of the season.

.@Eagles game planning against the @Saints was awful. This is not how you help your QB! This is not how you prep for the playoffs. A real head scratcher. Feel bad for Minshew #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/y0Ydr0scPt

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) January 2, 2023

Credit a Saints defense all you want and it’s true they had cornerback Marshawn Lattimore back healthy for the first time since Week 5. 

It was Lattimore who sealed the verdict with a pick-6 from 12 yards away that upped New Orleans’ lead to 10 points with 5:27 to go in the game, but Sirianni and his offensive coordinator didn’t help Minshew solve a defense that hadn't given up more than 20 points since Nov. 7.

And what to make of Jack Driscoll at right tackle, who is filling in for Lane Johnson?

The Eagles historically struggle without Johnson in the lineup. He missed four games last year and Philly went 1-3, but one of those losses came in the meaningless regular-season final, so 1-2 in games that matter.

They are now 0-1 this year without Johnson and the line allowed Minshew to get sacked six times.

Hurts would have helped cover up whatever breakdowns there were up front.

The Eagles beat the Saints last year by running for 242 yards. Hurts had 69 of those, but even without him, the Saints’ run defense was ranked No. 23, its pass defense No. 2 coming into Week 17.

Yet, the Eagles opened with a pass, and Minshew was sacked for a six-yard loss. So, they passed again. This time, Minshew was sacked but managed to get back to the line of scrimmage. 

On third-and-16, they had no choice but to pass again, except Minshew took the check down to running back Kenny Gainwell for an 8-yard gain. Punt.

On the next possession, the Eagles decided to run the ball. Miles Sanders had nine yards on two runs, but on third-and-one, the Eagles tried to throw, and the Saints sacked him a third time. Punt.

The third and fourth possessions brought six more passes and two punts for a total of four straight possessions that could do no better than three-and-out.

It wasn’t until 12 seconds were left in the second quarter that the offense picked up its initial first down.

Is it any wonder New Orleans held the ball for more than 15 minutes than the Eagles possessed it in the first half which ended 13-0 in the Saints' favor?

Minshew was sacked six times, leading one to speculate that perhaps more help should have been given in pass pro.

Then there was the fourth-and-one at midfield. 

With the Eagles looking like they might be able to pull out a win, they dialed up a quarterback sneak with Minshew. It's been a wildly successful play call for Hurts and his 600-pound squat ability, but for Minshew not so much.

The Saints stuffed it with 8:32 to play.

Just 3:05 later, Lattimore picked off Minshew for the final points of the game.

Now, imagine if the Eagles don’t beat the Giants and the Cowboys and/or 49ers win, dropping the Eagles to a fifth seed, which means opening the playoffs a week later in Tampa Bay for a second straight season.

It’s hard to envision the Eagles winning that game no matter how much the Bucs have struggled this season because the mental cost of losing three straight to close a season when one win – one win in the final month – would have given them the top seed would be too steep to pay and a season of promise and record-breaking would go down in flames.

That’s why Hurts must play. He must find a way to finish what he started.

If it has to be Minshew, then Sirianni, Steichen, and the rest of the offensive coaches need to figure out a way to play to Minshew’s strengths and get better play from an offensive line without Johnson.

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.