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Mics Caught Nick Sirianni’s Classy Message to Kyle Shanahan After Eagles’ Loss

Kristen Wong

Nick Sirianni and Kyle Shanahan shared a brief moment on the field after the 49ers knocked the Eagles out of the 2025 playoffs.
Nick Sirianni and Kyle Shanahan shared a brief moment on the field after the 49ers knocked the Eagles out of the 2025 playoffs. / Screengrab on Twitter/ @ESPNNFL
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Nearly one year after the Eagles tasted Super Bowl glory in a dominant blowout win over the Chiefs, Philadelphia will be going home empty-handed wondering where it all went wrong in Sunday’s 23-19 wild-card loss to the 49ers.

The Eagles’ offense sputtered in the second half as Jalen Hurts & Co. only managed to score two field goals while a gutsy and well-coached San Francisco side finished the job with a 13-point fourth quarter. Philly’s offensive stalwarts were nowhere to be found late in the deflating defeat: Saquon Barkley avoided an injury scare but had just 35 yards on 11 rushes, and Hurts went just 9-for-19 for 75 yards in the final two quarters. Not to mention, AJ Brown’s handful of brutal drops that cost his team down the stretch.

Nick Sirianni will field plenty of questions about his own job security and that of his offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, but he didn’t head into the locker room with his head hung low. After the final whistle, Sirianni caught up with Kyle Shanahan at midfield for the traditional coaches handshake and imparted a short but classy message to his NFC rival:

“Go win it all,” Sirianni told Shanahan, before the two shared an embrace. “Good job.”

It wasn’t the most heartwarming interaction, but after Saturday’s Bears-Packers drama, it definitely wasn’t the iciest, either.

Sirianni wrapped up his fifth season at the helm with one of his most disappointing playoff exits thus far, seeing his defending champs go out with a whimper against a formidable but beatable 49ers side, especially after San Francisco lost star tight end George Kittle due to injury. Yet time and time again, Philly failed to take advantage of their opponents’ weaknesses; Hurts and the offense only managed to score three points off two big-time interceptions, and will likely go home licking their wounds and ruing their missed opportunities.

Expect Sirianni to have a lot to say about his team’s effort—and his own coaching future—in his postgame presser.

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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