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The Philadelphia Eagles lost to the San Francisco 49ers 23-19 on Sunday, ending their repeat hopes. While it was an up-and-down season in South Philly, the Birds gave themselves a chance at home to start a championship defense. They failed in the fourth quarter, allowing a game-winning touchdown to Christian McCaffrey and failing to score afterward. Nick Sirianni is among those most to blame for the Eagles’ loss.
Many fingers will also be pointed at Kevin Patullo, the oft-blamed offensive coordinator. If the Eagles do move on from Patullo, it will be their fourth offensive play-caller in as many seasons. While Kellen Moore and Shane Steichen ended up as head coaches, Brian Johnson was fired after the dismal 2023 campaign. Another Wild Card loss could mean another change there. But the blame should go much deeper.
One reason to blame Nick Sirianni for Sunday’s loss is something that Eagles fans may love about him. Sirianni is far from quiet on the sideline, something that endears him to the far from quiet Philadelphia faithful. But when AJ Brown came off the field after a drop, television cameras found Sirianni running down the sideline to yell at the wide receiver. Brown snapped back, causing a viral clip.
Nick Sirianni and A.J. Brown with a heated exchange on the sidelines.
( FOX) pic.twitter.com/vDlLkM8uzu
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2026
But Eagles fans can take the distractions when they come during wins. Sirianni burned the first timeout of the second half before the 4th down attempt that ended Philadelphia’s season. Had he not done that, the 49ers would have needed to get a first down to end the game. Instead, they could kneel it out and take the win.
Sirianni has two Super Bowl appearances and a championship under his belt, something few men in history can say. But performances like Sunday are why Eagles fans will call for his job once every year.
The Eagles won last year’s Super Bowl in part because of their elite wide receiver duo. On paper, both Brown and DeVonta Smith had over 1,000 yards, so all should be good in that department. But the season-long drama around Brown has things on thin ice in South Philly. A few years after trading a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for Brown, could Howie Roseman send the wideout back out the door?
The assembled media was certainly going to ask Brown a version of that question on Sunday afternoon. But after dropping a key third down on the final drive, Brown skipped out on the media. He reportedly hugged multiple teammates before leaving without saying a word about his future.
The Eagles got great performances out of Brown, including a touchdown in Super Bowl LIX. But the drama may have taken over the greatness on Sunday with the screaming match on the sideline and the postgame antics....
