PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The chants started early from fed-up Eagles fans, and they were booming as the inept offensive plays piled up in yet another loss.
“Fire Kevin! Fire Kevin!”
Eagles fans made their vote to dump offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo heard throughout Friday's 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCoach Nick Sirianni made yet another call the fans won't like: Patullo is staying.
“We’re not changing the play-caller,” Sirianni said.
Sirianni already this week gave Patullo a vote of confidence, just a day after the Eagles turned a 21-0 lead into a 24-21 loss at Dallas.
He did it again Friday, even as questions continue to be raised about Patullo's qualifications.
“It’s never about just one person,” Sirianni said. “I have confidence in the entire group. I know it will keep coming back to Kevin. If I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it’s a lot of different things. I don’t think it is Kevin.”
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSirianni could have made the easy fix — both to shift the perception that the Super Bowl champions are sinking and to shake up a staid offense loaded with talent — and dumped Patullo.
He'll instead stay loyal to Patullo, at least heading into the Eagles' Dec. 8 game at the Los Angeles Chargers.
The numbers against the Bears tell one part of the story: The Eagles ran just 17 plays and had two first downs (with 83 total yards and 26 rushing) in the first half. Philadelphia ran only 51 plays for 317 yards to Chicago’s 85 plays for 425 yards.
The calls that led to the ghastly numbers were just baffling.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Eagles had the ball at their own 35 with 2:47 left in the first half and ran only one play — a 1-yard pass to A.J. Brown — before letting the clock run down to the two-minute warning. That unleashed one of the louder waves of boos from fans — the same ones who roared 2 1/2 months ago when the Super Bowl championship banner was unveiled on opening night.
Memories are short in sports.
The yards gained by Philly on most rushing attempts? Even shorter.
Saquon Barkley was outperformed by former Eagles running back D’Andre Swift and again had nowhere to run.
One glaring example came early in the second quarter. Jalen Hurts hit DeVonta Smith for a 30-yard gain — he threw for only 27 more yards in the half — that brought the ball to the Bears 38. Barkley was wrapped up for a 3-yard loss on second down and Hurts threw behind a wide-open Smith on third down. The Eagles settled for a field goal.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Eagles continue to publicly back Patullo — even though no player would be so foolish as to call for a coordinator to be fired.
“I don’t think something big needs to change,” Barkley said. “The sky’s falling outside the locker room, we understand that. But I have nothing but utmost confidence in the men in this locker room, players and coaches included. It’s going to take all of us to come together, block out the noise. Can’t be pointing fingers.”
In the clearest sign yet these Eagles aren't playing like a team that can make another run at the Super Bowl, even the beloved tush push doomed them in this one. Hurts lost a fumble on the once-unstoppable play, leading to a Bears touchdown.
The highlights were sparse: Hurts threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brown and they connected again on a late score that made it 24-15 (the Eagles failed to convert the 2-point conversion). Brown’s complaints about his role in the offense have largely been soothed with another productive outing after he had eight catches for 110 yards at Dallas.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBoth of his big games were losses.
“We’ve got the right people in this locker room to get things fixed,” Brown said. “And I believe that.”
Barkley has gone from slow start to a bad season. He finished with an anemic 58 yards rushing against a Bears defense that had allowed 5.2 yards per rush and 138 yards rushing per game.
The Eagles also had seven penalties and lost a fumble.
“I don’t think you can put it on one thing,” tight end Dallas Goedert said. “It’s a collective effort. We haven’t played well in a couple of weeks. We’re going to spend this extra time looking for solutions.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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