While the rest of the NFL reeled in shock from the New York Giants absolutely dominating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6, the defending Super Bowl champion’s 34-17 loss may have helped to reveal an even bigger problem for the Eagles than just one individual loss.
That problem is the offense and, more importantly, that problem is offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.
Watching the Eagles offense under Patullo has been one of the more excruciating exercises for not only Eagles fans but for NFL fans in general as Patullo manages to squander an elite group of talent with a mind numbing series of play calls — and an over reliance on the Tush Push.
The Eagles have become almost unwatchable on offense, Patullo is to blame, and head coach Nick Sirianni should make the move to demote and then ultimately usher Patullo out before the season gets out of control.
Patullo was hired as offensive coordinator to take over for current New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore. The Eagles currently rank 29th in the NFL in total offense.
“Plenty of finger-pointing will occur this week after another disappointing performance by the Eagles. Since the same issues continue to occur, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator will receive the brunt of the vitriol,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on October 10. “It’s deserved, though. If every position group is misfiring at points, then the coaching staff isn’t doing a good enough job making sure the entire unit is prepared.”
Sirianni Made Similar Decision in 2023
We can see a path for Patullo based on what happened with former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai in 2023, when Sirianni made the move to demote Desai with less than one month left in the regular season then fired him after the Eagles lost 6 of their last 7 games and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Against the Giants in Week 6, the Eagles punted in their first 3 possessions after halftime and don’t seem able to figure out how to do the 2 most basic things the offense did last year — establish Saquon Barkley running the ball behind an elite offensive line or get the ball to superstar wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith through the air.
The problems with Patullo have been there since the start of the season.
“If the Eagles are in a pistol or under-center set, they almost always run,” The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena wrote on September 17. “If they’re in the shotgun, they sparingly run. The percentages are glaring when compared to other NFL teams. And opponents are aware. Already, Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley have felt the effects of a slow-to-start system that has been too predictable within first-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s first two games.”
Patullo Worked Way Up to Promotion
While Desai was in his first year on the coaching staff in 2023, there might be some hesitancy to demote then fire Patullo because he’s been there for awhile.
Patullo followed Sirianni from the Indianapolis Colts when he was hired as Philadelphia’s head coach in 2021 — where Sirianni was offensive coordinator — and spent the last 4 seasons as pass game coordinator and associate head coach before finally getting the OC role after Moore left.
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