Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni made a troubling admission regarding the team’s defensive struggles.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach discusses the team’s defensive coordinator, Sean Desai, and addresses the process of resolving their defensive issues.

The defensive challenges faced by the Philadelphia Eagles have become more evident in recent weeks, notably in losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. In the game against the 49ers, the Eagles’ defense allowed six consecutive touchdown drives, followed by the Cowboys scoring on seven out of nine possessions in the subsequent week.

The Philadelphia Eagles are falling short of the defensive standards they set a year ago when they ranked No. 2 in total defense and first against the pass under former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. With new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, the Eagles currently sit at 22nd overall and fifth from the bottom in both pass defense and scoring defense.

Their struggles are particularly evident on third downs, where they currently rank dead last, allowing a 48.07% conversion rate this season. Over the past three games, this figure has worsened, with offenses converting 61.22% of third downs. The Cowboys were 9-16 on third down against the Eagles last week, while the 49ers went 8-11 the week before. These figures are frankly unsustainable if Philadelphia wants to succeed in January.

Coach Nick Sirianni addressed these issues, expressing confidence in Desai’s ability to improve the team’s performance.

“That’s why we hired him for the job,” Sirianni said. “I think really where (the problem) is, the yards pile up on you when you are giving up some third downs. Again, the problem is everywhere there, right? … We got to coach them better, put them in better spots, detail it out for them and execute better,” as reported by Brooks Kubena of The Athletic.

Sean Desai outlined his strategy to restore the defensive performance after consecutive losses, emphasizing that the last two weeks did not meet their standard. He expressed confidence in returning to their established principles and beliefs, acknowledging the need for collective efforts from both coaches and players to achieve this. Desai believes they have the right individuals and leaders within the team to make the necessary improvements.

The upcoming game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday will be their initial opportunity to implement this revised approach.