PHILADELPHIA — In Sunday’s wild card game against the 49ers, the Eagles’ offense looked much like it did during the regular season, and that was the problem.
Facing a depleted San Francisco defense that included guys signed off the street, the Eagles committed pre-snap penalties, had trouble finishing drives, and in key moments were out of sorts in a 23-19 loss that ended their season with a thud.
“I feel like it’s been the same thing (all year),” wide receiver DeVonta Smith said. “We go out there and we don’t execute, and when we do get something good, we shoot ourselves in the foot. We just weren’t a team that played four quarters offensively.”
That’s a searing indictment, but on point.
The Eagles barely even put together one quality offensive quarter Sunday. They scored a touchdown on their first possession and another early in the second period — a pair of impressive, balanced drives that ended with tight end Dallas Goedert in the end zone — and the rest of the night produced just two field goals.
“We were just kind of searching all year long to get this thing going, and just didn’t,” running back Saquon Barkley said. “You have to have the confidence in coaches and players that we’re gonna get it going, and we just didn’t.
“It’s been a common theme. It’s easy to expect it to change in the playoffs, and it just didn’t. We played what, 18 games this year? You tell me a time on offense when we put together two halves. I bet you it’s under five. … And it caught up to us. It caught up to us in the playoffs.”
The Birds’ most complete performances offensively were in four games against the Vikings, Giants, Raiders and Commanders — teams that finished with a combined record of 21-47.
They were 5-of-16 on third down against the Niners. They drew seven flags for 48 yards compared to one penalty by San Fran. And quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with a tepid passer rating of 79.2, often holding the ball too long, making the wrong reads or bailing from the pocket.
“Felt like that was kind of our story as the year progressed — good first half, didn’t do a good enough job coaching, didn’t do a good enough job executing in the second half, in that third quarter particularly,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “Some penalties got us behind the sticks, and we had a hard time overcoming them.”
To boot, receiver A.J. Brown, after complaining most of the season about being underused (which he frequently was), ran bad routes against San Francisco, dropped three passes, got into a sideline confrontation with Sirianni and was a no-show for reporters in the locker room postgame.
While Eagles coordinator Kevin Patullo’s middling, muddled offense fiddled around, Niners head coach and OC Kyle Shanahan eventually put on a clinic in scheme, preparation and adjustments — including after losing All-Pro tight end George Kittle to a torn Achilles, further diminishing an injury-ravaged roster.
The 49ers piled up 361 yards, tossing in a trick play in the process, and made journeyman wideout Demarcus Robinson look like a superstar with 111 yards and a score. The Birds’ vaunted bend-but-don’t-break defense — exceptional most of the year, barring a couple of games — finally broke. The unit gave up multiple explosives and two fourth-quarter touchdown drives.
The Eagles were plus-2 in turnovers, thanks to a pair of picks by cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, but still lost, which has never happened under Sirianni. Despite the defensive breakdowns, ineptitude on offense was the main culprit. That includes the Eagles’ final drive. With the season on the line, their last four plays were a sack and three incompletions.
The next Eagle to get sacked could be Patullo, Sirianni’s right-hand man.
“There will be time to evaluate everybody’s performance,” Sirianni said. “Right now, I feel for all our guys in the locker room, all the players, all the coaches, the front office, everybody that works so hard, the fans that come out and support us, Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie (team owner). I feel for all of us, all of them, and there’ll be time to evaluate everything coming up.”
Patullo had never called plays at any level before this year, and he was handed the keys to a $128.9 million offense — the priciest in the NFL — loaded with sparkly, high-caliber weapons in Hurts, Barkley, Brown, Smith and Goedert to go with a powerful offensive line.
However, three-fifths of the O-line was injured at various points this season. Veteran Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson, who turns 36 in May, was a late scratch Sunday and hadn’t played since Week 11, still recovering from a Lisfranc sprain. Yet the onus still falls on Patullo, whose side of the ball had the same issues in January as it did in September.
Speaking of Johnson, he may decide to retire. If he does come back, how reliable would he be? It certainly seems like Brown may be on his way out the door. Goedert’s contract is up. And what’s the future for kicker Jake Elliott?
Plenty of questions are on the table for the Eagles. But first and foremost is what to do with Patullo and the offense.
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Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X at @the_defranc.