The Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni have made a major change to the team’s offensive approach after dropping consecutive games to the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears.
No, the team didn't relieve offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo of his duties, as some have called for, but Sirianni has been more involved in offensive preparations heading into the team’s Week 14 matchup with the Chargers in Los Angeles on Monday Night Football, according to ESPN’s Tim McManus.
From McManus:
“Sirianni has been more vocal in offensive meetings and has been presenting material alongside offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, sources said. According to one source, he has been addressing the group for longer than usual at the top of the meetings before ceding to Patullo, who continues to run them.”
The defending-champion Eagles are 8-4 and sit atop the NFC East. However, offense has been an issue all season, as the team has struggled to move the ball consistently despite their supreme talent on that side of the ball.
The Eagles are averaging just 304.8 yards per game, which is 24th league-wide. They're also in the bottom-half of the league in points per game at 22.5.
Last season, Philadelphia leaned heavily on star running back Saquon Barkley, who had one of the best rushing seasons in league history. However, that approach hasn't worked this season, as Barkley has been much less productive and impactful. He's averaging just 3.7 yards a carry and 61.7 yards per game this season compared to 5.8 yards per attempt and a league-leading 125.3 yards per game last season.
But, Barkley is excited about tweaks that the team has made to the gameplan heading into the matchup with the Chargers on Monday night.
"I really love the game plan," Barkley said. "I'm excited. We're excited to go out there and to put together a complete game -- offense, defense, special teams."
Changes have been made. Let's see if the outcome is any different.