The Philadelphia Eagles just got embarrassed by the Dallas Cowboys, and somehow the loss isn’t even the worst part. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter and cornerback Riq Woolen both declined to speak to reporters after the game, and Carter didn’t exactly leave quietly on his way out.

“Nah, y’all have a good night, you get home safe,” Carter said.

I have a real problem with this. I think it’s almost worse than what happened on the field.

Being the guy means facing the music

Jalen Carter is the highest-paid defensive tackle in NFL history. Philadelphia made him the guy. Nobody has been louder than me about what this kid is. I’ve called Carter a transcendent talent and a generational talent, and I still believe that. That hasn’t changed.

But think about what we saw from him in this game. Carter had no problem going out there after a play and swinging his fist again, knocking someone in the head. He found plenty of energy for that. Then the reporters want to ask him about how embarrassing that performance was? Suddenly he’s nowhere to be found. That’s pretty much the message he sent.

Listen, if you get paid to be the guy and you’re supposed to be the anchor of the defense, you have to stand up there and bear the weight of it. And keep in mind, this is a defense that has disappeared in big moments for a couple games this season. That’s exactly when the face of the unit needs to show his face.

You take it on the chin. You sit in the crossfire and take the heat. You say this defense will get better, we did not play well, and a lot of it is on me because I didn’t make any plays. That’s the job. You are being paid to be the guy, and the guy doesn’t duck out the back door with a “get home safe.”

Is that really too much to ask from the highest-paid player at his position in the history of the sport? I don’t think so.

No fight, no accountability

Here’s the thing that bothers me the most. This signals to me that this team is done. The Eagles have no energy right now. They have no fight.

Even a promise would have made me feel a slight bit better. Something like, hey, we’ll absolutely get back in the lab and fix it this week. That’s all fans want to hear after a night like this. Instead, we got a ghost town. Two of the biggest names on the defense just disappeared.

And this is my biggest problem with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni. Sirianni hangs his hat on being a leader of men. He’s supposed to be the guy who can get these players charged up and motivated. So how do you let them just escape the locker room? No accountability. Nothing.

When the head coach’s whole identity is culture and leadership, a scene like this falls on him too. You can’t sell yourself as the motivator and then watch your best defensive player stroll past the cameras without a word.

And if you need proof the fight is gone, look at how this game ended. Dallas had a player walking two yards into the end zone, and the Eagles couldn’t even hit him. They stood straight up and watched him go in. Watched him. That capped off a record rushing night for this season for the Cowboys, against a defense that is supposed to be built around Carter in the middle.

Think about how that looks. The Cowboys, of all teams, gashing us on the ground all night and finishing it off with a touchdown that nobody even tried to stop. That is not a talent issue. That’s an effort issue, and effort starts with the leaders.

Owning it starts at the top

I’m not saying Carter can’t be the cornerstone of this defense for years. He absolutely can. The talent is still there, and talent like his doesn’t just vanish.

But talent alone doesn’t earn you the title of franchise player. Showing up when it’s ugly does. Right now, this group needs somebody in that locker room to step up and own it, and the guy getting paid the most should be first in line.

Carter told the reporters to get home safe. He’d better spend this week making sure the Eagles’ defense actually shows up next Sunday, because another night like this one and the problem stops being the press conference.