Eagles starter inadvertently offers massive indictment on Nick Sirianni’s coaching staff following loss to Cowboys
It was a horrible look for Eagles coaches.
In the NFL, the devil is in the details. Teams have to prepare each week differently based on their opponent, and you cannot take anyone lightly. For the Philadelphia Eagles, their latest loss to the Dallas Cowboys is a perfect example of starting strong and then collapsing.
Unfortunately for Nick Sirianni, his coaching staff made a blunder last week that heavily impacted the Eagles’ ability to hold on against Dallas after they took a commanding 21-0 lead.
Landon Dickerson’s game-planning admission about Eagles’ staff is concerning
Landon Dickerson mentioned a key component of the Cowboys’ defense that gave Philadelphia trouble during the loss. According to the Eagles guard, five-man fronts weren’t something that the team prepared much for ahead of the rivalry game.
The problem with that? Dallas’ bread and butter has been bottling up running backs at times this season, using five-man fronts. The game plan for Philly was flawed before the first snap even occurred against the Cowboys. That’s a horrible look for Nick Sirianni’s coaching staff.
Along with a lack of execution, creating tougher situations for your star players, like Saquon Barkley, is how players lose trust in their coaches. Barkley took blame for the loss after the game and held himself accountable. Eagles coaches need to do the same.
The plan for Dallas worked
I asked our very own Mauricio Rodriguez, who covers the Cowboys, about Dallas’ defensive fronts so far this season. The Eagles’ lineman (and staff) shouldn’t have been surprised whatsoever.
“It is genuinely shocking to hear Dickerson say the Cowboys took them by surprise with five-man fronts on defense. Switching to that defensive look has been one of the biggest storylines of the 2025 season for this team. It started before the Quinnen Williams trade, and once they made that deal, it became obvious they would emphasize it to capitalize on having him, Osa Odighizuwa, and Kenny Clark.
“Head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, and more people in the organization have been very vocal about the switch to five-man fronts on early downs. But forget about their comments, Dallas has been putting this on film since at least Week 8 against the Denver Broncos. How could the Eagles have missed it?
“The Cowboys just held Ashton Jeanty to zero yards before contact in Week 11 in large part thanks to their new alignment. That seems like something that should catch your attention if you’re a coaching staff prepping for a division rival. It’s wild, and Nick Sirianni has some explaining to do.” — Mauricio Rodriguez, A to Z Sports Dallas
Making enough plays to beat a division rival is tough enough in the pros. Putting yourself well behind the eight ball because you incorrectly prepare is simply unacceptable. The Eagles must iron out these sorts of issues if they want to compete at the highest level in the NFC by the time the postseason rolls around this season.