Eagles' 3 Biggest Concerns After Embarrassing Loss to 49ers
The Philadelphia Eagles' rematch with the San Francisco 49ers had a much different result this time around. Philadelphia was stunned at home by the 49ers, who took control of the game in the second quarter and never looked back.
On a day where the Eagles were simply outplayed in every area, there's a few major concerns that Nick Sirianni needs to address -- and fast.
Eagles' Biggest Concerns After 49ers Loss
1. Sean Desai's Defense
The Eagles' NFC-winning season last year was in large part thanks to their dominant defense. However, this unit is in much different shape in 2023.
The offseason losses, both in terms of personnel and coaching, have been felt at various points during this campaign. Yet, they stung the most on Sunday.
First-year defensive coordinator Sean Desai was completely embarrassed by Kyle Shanahan in Week 13. The 49ers racked up a whopping 456 yards of total offense and 42 points, finding holes in Desai's schemes all evening long.
Just look at the results of San Francisco's drives prior to their kneel downs to run the clock out:
- Punt
- Punt
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
- Touchdown
That's a serious issue. No matter how talented the offense is, it's tough to stay in games when your defense isn't providing any type of support.
That ultimately fall on Desai's shoulders for not setting up his playmakers correctly. He still has most of the same core that helped take this roster to the Super Bowl a year ago, plus even some new additions like Jalen Carter and Kevin Byard.
This isn't just a one-week slip-up, either. Desai's struggles to properly utilize his talent has led to closer-than-expected games against the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders -- the latter of which pushed Philly to the brink twice.
We're also fresh on the heels of Jalen Hurts needing to lead a fourth-quarter comeback against a Buffalo Bills team that put up a staggering 34 points with an interim offensive coordinator.
This defense, with struggles against bottom-tier teams and contenders alike, is this squad's biggest weakness that has to be solved before the postseason. It's on Desai to either shape up or ship out.