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.
2. Offensive Execution/Play-Calling
Unfortunately for Sirianni, both of his coordinators are at the center of the team's biggest problems this season.
OC Brian Johnson has been under fire for most of this season due to a number of issues. Coming out flat in the first halves of games is one big issue. So is leaving points on the board due to lacking execution in the red zone, and overall play-calling in important situations.
Seemingly all three of those deficiencies were thorns in the Eagles' side once again on Sunday. Philadelphia had two golden chances to get touchdowns in the first quarter and go up 14-0 early, which would've upended the 49ers' gameplan. Instead, they had to settled for field goals on both drives.
That made things just 6-0, keeping San Francisco right in it and not forcing Shanahan to make any big changes. His talented offense eventually found its stride, and we saw how Desai responded.
Despite having Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, D'Andre Swift and an elite offensive line, Johnson once agained had troubles getting his unit going. That was a particular deterrent in a game where the Eagles needed everything they could get from that group.
It feels like Hurts and co. have succeed in spit of Johnson as a play-caller, instead of because of him. There's still been plenty of wins given the immense talent on this unit, but sometimes better coaching can provide the edge as well -- just like we saw on Sunday.
Johnson's been given the keys to a supercar of an offense. There's no reason his unit should run like a hand-me-down.
3. Jalen Hurts' Health
A lot is being asked of Hurts this season with the defense not stepping up and his own unit finding moving the ball more difficult than it was last year. There's even more pressure on him to make plays, especially when calls don't go as intended and his receivers are covered.
As a result, he's been put in harm's way quite a bit this season, and Sunday featured another injury scare as he was forced to leave the game with a potential concussion.
Thankfully he turned out to be okay and even came back in to finish the contest, though it was the kind of play that reminds fans how quickly this team's bright outlook could change.
Of course, Hurts also played through the middle of the season with a knee bruise that he suffered early on in 2023. That, too, had the potential to upend this campaign, though the team's Week 10 bye seemed to give him the time off he needed to get right.
Regardless, it's clear Hurts is taking a beating this year, and there's not much of a solution right now. He was regularly holding onto the ball for longer than anyone would like because his wideouts weren't open against the 49ers.
Meanwhile, his running backs weren't used (nine total carries combined to RBs) on Sunday, so he also led the team with seven attempts on the ground. That just put him in even more danger against an angry San Fran defense that wanted to (and almost did) take his head off.
Hurts' health will help determine how far this team goes in the playoffs, but he needs support from those who aren't pulling their weight to get through the regular season in one piece.
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