Eagles lose sixth straight, 27-10 at Washington: put it on Sirianni

Why the Eagles losing streak is on Nick Sirianni

The Philadelphia Eagles lost 27-10 to the Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football. That is six straight losses, the longest Eagles skid since Andy Reid's last team lost eight in a row in 2012. Philadelphia is 2-6, its worst start through eight games since 1999.

Stop blaming Tanner McKee. The backup quarterback did not build this offense, call these plays or set up this protection. Nick Sirianni is the head coach. A six-game slide belongs to the man in charge of all of it.

Last Call game data had the Eagles 0-5 in their last five coming in. Make it 0-6. This morning we said one of these teams would walk out of Landover feeling better. It was not Philadelphia.

How did the Eagles blow a 10-0 lead to the Commanders?

Philadelphia started fine. Saquon Barkley ran one in, Jake Elliott hit a field goal, and the Eagles led 10-0 in the first quarter. Then the offense disappeared. Washington scored the final 27 points, and the Eagles did not score over the last three quarters.

Washington did not need anything fancy. Jayden Daniels hit Stefon Diggs for a touchdown, Rachaad White ran one in, and Drew Stevens made 4 field goals, the longest from 56 yards. The Commanders improved to 2-4-1 and dropped the Eagles into last place in the NFC East.

Barkley finished with 30 yards on 13 carries. The whole team ran 29 times for 91 yards. Philadelphia had 268 total yards, went 5 of 15 on third down and turned it over twice. When a team stops scoring for three full quarters, that is not one bad throw. That is a plan with no answers.

Is Tanner McKee the problem?

McKee went 23 of 34 for 212 yards with an interception in his third start in place of the injured Jalen Hurts. He was sacked 5 times, and one of them was a strip sack late in the third quarter. He has not posted a passer rating of 80 or better in any of his three starts.

That is the fair case against him, and it is real. A backup who cannot push the ball downfield makes every Sunday harder. But a quarterback who is getting hit five times and handing off to a back averaging 2.3 yards a carry is not getting help. The protection, the run game and the plan around him are all coaching.

The defense is not off the hook either, and that is on the head coach too. The Eagles have allowed 100 or more rushing yards in all eight games this season. Eight weeks in, nothing on either side of the ball has been fixed.

What happens to Sean Mannion and Nick Sirianni now?

The Philadelphia Inquirer says it is time to fire offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. Asked if he would demote or fire Mannion, Sirianni did not say no. Firing the coordinator is the easy move, and it might even happen.

It still misses the point. Sirianni hired the staff, he owns the scheme, and he has watched this offense go scoreless for three straight quarters in a must-win prime time game. The Eagles host the New York Giants next. If the answer is another coordinator, the head coach is out of people to blame.