Belichick Blasts Eagles After Blowout Loss

There are a few ways to perceive the state of the Philadelphia Eagles.

On one hand, they’ve had three postseason berths and reached the Super Bowl in the three years since Nick Sirianni was hired as head coach.

On the other, they’re currently a 2-2 football team and are just 3-8 dating back to December of 2023. What’s more, they’re coming off a 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – the same team that ended Philly’s playoff run last season.

Naturally, famed curmudgeon Bill Belichick prefers the latter interpretation.

‘Look, they’ve lost [eight] of their last [11] games,’ Belichick told Pat McAfee during his weekly ESPN spot. ‘So, when you sit there and say, ”Well, they’re one of the best teams in the league,” I don’t know. Being 3-[8], that’s kind of a stretch if you look at what’s happened recently.’

ick Sirianni, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, looks on against the New Orleans Saints

Belichick wasn’t completely dismissive of the Eagles – a franchise that split two Super Bowl matchups with the Patriots during his tenure in New England.

‘But they do have a lot of good players and have a good team,’ Belichick continued. ‘I’m not saying they’re not a good team, I’m just saying they haven’t done very well lately.’

The problem as Belichick sees it, is the Eagles’ tendency to ignore the running game when they’re trailing.

In Sunday’s loss to the Bucs, for instance, star running back Saquon Barkley got only 10 carries, albeit while gaining an impressive 84 yards on the day.

‘[Saquon] Barkley’s an explosive guy but he can only do so much,’ Belichick said. ‘We saw that when he was with the Giants. Once you put [injured wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown] out there along with [tight end Dallas] Goedert and Barkley, you have one offense; you start taking a couple of those guys out of there, it just becomes a little bit watered down.

‘… Trying to play catch-up and throwing the ball all over the lot 45 times is just not a good formula for any team, but I don’t think that’s really the way the Eagles want to play or should play.’

Philadelphia trailed 24-0 midway through the second quarter against Tampa Bay and had been outgained 254-0 over the stretch.

The shutout streak is almost inconceivable for any team, much less a star-studded one like the Eagles that boasts Hurts, Barkley and even one of the best kickers in the league in Jake Elliott.

Owner Jeffrey Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles shakes hands with former general manager and coach Bill Belichick prior to the game at Lincoln Financial Field on September 16

Hurts tried to take the blame for the loss. So did Sirianni.

But there are plenty of fingers to go around and point at the scapegoats on all sides of the ball for one of the biggest underachieving teams this season in the NFL.

‘It’s truly a, ”So, what now?” mentality and that’s the approach that I’ve had,’ Hurts said.

The Eagles are a team that’s just a play or two away from starting 0-4.

They do have two wins headed into the bye week, a chance to rest and a soft schedule over the next month to try to make their way into the NFC title picture – and take Sirianni off the hot seat.

‘All that matters is that these guys continue to get better and us as coaches get better. And I mean that’s all that matters,’ Sirianni said. ‘We’re sitting at 2-2 going into the bye week and all we can do is improve and that’s all we’re going to try to do for this upcoming week.’

How about everything?

The Eagles fell behind by 24 points and didn’t cross midfield until the second quarter. They were held without an offensive yard for more than a quarter.

More ugly numbers?

Hurts finished 18 of 30 for 158 yards and no interceptions. He was sacked six times.

Hurts finished 18 of 30 for 158 yards and no picks vs. the Bucs. He was sacked six times

The off week should be a needed breather for a team that has played only one home game – the same number the Eagles have played this season in Brazil.

‘You have some base things that you do well,’ Sirianni said. ‘But, to say that we know what our identity is, I think that’s just it: We need to figure out what we do well and try to continue to do that. See what we don’t do well, try to get out of that, and mesh some things together.’

There were few highs against Tampa Bay. Barkley continues to shine in his first season with the Eagles. He led the team with 116 scrimmage yards (84 rushing, 32 receiving). Barkley has 100-plus scrimmage yards in each of the first four games of the season, making him just the second player in Eagles history to accomplish that feat (Timmy Brown in 1965).

On the first play from scrimmage during the third quarter, Barkley rushed 59 yards to the Tampa Bay 11-yard line.

Barkley’s overall use, though, was puzzling. He had 10 carries overall and only two on the Eagles’ first three possessions. After his 59-yard run, Barkley got just one more carry the rest of the way. Yes, the Eagles were down big, but they still couldn’t find a way to get him the ball and at least open a shot at another explosive play or two?

‘That’s an issue we’ve got to figure out right now, starting off slow,’ Barkley said. ‘We’ll go back to practice, work on it, watch film, (and) see what we can do better. But yeah, that’s definitely something that we have to address and do a lot better at.’

Cornerback Darius Slay lost off the field, too.

Slay, one of the team’s captains, apologized after he deleted a social media post in which he boasted of his credentials after a rough outing for the defense. Slay noted he was Pro Bowl and All-Pro player and also wrote, ‘When u talk bad about me don’t forget to mention the greatness of me too.’

He was roasted by Eagles fans for the post and later wrote, ‘LOL I’m better than that.’ Slay wrote late Sunday: ‘Man I had to chill bra. I was getting out of character!!’

In Sunday’s loss to the Bucs, for instance, star running back Saquon Barkley got only 10 carries, albeit while gaining an impressive 84 yards on the day

The Eagles are a banged-up bunch headed into the bye.

Offensive lineman Lane Johnson (concussion) and wide receivers A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) have all missed games. LB Devin White (personal matter) was inactive against Tampa Bay. Safety Reed Blankenship (illness) sat out the second half. DT Jalen Carter and C Cam Jurgens (cramps) missed time in the fourth quarter as the temperature on the field exceeded 100 degrees.

‘I don’t think we all have played a game together yet, especially on the offensive side of the ball, with all of our guys,’ Barkley said. ‘We’ll come back, get healthier and just get ready to grind, get back on a roll. Whatever it takes, whether it’s passing the ball, whether it’s running the ball – a little bit of both – we’ve got to find whatever it is and get ready to do it.’

Yes, the Eagles have been bad, but the first four teams they play coming out of the bye are even worse. Cleveland, the New York Giants, Cincinnati and Jacksonville are a combined 3-12 this season, a sign that perhaps if the Eagles can get healthy, fix the bulk of their issues and pounce on the worst of the NFL, the season can be saved.

Hope time off helps them find some answers to sloppy all-around play. The Eagles return to play their only October home game on the 13th against Cleveland.