Nick Sirianni stood by offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo all season long, even as fans grew louder with their frustration. Patullo’s play-calling faced intense scrutiny for leaving the team in tough spots during close games. Yet Sirianni saw enough promise to keep defending him, especially after the Eagles’ solid Week 16 win.

“Guys have done a great job executing at all levels. It takes everybody in the run game. Takes everybody in all phases in this awesome sport… Kevin’s doing a good job calling it and putting the guys in position. So, I think there’s a lot to be encouraged on. We got to build on it,” said Sirianni in the post-game presser.​

The Eagles hit 8-5 earlier this year; that’s when the offensive cracks really started showing under Patullo’s watch. They managed just seven points or fewer in the first half of 4 out of 14 games, often stalling on three-and-outs because defenses read their tendencies like an open book. The run game, a supposed strength with Saquon Barkley in the backfield, averaged over 121.7 rushing yards per game (16th in the NFL), and that has killed their momentum time and again. 

These stats paint a clear picture of a predictable scheme under Patullo, where a lack of pre-snap motion left plays vulnerable and easy for defenses to read. But winds shifted in Philadelphia lately, as the Eagles punched their playoff ticket with a win over the Commanders.

Those recent successes gave Patullo some breathing room, but they didn’t erase the memory of brutal stretches where the Eagles’ offense fell short. In games against the Cowboys and Bears, Philadelphia topped 300 total yards itself, yet the opposing offense went over 400 yards. A lot of finger-pointing happened at Patullo for not adapting quickly enough, but Sirianni refused to throw his coordinator under the bus.​

“We’re not changing the play-caller,” Sirianni said in Week 13. “It’s never about just one person,” Sirianni said. “I have confidence in the entire group. I know it will keep coming back to Kevin. If I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it’s a lot of different things. I don’t think it is Kevin.”​

Sirianni’s loyalty paid off with back-to-back wins that quieted the doubters, at least for now, but one bold decision in Week 16 lit a different kind of fire on the opposite sideline.​

Dan Quinn fires back at Eagles’ offensive call

The Washington Commanders sit at 4-11 after dropping 29-18 to the Eagles in Week 16, and head coach Dan Quinn couldn’t hide his boiling frustration from that matchup.​

“I can only answer from my side and what I would do,” Quinn said. “But, hey man, like that’s how they want to get down then. Like all good. We play them again in two weeks.”​

Quinn’s anger centered on a late-game two-point conversion attempt that turned a football game into a full-on brawl. The Eagles held a commanding 27-10 lead with just 4:26 remaining when running back Tank Bigsby punched in a touchdown, making it 27-10 after the extra point would have stood. 

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Instead, Patullo and Sirianni dialed up two points, which Barkley converted on a run, bumping the margin to 29-10 and effectively burying any comeback hope. For Quinn, this felt like overkill, as the outcome was long decided, so why rub it in with aggressive math instead?

The call sparked immediate chaos, with players shoving and tempers flaring, leading to ejections for Eagles’ Tyler Steen, Commanders’ Javon Kinlaw, and Quan Martin. Quinn saw it as disrespectful showmanship, especially with a Week 18 rematch looming where payback could simmer.​

Quinn’s second season in Washington has brought plenty of headaches after he guided the Commanders to the playoffs just last year. Meanwhile, Sirianni keeps his streak alive, steering the Eagles into the postseason for the fifth straight year despite the offensive rollercoaster.