NFL analyst says Eagles offense is predictable: 'Guys in the bar in South Philly' could call the same plays

The Philadelphia Eagles began the 2023 NFL season with a 10-1 record that indicated last season's Super Bowl season wasn't a fluke. They were unquestionably one of the best teams in the league and found ways to win even when they weren't firing on all cylinders.

Since then, the team has imploded. The Eagles are stumbling into the postseason with just one win in their last six games.

As head coach Bill Parcells would often say, the NFL season doesn't begin until after Thanksgiving. Football gets tougher in the winter months. Injuries begin to mount, fatigue starts to take its toll, and the bitter cold adds an extra punch to every hit. That's when great football teams separate themselves from the rest of the league –– something Philadelphia has failed to do.

The Eagles' downward spiral in the past month has opened the door to a lot of uncertainty in Philadelphia. The offense has more questions than answers without offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, who left to become head coach of the Indianapolis Colts during the 2023 offseason. Heading into their Wild Card Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles are a team without an identity, and one analyst is pinning the blame on coaching.

NFL analyst calls the Philadelphia Eagles offense 'predictable' and 'unprepared'

Many fans will point to injuries as the main cause for the Eagles' deterioration, but NFL Network's Brian Baldinger believes that the Eagles have regressed schematically under head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson.

"I feel like if I was playing defense against the Eagles, that I would just be calling their plays out," Baldinger said. "I know guys in the bar in South Philly that are calling the same plays out. They're just very predictable."

In their Week 18 loss to the New York Giants, the Eagles faced constant defensive pressure. Former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale blitzed quarterback Jalen Hurts 13 times during the first half of the game. Hurts was sacked twice on those plays and completed just five out of 12 pass attempts for 41 yards. Head coach Nick Sirianni admitted that the Eagles didn’t have the answers against Martindale's blitzes, despite facing them twice in three weeks. Even worse, Hurts finished the game with a dislocated finger on his throwing hand.

"They acted like they weren't prepared for it ... they had no answer," Baldinger said. "What should Jalen Hurts do if they've got a free hitter coming after him? Is there a hot read, is there a sight adjust, is somebody cutting their route off?"

If Philadelphia has an answer for exotic blitz packages, they need to figure it out quickly. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is known for attacking quarterbacks with aggressive pressure packages, and he'll likely have some wrinkles in the game plan to test how comfortable Hurts is with his finger injury. The Eagles franchise quarterback has also struggled against Cover 6 –– a blended coverage that Bowles used brilliantly to stifle the Kansas City Chiefs offense in Super Bowl 55.

This matchup may be a lot tougher than Eagles fans hope it will be.