The Philadelphia Eagles made a bold coaching change for Week 15 after reports revealed former New England Patriots assistant and Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia would take over defensive play-calling duties for defensive coordinator Sean Desai.
While reports indicated Desai would remain with the team, the decision to lean on Patricia came after the Eagles’ defense dropped to 28th in points allowed this season and after the team gave up at least 33 points in each of the past three games.
A two-game losing streak didn’t help matters, either.
Now, more details have emerged about the change, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane, as Desai was reportedly losing the team’s defensive locker room.
“Sean’s smart and the guys like him, but he doesn’t carry himself with confidence,” a source told McLane. “And some players started to feel that.”
“Sean’s smart and the guys like him, but he doesn’t carry himself with confidence. And some players started to feel that.”
Sean Desai stripped of #Eagles DC duties for Matt Patricia. My story on an organizational switch that suggests panic for 10-3 team: https://t.co/HJIn5vyBPb
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) December 18, 2023
The defense got off to a solid start during Philadelphia’s five-game winning streak to open the season and forced eight turnovers in the first three weeks.
But cracks began to emerge by Week 8 when Philadelphia gave up 31 points to the Washington Commanders for the second time in one season.
The team also became reliant on the offense to stay ahead in games, which became even more evident in the Eagles’ 37-34 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 12.
Huge offensive outings from the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys during the Eagles’ back-to-back losses in Weeks 13-14 only made matters worse, and likely spurred head coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to try Patricia out on defense.
Philadelphia has a much easier test in the final month of the season, though: None of their opponents have winning records.
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