On Sunday, the Cowboys ended their short playoff series with an extremely embarrassing game. The Eagles did even worse on Monday night, and that's saying something.
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The Eagles, who started the season with a bang with a record of 10 wins and one loss, looked like little guys in shorts in front of the Buccaneers and lost 32-9.
There will therefore be new representatives for the national conference on February 11th at the Super Bowl. The Eagles, finalists last year and returning this year with a still very interesting lineup, experienced an implosion rarely seen before with six losses in seven games.
We suspected something was wrong. Finally, this season they had the distinct honor of becoming the first team since the 1986 Jets to start a season with 10 wins without ending it with 12 wins. This shows how violently the train derailed along the way.
The Eagles played against the Buccaneers without the slightest confidence. Quarterback Jalen Hurts often seemed completely lost. He suffered a finger injury and in the coming days we will no doubt learn that the knee injury from which he was supposedly recovering was bothering him more than he was willing to publicly admit.
He was also without his top target, AJ Brown. So much for excuses, but let's not forget that some teams have had much worse injuries this season without collapsing like this.
On offense, the Eagles did not convert a single third down in this encounter (0 for 9). They never found a solution to counter the Eagles' blitz attack and attempted short passes at the line of scrimmage too often. With the exception of DeVonta Smith, no receiver posed a threat. The ground game only generated 42 yards.
The offense constantly had its back against the wall and started a single sequence outside its 25 line. In short, you see the picture, the offense was pathetic at every level.
On the sidelines, frustration seemed to be extreme for the Eagles, particularly with Jalen Hurts. There may even be reason to believe that the implosion is just beginning.
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A broken defense
Only one thing was more painful to watch than the Eagles' offense, and that was their defense.
Analytics site Pro Football Focus gave them eight missed tackles. We'll rely on their expertise, but the rating seems conservative because the Eagles' defensive players looked like poor kids who were being bullied in the schoolyard.
The Buccaneers gained 307 yards through the air and 119 yards on the ground. It wasn't even prolific receiver Mike Evans who did the damage, but young players like Cade Otton (8 receptions, 89 yards) and Trey Palmer (1 reception, 56 yards, 1 touchdown).
It was a huge moment of redemption for quarterback Baker Mayfield. At the end of last season, he appeared to be on his way to becoming a career reserve after underwhelming stints in Carolina and Los Angeles.
In the winter, he accepted a modest contract to try for a fresh start in Tampa. He won his bet and his performance means he has every chance of returning next year with a much better contract in his pocket.
And he also played despite an injury (knee)…
The end of Sirianni?
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The Buccaneers will continue their journey in Detroit against the Lions and the Eagles will return home embarrassed with a million questions to answer. The first will relate to head coach Nick Sirianni's job security.
Yes, it seems unthinkable considering he has led his team to the playoffs in his three seasons, including the Super Bowl once, just last year. However, his team's disastrous collapse represents a major blemish on his record and rumors have emerged in recent days that an early playoff exit could cost him his job.
He certainly didn't help himself by taking control of the defense away from his coordinator Sean Desai and turning operations over to Matt Patricia. Under his leadership, the defense gave up 375.9 yards and 27.8 points per game.
The Eagles look like a team that has given up, but how do you explain their 10-1 start to the season? There are very difficult questions in a very difficult market that will be asked in the coming days.
Suddenly, what seemed like a solid lineup could be full of holes. Veterans who are the heart and soul of the team, like center Jason Kelce, tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham, are no longer under contract and are not getting any younger. It's sad for these veterans who have given so much to this organization. In the case of a charismatic warrior like Kelce, you want it to last forever.
Without talking about rebuilding in Philadelphia, the fact remains that the face of the team is in danger of changing. After such a loss of face, maybe it's not so bad.
THE 3 STARS OF THE GAME
Baker Mayfield
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22 completed passes in 36 attempts, 337 yards and three touchdowns. If we had told you at the end of last season with none other than Tom Brady at the helm that Baker Mayfield would do better, would you have believed it?
David Lavonte
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The Bucs linebacker obviously doesn't look his 33 years old. We saw him all over the field with five tackles, including two for losses. He continues to be a valuable asset to the Bucs defense.
DeVonta Smith
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The smaller receiver is one of the few Eagles players who has to put his jersey in the wash. Smith was the only offensive player with eight balls for 148 yards.