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Tim McManus, ESPN Staff Writer
TAMPA, Fla. — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni faced questions about his future following Monday night’s wild-card playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that capped a stunning late-season collapse in which Philadelphia lost six of its last seven games following a 10-1 start.
“I’m not thinking about that,” Sirianni said when asked if he was concerned about his job status. “I’m thinking about the guys. All the guys in that locker room, every single one of them, they put their heart and soul into this. I’m not worried about me. As the head coach, I’m just trying to be there for our guys and our staff right now through a tough time.”
The 11-6 Eagles entered Monday as road favorites (-3.5) against the 9-8 Bucs but lost 32-9 in a blowout.
Philadelphia went 0-for-11 on third down and fourth down combined, becoming the first team since 1988 to not convert on those downs in a playoff game. And the nine points were the fewest it had scored since Week 7 of the 2021 season against the New York Giants.
The Eagles became just the second team in NFL history to start a season 10-1 or better and finish with seven losses, joining the 1986 New York Jets.
“You see what this team was, you see how the team ended and the slide that we had with no stopping, it’s very frustrating,” Philadelphia tackle Lane Johnson said. “It’s a wild business we’re in. Nobody’s safe.”
Quarterback Jalen Hurts did not answer directly when asked if he wanted Sirianni back for another season.
“I didn’t know he was going anywhere,” Hurts said.
When asked what his confidence level is in Sirianni to fix the team, Hurts said: “I have a ton of confidence in everyone in this building. It’s just a matter of us going out there and playing clean football. That is something that we have not done.”
Besides Sirianni, there are questions about whether Eagles center Jason Kelce will return for a 14th campaign. Cameras showed Kelce, a seven-time Pro Bowler, getting emotional on the sidelines as the game was coming to a close.
Kelce declined to talk with reporters in the locker room, saying: “No guys, not today.”
“I love him. He’s one of the best to ever play the game,” said Johnson, who allowed that Kelce has “hinted” that this was his last year. “The things he can do on the football field athletically, I don’t think we’ll see another one like him for a long time.”
