Nick Sirianni couldn't handle the loss of a member of his team and that led to the Eagles debacle

Nick Sirianni (R) and Dom DiSandro following the game against the Buccaneers

Siranni admitted that his mood had affected the team..

The Philadelphia Eagles had a disastrous end to the season, to say the least. The reasons for their 1-4 record in the last weeks of the NFL 2023 season remain unknown, but a media report points to the unexpected loss of a valuable team member.

Head coach Nick Sirianni’s Eagles seemed nearly invincible for most of the season. With an almost perfect record of 10-2, it didn’t look like anyone could take the NFC East Division title away from them, and they seemed to be on a safe path to their second consecutive Super Bowl.

However, all that fell apart starting in Week 13, when they lost 42-19 at home to the San Francisco 49ers. The most notable incident of that game was the confrontation between Philadelphia security chief Dom DiSandro and Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw.

The altercation earned DiSandro, better known as “Big Dom,” a suspension for the rest of the season, and press reports claim that it caused a deep rift in the team.

The influence of Big Dom

Derrick Gunn, a reporter who has long covered the Eagles, said on his X account that DiSandro helps control “Sirianni’s emotions on the sideline. In his absence, Nick gets into numerous arguments with players/coaches during games.”

Other analysts admit that Gunn could be right, given Philadelphia’s disastrous performance in that stretch. Although they also remember that “Big Dom’s” suspension ended in the postseason, and they still fell resoundingly 32-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round.

However, it is worth remembering Sirianni himself admitted that he had been “too tense” and that this had affected the team. This after the hard-fought 33-25 victory over the New York Giants in Week 16.

There were other reasons

Beyond DiSandro’s possible influence on Sirianni, there was another set of circumstances that could have contributed to the Philadelphia debacle.

Among them, the problems of defensive coordinator Sean Desai, who was moved to a position of less responsibility, and assistant Matt Patricia was in charge of calling defensive plays starting in Week 14.

Gunn himself recalled that quarterback Jalen Hurts had been under a lot of pressure due to the huge contract extension he received in the 2023 offseason, which generated high expectations around his performance.

The causes for such a fall in a Super Bowl-contending team are never simple. However, Big Dom’s absence undoubtedly had a significant impact on the Eagles’ spirit, and it only remains to be seen if they can bounce back for next season.

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