Nick Sirianni is never too far from the headlines .
It was no different as the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys renewed their age-old NFC East rivalry on the penultimate week of the NFL regular season.
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A day that started angrily, ended with another NFC East title for the Eagles, who secured a home playoff game after bouncing back from defeat to Washington in Week 16.
The 12-3 Eagles were looking to bounce back from their first defeat since September, but had Kenny Pickett starting at quarterback for the first time with Jalen Hurts ruled out with a concussion.
The Eagles had started in perfect fashion, CJ Gardner-Johnson picking off Cooper Rush on the first drive of the game to give the home fans the perfect late Christmas present.
However the Cowboys hit back to score a touchdown on the very next play and to level up the scores.
Amped up by the holiday period, their storied rivalry with the Cowboys and their desperation to claim the NFC East and a home playoff game, Philly fans decided they didn’t want to wait much longer.
They first rained down boos on the matchday officials for missed calls when it appeared that DeMarvion Overshown had shoved DeVonta Smith in the back, and had pulled him down by facemask.
With both of those going unpunished, Philly fans turned their attention to Sirianni, who has taken plenty from the stands this season.
Pickett’s very first drive of the game was in danger of fizzling out and faced with a fourth and short, the head coach opted to punt.
Perhaps mindful of the pressure on Pickett in his first start of the season, as well as the 2022 first round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into the game nursing a rib injury.
But the relationship between HC and the Lincoln Financial Field crowd has always been a tense one and the boos rained down as the teams traded early touchdowns.
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“Don’t get sirianni. Early in the year he’s aggressive – arguably too aggressive – on 4th down and short and now we’ve gone completely away from that. Make a decision on what your identity is and live and die with that,” one fan posted to X.
Another added: “A decision like that – punting on 4th-and 1 – early in the season, sparked those fire Sirianni chants.
“The win streak tampered them down, but a loss today will fuel those flames again.”
Fortunately the Eagles put things right, after their slow start.
A stunted Eagles offense followed up their defensive touchdown with back-to-back three and outs – but the Cowboys did too as the attacking units failed to get going.
Philadelphia upped their efforts in second quarter, turning to Saquon Barkley as they picked up their first first downs, and rode out a Pickett fumble, thanks to Barkley.
As has been the way for the Eagles this year, they have found a way and scored points with their final three drives of the half.
A spectacular Grant Calcaterra catch gave Pickett a 34-year completion, which he followed with a 22-yard strike to DeVonta Smith for the Eagles first offensive touchdown of the game and a 14-7 lead.
After a Jake Elliott field goal, Pickett and Sirianni had the last laugh with Pickett – a boyhood Philly fan – running in a trademark Eagles quarterback sneak at the end of the first half.
It gave him one rushing touchdown to go with his passing TD to Smith, and 133 yards through the air in the first half.
Much to the delight of the home fans.
It was more of the same in the second half, the Eagles able to take Pickett out of the game after his rib injury flared up but there was no slowing down.
Barkley rushed for 127 second half yards, after just 40 in the first and third choice QB Tanner McKee came in to throw a touchdown pass of his own.
A 41-7 win over the Cowboys would have been more than enough to send the Eagles fans home happy and clinch a third NFC East title in four years.
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