The Eagles did not look like the same team that cruised to a Super Bowl last season through their first four games of the 2025, but were able to build a 4-0 record even with noticeable offensive struggles. They appeared to be well on their way to another win on Sunday before the Broncos scored 18 unanswered points to hand Nick Sirianni's side a 21-17 defeat.
Saquon Barkley carried the ball only six times in the game and the Eagles only attempted two plays on the ground in the entirety of the second half. Considering what their team has been during this championship run, those two things seem hard to believe.
Philadelphia is still atop the NFC East and shares the top record in the conference. The sky isn't falling. Stephen A. Smith, though, shared his belief that it's time for Sirianni to take action in a certain department.
"Nick Sirianni has to make up his mind," Smith said on First Take Monday. "Are you the boss or not?"
"Nick Sirianni has to make up his mind. Are you the boss or not?" 👀 @stephenasmith on the Eagles after their loss to the Broncos. pic.twitter.com/lE8x89Bh0Y
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 6, 2025
Smith went on:
"The fact that the Eagles lost this game is one thing but the fact that they shed their identity, they don't seem to know who they are, they don't seem to be married to a certain culture, a certain way of winning football games. I think that's something incredibly alarming and we should pay attention to that."
The buzzword surrounding this team right now is identity. It's not normal to see defending champs struggle and stray from what brought them to the summit. The good news is that there's plenty of time to right the ship for Sirianni and plenty of time for the offense to find what it is that puts them in the best position to win.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Stephen A. Smith Says Nick Sirianni Has a Big Decision to Make.
