Nick Sirianni losing to dysfunctional Browns could be his final Eagles straw

When we last left the Eagles, they were staggering into their bye week after a 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers two Sundays ago.Perhaps the best thing to happen to them was the Phillies losing their playoff series to the Mets, taking some attention and heat off embattled Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and his team.Another good thing for the 2-2 Eagles is that they play the dysfunctional 1-4 Browns on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, where their defense should be able to feast on Cleveland’s wildly-overpaid and bumbling quarterback Deshaun Watson.The thing is, though: Should the Eagles fail to win Sunday against such a weak opponent — especially after a week off and three key players returning to the lineup — it could spell doom for Sirianni.So, that adds a distinct element of pressure for the Eagles.They absolutely, positively, cannot lose this game or there may be panic in the streets of South Philly.

If the Eagles are unable to right themselves in this classic “get right’’ game, you cannot rule out significant changes.Their malaise this season dates back to last season, when a 10-1 start was soured by losing five of their final six regular-season games before a wild-card playoff thumping by the Buccaneers.So, since that blistering 2023 start, the Eagles are 3-8.Last week on “The Pat McAfee Show,’’ even former Patriots coach Bill Belichick weighed in critically on the Eagles’ issues.“Look, they’ve lost [eight] of their last [11] games, so, when you sit there and say, ‘Well, they’re one of the best teams in the league,’ I don’t know,’’ Belichick said.“They do have a lot of good players and have a good team.

I’m not saying they’re not a good team, I’m just saying they haven’t done very well lately.”The Browns are perhaps at last a temporary antidote for what ails the Eagles.Cleveland ranks 30th yardage gained and scoring offense, with a paltry 15.8 15.8 points per game.The Eagles figure to be stronger on offense with recei...