This is one time when Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo deserves his flowers, as he had the perfect call, and the players didn't execute it.
During the Eagles' 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears, Jalen Hurts had DeVonta Smith wide open for what would have been an easy touchdown catch that ended up being thrown behind Smith and was incomplete. During the first episode of Hard Knocks, following the NFC East, it was revealed that Hurts, through Smith, would settle on the route, with the quarterback taking the blame for it.
Patullo was asked about the play during his press conference, and it was hard even for him to see that opportunity slip through their fingers.
“It was just a mistake, and that's what's hard. It's hard to have those. It's hard when those happen because the guys, whether it's coaches, players, we all take them to heart. It's disappointing because we knew we missed one, but we've also got to learn from it. We've had a few too many of those, and we know that. But as we go, we've got to continue to push through that so those don't happen, and we can be on the same page. And if it does, why did it happen? There could be a human error, and then we've got to move on.”
Patullo's moment he could have had at redemption was taken away
No one has taken more heat for the Eagles' struggles this year than Patullo. The criticism has been fair, though, as he has this offense ranked in the bottom 10 in passing, rushing, and total offense.
To his credit, he has taken every criticism on the chin and fought through some of Philly's ugliness, including being egged in his own home. Even his response to that moment was spot on.
That missed touchdown, though, is a perfect example of why Eagles fans, while they should still criticize Patullo, need to lay off a bit. The players aren't executing and have been committing a high number of penalties in games this season.
Even the Eagles' head coach, Nick Sirianni, deserves some blame for what has happened this season and the recent struggles. Some of Sirianni's decisions on the field have been highly questionable, to the point that they have affected the outcome of the game.
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A bounce-back win for the Eagles over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 would be a good way to get things back on track and forget the sins of the past.