Eagles’ reactions after heartbreaking loss to Seahawks: ‘So much for Matt Patricia being the savior’

The Eagles could not stop Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock from driving 92 yards and scoring a game-winning touchdown in the final two minutes of their 20-17 loss at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Monday.

Philadelphia gave up two big plays on Seattle’s 10-play, 92-yard scoring drive that led to a third straight loss. On third-and-10 from the Seahawks’ 37, Lock threw a 34-yard pass to DK Metcalf, who snagged the ball between two defenders: Eagles cornerback James Bradberry and rookie safety Sydney Brown. Two plays later, Lock found rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith Njigba, who was being covered by Bradberry, on a 29-yard game-winner with 28 seconds remaining.

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For the last two years, Lock has backed up Seahawks starter Geno Smith, who was sidelined with a groin injury yesterday. In his three seasons (2019-2021) with the Denver Broncos, Lock never developed into a consistent starter and was more celebrated for rapping Jeezy’s “Put On” than actually playing well. When he was sent to Seattle as a part of the Russell Wilson trade, any shot of him becoming a quality quarterback seemed to end.

More than likely, Lock did not recapture his potential as a future starter by leading Monday’s game-winning drive. Instead, he took advantage of a reeling defense that switched coordinators during the week.

On Sunday, NFL insider Jay Glazer reported the Eagles replaced Sean Desai with Matt Patricia, who was a defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots for six seasons (2012-2017) and a defensive-minded coach with the Detroit Lions for three years (2018-2020). In both of those stints, he was often criticized for bad coaching decisions.

Shortly after the Eagles’ defense gave up a game-winning touchdown, many people mocked Philadelphia’s decision to promote Patricia:

“Good thing the Eagles made the switch to Matt Patricia in time to revive Drew Lock’s career,” PFF analyst George Chahrouri posted on X.

“Matt Patricia’s defense, what could go wrong?” Yahoo writer Scott Pianowski rhetorically asked on X.

“So much for Matt Patricia being the savior,” sports commentator Adnan Virk said on X.

The criticism Patricia received may be unfair because he successfully called plays that slowed Seattle’s offense down for most of the game. The Seahawks finished with less than 300 total yards (297) — an improvement compared to their last two losses (49ers and Cowboys) in which they allowed 300-plus yards and over 30 points both times.

Despite his overall success, Patricia made a huge mistake when he allowed Bradberry to cover Smith Njigba one-on-one without any safety help. After signing a three-year, $38 million contract extension with the Eagles this past spring, Bradberry has been one of the team’s biggest disappointments this year.

“Cover 1 robber in that situation? Classic Matt Patricia,” Pro Football Network’s Ian Valentino said via X.  

Former Eagles tight end Clay Harbor also offered his perspective: “I really don’t know what Matt Patricia is doing here. It’s 3rd and 10 and you leave Bradberry one-on-one? Who’s known as a bad man player? And you’re only rushing 4? I don’t get it.”

No matter what calls Patricia makes in the future, Philadelphia’s defensive personnel has not proved its good enough to win playoff games. Coming into the game, the Eagles ranked 22nd in pass defense (353.9 yards per game) and 28th in scoring defense (24.7 points per game).

To make things worse, the Eagles were without cornerback Darius Slay, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this week. Philadelphia relied on rookie cornerbacks Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks to fill his snaps. Ringo finished with three tackles, while Ricks racked up two.

According to ESPN, Slay should play again before their season concludes. But his return does not fix the rest of their problems.

“Eagles fans blamed Jonathan Gannon all summer. Blamed Sean Desai the last 3 months. I’m sure Matt Patricia is next. Maybe, just maybe, your defensive back 7 personnel is terribly lacking,” Fox Sports 1′s host Nick Wright said on X.

Philadelphia’s defense has received a large portion of the blame, but its offense is also being criticized for another lackluster performance. Although they finished with 321 yards, the Eagles’ last three possessions ended with two interceptions and a punt.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.com.