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Eagles OT rips teammates for how they acted during loss

Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Eagles OT rips teammates for how they acted during playoff loss to Bucs

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 1/18/24

The late-season collapse of the Philadelphia Eagles may just be one of the more prolific meltdowns in recent memory.

The Eagles mustered just 276 yards of total offense and one touchdown in their 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Super Wild Card Weekend, and some players appeared to be mentally checked out by the fourth quarter after falling behind 25-9.

At times, some players even looked disinterested in what was happening on the field, which didn’t exactly sit right with offensive tackle Lane Johnson, who called the team out for their antics after the loss.

“What I tell my guys, the O-line, no matter what the f---ing scoreboard is, you play,” Johnson told reporters. “No [sloppiness], no f---ing clapping your hands, no sulking after bad plays. You go up to the line of scrimmage like nothing f---ing happened, like a robot. I think something that needs to be addressed as far as the start of next season, you never give your opponents anything. They see that s--- on film — sulking, bad body [language], all that stuff. You can’t give your opponents anything.”

Lane Johnson: "The effort wasn't the problem. We all had great relationships. It's just, we have a slide going and you can't stop it. Losing the last — whatever we did, probably the first fucking team to end like this after starting the season the way you did... — it's…
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 16, 2024

At the start of December, the Eagles seemed to be on the fast track to the NFC’s No. 1 seed. They had won 10 of their first 11 games, had a top-five scoring offense and racked up several impressive wins over playoff-bound teams like the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

But after a 42-19 shellacking at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles no longer seemed to be bulletproof. They lost five of their last six regular-season games as stars like receiver A.J. Brown began dodging reporters and reports began circulating about a tense atmosphere in the locker room and an apparent divide between the players and the coaching staff.

Instead of overcoming adversity, the team succumbed to it.

“It’s embarrassing when you start 10-1 and lose six of seven,” Johnson added. “We had six weeks to tell you how we were going to fix it, we didn’t do s---. It’s the first time I’ve ever been in this kind of position. I never want to be in this position again.”

Changes are expected to be made in Philadelphia with multiple reports suggesting either head coach Nick Sirianni or some of his assistant coaches could lose their jobs. It’s clear after Philly’s unfortunate collapse that much of the behavior Johnson was talking about won’t be tolerated next year.

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