Lane Johnson calls out predictability of Eagles offense. Can Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo — aka ‘Siritullo’ — fix it?

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Lane Johnson doesn’t often say much, but when he talks, the Eagles listen. Or at least they should.

Johnson is the last remaining of the “Four Corp” — the long-time Eagles that bridged a first Super Bowl with the most prolific era in modern franchise history. When Brandon Graham followed Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox into retirement last offseason, the right tackle became the lone stalwart with enough clout to question the team.

The 13-year veteran has mostly ceded the spotlight to others this season. But after the Eagles were dealt their worst loss since 2023 — a 34-17 whipping Thursday night from the hapless New York Giants — Johnson made it clear he wasn’t pleased with the direction of the offense.

He said it in his unassuming way. Johnson doesn’t quite have the sway his quasi-mentor Jason Peters once had with the Eagles, or Peters’ intimidating way of convincing even owner Jeffrey Lurie to do what “The Bodyguard” wants. But Johnson helped steer Nick Sirianni into becoming a run-based offense a year ago.

Something needs to change with the Eagles on their mini-bye, even if the solution may not come specifically on the ground. Asked what’s wrong with the run game, Johnson’s initial answer was brief: “A lot.” But he uncharacteristically made a public suggestion for Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

“I don’t know if we’re predictable, but it seems a lot harder than what it needs to be,” he said late Thursday night. “Maybe moving forward have a little bit more variety, hitting the perimeter some and doing a little bit more of that.”

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Johnson used predictable, or some variant of the word, three other times during his postgame interview at MetLife Stadium. It’s a term often used for offenses that have gotten obvious. Johnson was around when it became the buzzword for the ineffectiveness of former coach Chip Kelly’s scheme.

He was here just two years ago when Sirianni called his offense “stale,” and then fired offensive coordinator Brian Johnson. Kellen Moore was brought in as Johnson’s replacement, and while there was a slow start, the emphasis on running back Saquon Barkley and an elite offensive line helped turn the season around.

But the offensive coordinator position under Sirianni is a flat circle because he doesn’t author a definitive scheme or call plays. And his success has already led to the departure of Moore and, before him, Shane Steichen.

Patullo, for the record, had Lane Johnson’s outward support.

“It’s not a finger-pointing show,” he said. “I’m with Kevin till the end. A lot of it goes down to execution.”

A.J. Brown, who had essentially been calling out the offense’s inadequacies since the start of the season, also said he still had confidence in Patullo.

“I know he’s getting a lot of scrutiny,” Brown said, “but I think he’s doing a good job keeping this thing going.”

And yet, the offense delivered another schizophrenic performance.

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Somehow, Patullo’s unit wasn’t the worst at MetLife. Vic Fangio’s defense had its poorest outing since he took over last season. On special teams, the Eagles have not figured out their kick return game under the new rules. It was a loss in all three phases.

But the offense’s struggles have been apparent all season long. After Sunday’s collective fourth-quarter meltdown vs. the Broncos, quarterback Jalen Hurts met Monday with Barkley and Brown for an hour-long meeting. The first two didn’t offer much about what was discussed, while the latter coyly denied he was even there.

“I don’t recall the meeting,” Brown said when finally asked three days later.

The receiver was there, but his response was just his way of avoiding the topic.

The subject of Patullo’s competency in play calling isn’t going away, however, and neither is an increasingly disparate pass-run ratio that has placed additional stress on Hurts. The quarterback dropped 38 times vs. 14 (non-Tush Push) called rushes, a week after the imbalance was 46-9.

Hurts has cracked under the strain — just as he did in the first four games of last season when he had seven turnovers. He had only given the ball away once in the first five games this season — without an interception — but he tossed a fatal pick in the fourth quarter.

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Trailing 27-17, the Eagles drove to the Giants 15-yard line. But Hurts was picked off by cornerback Cor’Dale Flott when he jumped receiver Jahan Dotson’s route.

“I gotta be better. Gotta be better. I take ownership for it,” Hurts said. “A lot of autonomy, a lot of opportunity there with the ball in my hands. And given those situations, I have to be wiser and more detailed with it.”

Hurts’ throw was behind Dotson, but his read was worse. Brown was wide open after the Giants zero blitzed the quarterback. Hurts had a solid first half, completing 14 of 18 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown. But there were foreboding signs.

Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen altered his calls slightly — by emphasizing more zone coverage — and the Eagles didn’t adjust enough.

“You can game plan all you want, but when you get in the game,” Johnson said, “a lot of it’s about making those adjustments on the sidelines.”

The Eagles had early success on the ground. Barkley ran for 18 and 13 yards on the first two plays from scrimmage. There was another 18-yard gain later in the first half. But he gained just 9 yards on his nine other carries and had just two totes for 2 yards in the second half.

“We got a very talented running back back there who had a great season last year,” Johnson said. “But there’s no flash in that. … In this league, if you become one-dimensional, you’re not making guys think or guessing or putting guys in situations, things can happen like that.”

The Giants should have offered a balm to the run game woes. They ranked near the bottom in most advanced analytics and allowed 5.8 yards per carry coming in. But defenses are either preying on formation and personnel tendencies, or they’re throwing new stuff at the unprepared Eagles.

“Last year, do you think we were predictable?” said Barkley, who is averaging just 3.4 yards vs. last season’s 5.8. “Everyone knew we were running the ball and we still got it off. I think we also got to get back into the attitude, to that mindset, not really giving a [bleep] what people trying to do.”

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Hurts has barely been a plus-one factor in the run game. Aside from the four straight Tush Pushes that netted a touchdown in the second quarter — the Eagles can still execute that play — he kept the ball for only one designed run and was dropped for a 2-yard loss.

As poorly as the defense played in the first half, the Eagles trailed by only three points. But the offense generated just one first down on their first three possessions of the second half.

“The third quarter,” Brown said, “is low-key becoming our kryptonite.”

And so are third downs. The Eagles converted just 1 of 9 on Thursday. Hurts is 6 for 28 (21.4%) on third downs in his last three games. The Eagles are getting behind the sticks because they can’t run on first down, and defenses are pinning their ears back knowing Hurts is dropping to throw.

“You know when the pass is coming,” Johnson said, “you know when the run is coming.”

Lurie sees it. He knows what a dynamic offense looks like. But now he’s hearing it from one of his pillars. The Eagles are still 4-2. Sirianni has reversed his team’s fortunes before. He deserves the benefit of the doubt.

No one is suggesting that he’s on the hot seat, like he was just a year ago after a 2-2 start. But Patullo is his creation. Can they Frankenstein together an offense that currently looks unstitched? The next 10 days could be an inflection point.

“This is life in the NFL,” Sirianni said. “You’re gonna have some ups, you’re gonna have some downs. We’ve been here before. Last year, obviously we started out 4-2 as well, just a different way that we got there. There is no panic on us.”

Speak for yourself.