Eagles rally behind Nick Sirianni as Brandon Graham calls out Seth Joyner and Derrick Gunn

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Just a week after the 91-year-old franchise nearly collapsed under the weight of Nick Sirianni’s taunts, the Eagles rode former Giants star Saquon Barkley and their defense to a season-saving, aesthetically acceptable, 28-3 win.

The Philadelphia region spent seven whole days generally wishing for the firing of their cocky, combustible coach, who clearly deserved it, especially after he’d just gone 4-0 in games following a regular-season bye. No punishment was too harsh: after all, he’d taken the team to playoff appearances in each of his first three seasons, compiled the 15th-best winning percentage in NFL history (.661), and nearly won Super Bowl LVII, the fourth time the beleaguered Eagles had ever made it that far.

To review: Sirianni drew the ire of the offended after his team beat the Browns last week, but not by enough. As he exited the stadium, he taunted Eagles fans, who’d booed him at halftime and had intermittently called for his firing. Sirianni on Monday offered a hollow apology even as his players defended his antics. They want Sirianni to be authentic, even if that sometimes means acting like a high school punk. Whatever it takes, apparently. Sirianni wins. He might be the cause, or he might be coincidental, but win, he does.

At any rate, the controversy of last week begat the Eagles’ best game of the season. The furor infuriated Sirianni; at least, initially. He cooled as the days progressed, and he offered this message to his team:

“If you’re holding on to anger, all anger does is cloud your ability to get better. ... When you have criticism, you put your head down and work even harder.”

They worked harder.

“The hard work we’ve had throughout the week helped put us in position to be successful today,” Sirianni said. “And the other thing it does is, it unites.”

United, they stood.

“This was our best week of practice so far this year,” Sirianni said. “They practiced their butts off. I could feel everything uniting us this week.”

Sirianni admitted that he heard the outside noise. From pundits at this paper to Eagles alumni like Seth Joyner and longtime Eagles correspondent Derrick Gunn, who co-host a weekly postgame show, Sirianni took heat and caught strays all week. Brandon Graham, the longest-tenured Eagle, thought the world had ended but nobody told him.

“I did. I did,” Graham said Sunday, still incredulous. “I wonder what Seth and them gonna have to say? But that’s OK. They had so much to say. Tell ‘em to keep comin’. Keep it comin’. Don’t ride with us. Him and D-Gunn.”

Other vets were less vengeful.

“You know that’s gonna happen,” said Josh Sweat, a seven-year Eagle who collected his third sack in as many games. “I guess we didn’t win by enough [Sunday], right?”

What about the quarterback, with whom Sirianni allegedly has a chilly relationship?

“Obviously,” said Jalen Hurts, “he knows that I’m behind him.”

Sirianni felt that support all week. By Sunday, he’d moved past his transgression. He even joked about what he told Barkley as, for the first time, Barkley faced the team that drafted him:

“Coming from somebody that’s not emotional, don’t be emotional.”

Barkley didn’t taunt the fans. He’s not the type. He just plays great football.

The Birds now are 4-2, thanks largely to Barkley’s consistent excellence, but also thanks so to their stingy defense, which now has allowed 12 points in its last eight quarters and logged eight sacks Sunday; superior functionality from a patch-and-fill offensive line; another big day from wide receiver A.J. Brown; and consecutive, superb showings from the $255 million quarterback Hurts, who no longer chases heroism and, rather, defers to his betters.

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Hurts on Sunday went 10-for-14 for 114 yards. Those are meager totals, to be sure, but Hurts almost always made the proper decision — taking four sacks, throwing the ball away twice, making safe throws. You know, not losing the game, but giving his team a chance to win. Of the 114 yards, 41 came on a touchdown pass to Brown on fourth-and-3 in the second quarter, perhaps the best throw of Hurts’ five seasons.

And maybe the best play-call Sirianni made all year ... if, of course, he made it.

“I don’t go for fourth downs unless I have complete trust in my players,” said Sirianni, whose team converted all three fourth-down tries.

Most significantly, after turning the ball over in nine straight games, Hurts did not have a turnover for the second week in a row.

Sirianni made sure to feature Barkley. He ran 17 times for 176 yards, the second-highest total of his career. He continues to build his value as Howie Roseman’s latest free-agency coup, and one that Sirianni has used with éclat.

Or was it Sirianni who made those decisions?

Sirianni once prided himself on the design and execution of the Eagles offense, but now he takes the credit — the blame, really — for only the plays that don’t work. So then, apparently, Sirianni didn’t call any plays Sunday. Apparently, coordinator Kellen Moore studied the stats, which ranked the Eagles run game No. 6 in the league at 146.2 yards per game, and had the Giants run defense 24th, allowing 105.8 yards.

Oh, things still went wrong. After gaining 17 yards on their opening drive, the Eagles stood at 29 total yards gained on opening drives in six games. An interception ended the first drive of Game 1, and the Eagles have now punted on five straight opening drives. The Birds were 1-for-13 on third down.

But, mostly, things went right. Things went right because the Birds — because Sirianni — leaned on Barkley.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: The D-line joined Saquon Barkley in destroying the Giants

This is why you give Saquon Barkley $37.75 million.

Because, when all else fails, you give it to Saquon. When Hurts gets gun-shy, as he was in the first quarter, you give it to Saquon. When DeVonta Smith disappears, as he did Sunday afternoon, you give it to Saquon. When you‘re playing without hamstrung left tackle Jordan Mailata, and when you lose right guard Mekhi Becton to a concussion early in the game, you give it to Saquon. Jeff Stoutland again proved priceless; the offensive line coach replaced Mailata with Fred Johnson during the week of practice, inserted Tyler Steen on the fly, and the Birds rolled.

Did they ever.

Barkley had gained 72 yards on eight carries by the time his ninth carry for 3 yards scored the Eagles’ first touchdown early in the second quarter. His eighth carry, for 55 yards, set up the TD plunge. His 38-yarder early in the third quarter and his 41-yarder late in the third set up two Tush Push plunges from Hurts. The second made it 28-3 with 11 minutes, 26 seconds to play, after which the teams inserted their backup quarterbacks.

Notably, Sirianni — having, in his four-year tenure, insulted fans in Indianapolis, Kansas City, and, last week, the Philadelphia faithful — did not insult Giants fans, nor the legion of Eagles fans who made the trip to MetLife Stadium, nor their mothers.

In fact, as Sirianni exited the field Sunday, he pressed his hands together, then flipped two thumbs up at the Eagles’ contingent. He walked over and gave his hat away to a kid.

And, somehow, the franchise survived to play another week.