Can Nick Sirianni win without stars? Can the Cowboys get out of their own way? Survivor pools collapse: NFL Week 7

Most first-time NFL head coaches inherit teams with only a handful of good players. That’s usually why the previous coach got fired.

Nick Sirianni had never been a head coach before he came to Philadelphia. Much is made of Sirianni making the playoffs in his first five seasons, following John Harbaugh in Baltimore as the only coach in the free-agency era to do so. Like Harbaugh, who inherited Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, Sirianni fell into a cherry situation.

Sirianni has never coached a team without established stars on its roster.

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When he took over in 2021, Sirianni had Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Jason Kelce, Jalen Hurts, Fletcher Cox, and Darius Slay, not to mention Javon Hargrave and Dallas Goedert. DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson were drafted months after Sirianni arrived.

Most significantly, Hurts has started 93 of the 101 Eagles games (including playoffs) Sirianni has coached. That’s astonishing stability at the quarterback position.

Now, there is no stability at quarterback, or, really, anywhere else. At one point over this last week, 24 players were listed on the Eagles’ injury report. Believe it or not, they’re getting healthier.

That said, Smith will miss Monday night’s game with a nagging hamstring injury, and No. 2 receiver Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) won’t play, either.

» READ MORE: Eagles will be without DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks, while Saquon Barkley is questionable vs. Cowboys

Hurts wasn’t even on the report, since he’s taking blood thinners to address blood clots in his lungs and likely will remain on injured reserve the rest of the season.

Johnson retired.

So now, with a more modest cast of characters, what kind of coach will Sirianni be?

Can he present a competitive team despite being diminished by injury and exits?

More urgently: Can he do it immediately, against three NFC East opponents in a row?

So far, not so good.

The Eagles are 2-4 amid the turmoil. Sirianni has lost four games in a row for the first time as a head coach. The season is quickly falling apart.

That can change, if Sirianni can manage it. That’s why he’s paid $17 million a year: To win when it’s hard, not when it’s easy.

They host a mediocre Cowboys team Monday night; visit a bad Commanders team next Sunday night that will be coming off their bye; and, a week later, will host a weird Giants team that won in overtime Sunday.

He will do so with backup offensive linemen, receivers, and running backs; Saquon Barkley might return from a two-game hamstring vacation Monday night, but his top two backups are on injured reserve. Sirianni might be without his top edge rusher, Nolan Smith Jr., and both Jalyx Hunt and Jonathan Greenard are questionable to play.

Good coaches overcome injury deficiencies. Doug Pederson won Super Bowl LII without his starting quarterback, left tackle, middle linebacker, kicker, and third-down back. Pederson played the hand dealt him, earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and won the city its first Super Bowl.

We’ve never seen Sirianni play a hand without a stacked deck.

The Cowboys haven’t won a meaningful game in Philadelphia since 2018, the first game after the Eagles traded for Golden Tate, who caught two passes for 19 yards (the Cowboys won the 2021 season finale but Sirianni rested starters). There was little evidence that, entering Monday night at 2-4, they would end that streak this year.

They lost to the Packers last week as Dak Prescott threw two interceptions, but Green Bay is a good team and a tough road game.

However, two weeks ago the Cowboys lost at home to the winless Buccaneers and Jalon Daniels, an undrafted rookie quarterback in his second start. Which means Tanner McKee, a third-year, sixth-round pick making his fourth career start, will have a chance against a Dallas team with the worst run defense in football (one year removed from having the worst pass defense in football).

A survivor or suicide pool involves a pool of participants who pick a straight-up winner every week. Usually, you can only use each team once per season and if you lose, you’re out. Popular strategies include picking a hot team or picking against a bad team.

There was much carnage Sunday.

The 49ers (6-1) lost their first game as Christian McCaffrey suffered his annual leg injury (thigh), Brock Purdy threw two interceptions, and George Kittle lost a fumble in Atlanta. The Falcons were 2-4, 0-3 at home, and 2½-point underdogs.

Wise bettors probably stayed away from the undefeated Chiefs (5-1) as they visited Seattle, even though they were 2½-point favorites. Patrick Mahomes had never started a game in which he didn’t reach the red zone, but that changed Sunday night in a 20-3 loss to the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Vikings were much more likely to win over the visiting Colts and were 6½-point favorites, but their 16-10 home win likely had poolers who picked them sweating it out. The Vikings (6-0) have now allowed a league-low 74 points.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Dolphins (1-5) won their first game as Malik Willis threw two touchdown passes and ran for another. The Jets were 3½- point favorites and the Dolphins were winless on the road, but, well, it was the Jets, so ...

The Packers lost on a field goal at Detroit in an atrociously officiated game from the Packers’ perspective. It featured two bogus calls for roughing the passer and a bizarre unnecessary roughness penalty that involved a Lions runner getting tackled, getting up and running again after no whistle was blown, getting tackled again, and the runner knocking down an official, who theatrically threw a flag from his back, apparently because he was mad and embarrassed. ... The Bucs compiled just 64 passing yards on 11 attempts in Baker Mayfield’s return from a thumb injury but still beat the host Panthers, 43-13, on the strength of 258 rushing yards and four forced turnovers. The Panthers beat the Eagles in Philly last week. ... Bo Nix’s 62-yard touchdown run in a win at Arizona was the longest run of his career and the longest by a quarterback in Broncos history. ... The Raiders started 3-0 but they were a mirage after all; they lost their fourth in a row Sunday to the visiting Rams. ... The Bengals scored 35 unanswered points in Baltimore after halftime as the Ravens blew a 13-0 halftime lead. ... The Browns and controversial QB Deshaun Watson won again, this time in Tennessee, and remained tied for first place in the AFC North at 5-2 with the Steelers, who beat the Saints in Paris.

Listen to the latest episode

The Eagles seem reluctant to address the handling of the Jalen Hurts blood clots saga, but the key questions involved in the story aren’t going anywhere. Throughout the week, in the absence of remarks from general manager Howie Roseman or team medical personnel, head coach Nick Sirianni was peppered by reporters. He’s offered few details in return. After speaking with high-ranking medical officials currently or previously employed by NFL teams, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane frames four central issues that remain unanswered, while also looking at what this situation means for Hurts’ future in Philadelphia. Listen here.

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