Nick Sirianni discusses 'connection' that led Eagles to NFC Championship Game vs. Commanders

Following an offseason filled with rumors regarding all that went wrong for the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles during their late-season collapse, the Eagles are now a home win over the division-rival Washington Commanders in this Sunday's NFC Championship Game away from playing in Super Bowl LIX.

After the Eagles earned what became a nervy 28-22 divisional-round victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni spoke with NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated about what's been a unique journey for everybody involved. 

"You don’t win 16 games without talent," Sirianni acknowledged. "That’s for sure. You also don’t win 16 games without having connection. There’s a lot of talented teams. There’s a lot of talented people. But football is the greatest team game that there is. A lot of teams have good players, but we have great teammates. Good teams have good players. Great teams have great teammates."

Outsiders may never fully know if Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie had any interest in replacing Sirianni with living legend Bill Belichick last January after Sirianni's relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts reportedly became "fractured" and after the Philadelphia locker room allegedly dealt with "a problem that would splinter any group of men." What is now clear is that Hurts and Sirianni came together this past fall during the Eagles' bye week in an attempt to turn what was a 2-2 team into a contender. 

Philadelphia came out of the break a different club, one that notched 12 victories across 13 games as running back Saquon Barkley emerged as the favorite to win the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Along with being a force on gamedays, Barkley has also become the leader that the Eagles seemingly needed back in December 2023.

"I think at the end of the day, the guys don’t want to let each other down," Sirianni added about his players. "Talent gets you to the starting point, but the way these guys love each other and are connected to each other brings out another level of these guys. I think that’s overlooked a lot of times. We have special leaders and a special team." 

As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles as 5.5-point favorites over the Commanders. Sirianni's seat reportedly could not have been "hotter" this past summer, but it's safe to assume he won't be going anywhere anytime soon regardless of what takes place at Lincoln Financial Field on the final Sunday of January.