Whoa!

Are you still stunned?

Most Eagles’ fans across Carbon and Schuylkill Counties — and the Lehigh Valley, as well as the greater Philadelphia area — are experiencing a combination of anger and anxiety from the third-seeded Eagles 24-19 loss to the sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field Sunday night.

Yet, there are a portion of fans who expected the outcome due to the Eagles consistent offensive woes throughout the season.

So, what if any, is the knee-jerk reaction to this? Do the Eagles fire head coach Nick Sirianni and hire ex-Eagles’ assistant and former Ravens’ head man John Harbaugh?

In this version of the Inside the Huddle column, I’ll take a look at the Eagles current plight and their possible future, some league tidbits, the last Eagles-49ers meeting, an ex-Eagles coach who was fired 35 years ago, and a former Marian gridiron star.

Stay or Go? ... In a recent Times News Lehighton Sports Facebook poll, the question was posed on whether Sirianni should be fired and replaced with John Harbaugh?

According to the final numbers, 75 percent of the responders believed Sirianni should stay, 17 percent felt he should be fired, and eight percent didn’t care.

Wait and see what happens. However, in all likelihood, Harbaugh will end up with the Giants.

Johnny on the Spot ... Harbaugh has deep Eagles roots. He was hired in 1998 as the Bird’s special teams coach. In 2007, Harbaugh became the team’s defensive backs coach under Andy Reid, a position he held until being named the Ravens head coach in 2008.

Getting offensive ... Even though he has taken the Eagles to five straight playoff appearances and won the Super Bowl last year, Sirianni was under fire all season long for the team’s offensive inconsistencies.

With the solid base he has created, Sirianni should be safe. The most obvious scapegoat here will be first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, the former quarterbacks coach who was promoted by Sirianni after Kellen Moore left.

Sirianni has publicly supported Patullo despite the offense being ranked in the bottom tier of the league throughout the season. In Patullo’s defense, the offensive line has been banged up all season, notably losing Lane Johnson to a foot injury in Week 11. Landon Johnson had an off year, and Tyler Steen never fulfilled the loss of Mekhi Becton, who bolted to sign with Arizona.

The line’s sporadic play also affected Saquon Barkley’s overall performance. He rushed for 1,140 yards this season, topping the 100-yard mark four times. He ran for 2,005 last year, with 11 100-yard-plus games.

At the end of the regular season, Pro Football Focus had the Eagles line ranked eighth overall, and ironically, they had the 49ers line ranked seventh. Both Jalen Hurts and the 49ers’ Brock Purdy were sacked each once Sunday.

The Eagles offense ended the year ranked 24th with 311.2 yards per game. Last season, they were eighth with 367.2 yards per game. Sirianni and Patullo were constantly criticized for their conservative approach, notably not allowing quarterback Hurts to scramble more.

At the end of the 2023 season, offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was fired. In that season, the Birds’ offense finished eighth, averaging 367.2 yards per game.

Play All Four ... One of the major flaws with the Eagles offense all season long was their second-half performance. Sunday’s game wasn’t an exception.

Hurts threw for only 35 yards after he threw for 133 before halftime, and Barkley ran for 35 after he accumulated 71 in the opening half.

The Birds converted just two of nine third downs, and were flagged six times for penalties in the second half.

In their final regular season game two weeks ago, the Birds had 17 yards on 17 plays.

Brown Out ... Has A.J. Brown played his last game with the Eagles?

We’ve all seen the Brown-Sirianni clash during their game Sunday, and it could prove to be the proverbial final straw in a series of antics from Brown all season long.

Brown finished the year with 78 catches, but his lowest yardage total (1,003 yards) in his four-year Eagles’ stay. With his two crucial drops Sunday, he had six for the year.

His rumored departure began last season, and an apparent reunion with his former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel loomed this season in New England.

But Sirianni and general manager Howie Roseman refused to move Brown in hopes of ironing out the situation. Now, it may be hard to move Brown, who signed a three-year, $96 million extension in 2024.

Some possible landing spots for Brown could be Kansas City, Denver, Buffalo, Green Bay, and even New England.

Open Your Wallet ... According to Sportrace, the current top 10 teams with the most cap space for next season are the Titans with $113 million, Raiders ($110), Chargers ($109), Jets ($95), Rams ($93), Commanders ($93), Bengals ($77), Steelers ($64), Seahawks ($63) and Eagles ($22). The Giants have $18 million.

No Greener Pastures ... With his team’s loss Saturday, Green Bay head coach Matt LeFleur has an overall 3-6 playoff record, and his teams have lost five of their last six playoff games since he arrived in 2019.

According to reports and sources, LeFleur is under fire and has one year remaining on his current contract. He is scheduled to meet with the new Packers’ management soon to discuss his future.

Indiana Wants Me ... Indiana University has pieced together one of the most impressive seasons in college football history, and the Hoosiers will face off against Miami for the national championship Monday.

However, no one can say that experience doesn’t matter. The Hoosiers’ average player age is 23. Compare that with the Packers, who have the youngest team in the NFL at age 25 per player.

Projected No. 1 overall pick quarterback Fernando Mendoza is 22.

See Ya Buddy ... On Jan. 8, 1991, the Eagles fired Buddy Ryan after the Birds dropped a 20-6 playoff decision to the-then Washington Redskins. It marked the Birds third straight exit in the playoffs.

In the Redskins game, Ryan benched Randall Cunningham in favor of backup Jim McMahon, who came in and threw three incomplete passes. Cunningham then returned for the Eagles next series, and finished the game 15-of-29 for 205 yards with an interception, and was sacked five times.

Overall, Ryan compiled an overall 43-35-1 mark, but was booted for his inability to win a postseason game.

Time Passages ... In each column, I’ll rewind the tapes to rekindle the career of a former player or team.

The first time the Eagles and 49ers met in a playoff game was in 1996 during a Wild Card showdown in San Francisco. The 49ers recorded a 14-0 shutout behind their defense.

Ray Rhodes’ team was led by Ty Detmer, who completed 14-of-21 passes for 148 yards with a pair of interceptions, and Mark Rypien went 5-for-17 with an interception. Ricky Watters ran for 57 yards and caught five balls for 45 yards.

Steve Young had a mediocre day, completing 14-of-21 for 161 yards with a pair of scores.

Green Bay beat the 49ers the following week and went on to win the Super Bowl.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will peel back the pages to review the career of a former standout from the area.

Justin Barrasso was a 1999 Marian graduate who was an integral part of the Colts’ district championship his senior year. Barrasso ran for over 1,000 yards during the final regular season.

In the postseason, Barrasso ran for 184 yards and scored four touchdowns against Wilson, and later scored a pair of touchdowns against Northern Lehigh in the district final.

During their state playoff run, Barrasso rambled for 230 yards against Bermudian Springs before the Colts lost in the final against Mt. Carmel. Heading into the Mt. Carmel game, Barrasso gained 555 yards and averaged eight yards a carry in the postseason.

Barrasso continued his career at Lehigh, where he was a fullback on the Mountain Hawks’ Patriot League winning team during his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

Final Thought ... I was never an Aaron Rodgers fan, but I was encouraged about him during his time with the Jets, as I am a long-suffering Jets’ fan. For whatever reason, I was also enamored with him this season with the Steelers.

It was a bit melancholy watching likely Rodgers’ final game Monday night, and you could see the tears in his eyes and hear a few sniffles when he spoke to players after the game.

Your thoughts are always welcomed and will be published; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com