Sirianni: In Eagles' 'best interest' to hand defense to Patricia - ESPN

SEATTLE — A major shake-up in the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive coaching ranks appeared to have some positive effect Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks, but a unit that has struggled for much of the season let down in the biggest moment, leading to a 20-17 defeat that extended the Eagles' losing streak to three games.

Senior assistant Matt Patricia took over playcalling this week for D-coordinator Sean Desai. Coach Nick Sirianni said after Monday's contest that Patricia now has final say over the defense.

Players said they were notified of the change early last week and that Patricia ran the defensive meetings during the lead-up to the Seattle game.

«I made the decision,» Sirianni said. «I did what I thought I needed to do in the best interest of the football team. We made some adjustments there. Didn't feel like we were playing and coaching well enough on defense, so I made an adjustment.»

The defense held Seattle to 90 yards and three points before intermission, allowing the Eagles to build a halftime lead for the first time in seven games.

The second half was a different story. The Seahawks outpaced Philadelphia 17-7 to close the game. They went ahead for good when rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba got behind cornerback James Bradberry and caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from Drew Lock with under 30 seconds remaining.

«I think we played well today as a whole. Individually, I didn't play well… I definitely let down the defense today,» Bradberry said when asked whether he thought the coaching change from Desai to Patricia had worked.

Bradberry said he was trying to prevent Seattle from picking up a first down on that third-and-10 play and got too aggressive, allowing Smith-Njigba to get over the top.

Eagle