Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni have been to the playoffs three times together. And each time, only one NFC team has managed to send them packing: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs got them in the 2021/22 season. Then again, in the 2023/24 season. No other NFC squad has done that. In the last season alone, the eventual Super Bowl LIX winners defeated the Packers, the Rams, and the Commanders en route to the Championship game. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern. And for Gerald McCoy, it’s a very familiar one.
So when McCoy jumped on X and dropped this: “People think I’m biased. But I been saying they didn’t want to see us last year. We [the Bucs] are the Jalen Hurts’ kryptonite. I’ll go more into it later,” it didn’t feel like hot air. It felt like the kind of warning you circle on the schedule. Keep in mind, he didn’t wait for preseason hype. He didn’t need a Week 1 meltdown. He’s calling his shot now. Before training, the camp even opens. And when you’ve lived in Tampa trenches for seven seasons, you’re allowed to speak early and loud.
McCoy’s not new to this. Back in January 2024, ahead of the Bucs-Eagles Wild Card clash of the ’23 season, he went on The Jim Rome Show and said it outright: “Tampa’s getting revenge.” That was after Philly stumbled into the playoffs, losing five of their final six games. The Bucs? They handled business. Beat them 32-9 on Jan. 15. And it wasn’t some fluky win. The Eagles looked out of sync. Flat. Vulnerable. McCoy called it. Now he’s doubling down.
And here’s the thing, McCoy’s not in for any magical predictions yet again for the 2025 season. But he might be onto something structural. Philadelphia’s ‘tush push’ is one of the most debated plays in the NFL. Legal? Yep. Unstoppable? Almost. But the Bucs stuffed it. Twice. In the playoffs. Once on 3rd & Goal, then again on a two-point try. Todd Bowles didn’t need the league to change the rules: he just threw Vita Vea into the fire and watched him blow it up.
Vea, at 350 pounds of immovable force, is the kind of guy the Eagles hate to see at the line of scrimmage. He doesn’t just slow down the tush push as he clogs it like a brick wall in cleats. While teams are scheming in labs, Tampa just uses raw power. ‘Find your Vea’ might be the Bucs’ unofficial blueprint for neutralizing Philly’s goal-line cheat code. If it worked once, why not again?
So yes, Week 4 is coming. And Hurts will face the one NFC defense that has solved his and Nick Sirianni’s trick in the past. But now, maybe, the aura of the champions would tip the tide in the Birds’ favor. Or at least that’s what Jeffrey Lurie’s plans are after extending Nick’s stay to a multi-year deal.
Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni to run it back?
So here we are. Nick Sirianni isn’t just sticking around—he’s getting the red-carpet, Lombardi-or-bust kind of treatment from Philly’s top brass. “Championship culture,” Lurie said. And just like that, any whispers of last season’s mid-year collapse got buried under layers of trust and trophy-chasing ambition.
Well, a 14-3 bounce-back after a mediocre season, an NFC title in hand, and the Chiefs dethroned, all in one season? Yeah, that warranted for a new deal. So, it’s good that Lurie didn’t hold back. He called Sirianni “authentic,” “intelligent,” and a leader who brings out the best.
But this extension isn’t about rewarding past glory. It’s about pushing for more. “If we score, it’s over. Call it.” That was Sirianni commanding for Jalen Hurts to seal the game. Hurts? He delivered. A 69-yard touchdown that ended the Chiefs’ three-peat dreams and reminded the league that this duo isn’t just aligned—they’re locked in. You can see why Jalen once said, “I got a ton of confidence in him.” That kind of trust? It’s rare.
Meanwhile, Sirianni’s already working at base, clearing out what doesn’t work. Like Tyrion Davis-Price, but also testing out fresh weapons. Like Giles Jackson. Speedy, sneaky, and already stirring chatter in camp. And with a flood of draft picks and UDFAs coming in, Philly’s not playing roster roulette. It’s calculated chaos—just the way Sirianni likes it.
But his connection with his #1, the SB MVP, Hurts, is what has kept the Brotherly Love rolling. Four years deep into this partnership, he still calls the plays with Sirianni like it’s backyard ball. “We’re the two leaders of the team,” he said once. And it shows. Different personalities, same goal: keep stacking wins. In a league that chews through coaches and QB relationships like bad turf, Hurts and Sirianni? They’re just getting warmed up.
The post NFC Powerhouse Predicted as Jalen Hurts Kryptonite as 6X Pro Bowler Issues Warning to Nick Sirianni appeared first on EssentiallySports.
