They are the survivors of the coaching class of 2021 – Nick Sirianni and Dan Campbell. Seven coaches were hired in that cycle four years ago, and now, in their fifth seasons, they continue to excel with their organizations.
The two coaches will be on opposite sidelines on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field when Sirianni’s Eagles meet Campbell’s Lions. The two have met twice previously and the Eagles have won both games.
Sirianni has been to a pair of Super Bowls, winning one and losing the other by just three points. Campbell has yet to coach in the big game.
In the regular season, Campbell is 45-31-1 with the Lions and 2-2 in the playoffs. Sirianni is 55-21 in the regular season and 6-3 in the playoffs.
Does this make Sirianni the better coach based on sheer numbers? Yes, but it will come down to who the better coach is on Sunday night as both teams look to take a step toward securing the top seed in the NFC playoffs. Detroit needs to win to keep that pace. The Eagles are already the top-seed if the regular season ended today.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell watches a play against Washington Commanders during the first half at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. on Sunday, November 9, 2025. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“I know him through the owner’s meetings and seeing him at the combine, a lot of respect for him and what he’s done,” said Sirianni on Friday. “Him and I were in the same era coming out in ’21 and got a lot of respect for how he runs his program. The respect that I can see that his guys have for him, the way they play physical, the way they play tough, the way they play with effort, the way they play with fundamentals. I see a lot of similar things that are happening in their program that happen here in our program. A lot of respect for him.”
The other coaches hired in 2021, who have already flamed out are: Robert Saleh (Jets), Brandon Staley (Chargers), David Culley (Texans), Art Smith (Falcons), and, the biggest bust of them all, Urban Meyer (Jaguars).
Sirianni began his career with the Eagles calling the plays, but turned those duties over to Shane Steichen after getting off to a 2-5 start in 2021.
Campbell took over the play-calling from his offensive coordinator John Morton. Many Eagles fans would like to see Sirianni take away play-calling duties from their OC, Kevin Patullo, but Sirianni didn’t exactly excel in that role four years ago, so where would Philly turn if they made such a move?
With Campbell calling plays, the Lions hung 44 points on the Commanders last week.
“I think anytime you change play callers, there’s going to be different tendencies of things that happen,” said Sirianni. “Because even if, for instance, when Shane and I switched play calling assignments, we may think of the game (similarly), and the plays may be very similar. We think of the game (in a)similar way, but the way it comes out of the coordinator’s mouth and their feel for it is a little bit different. Everyone’s just a little bit different. It might not be extremely different, but everyone’s a little bit different.”
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