Nick Sirianni explains Eagles’ bizarre call that doomed them vs. Falcons

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks off the field after win against the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

A questionable playcall from the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday may have been the difference in the team’s Week 2 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Eagles led the Falcons 18-15 with under two minutes left at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

Philadelphia had 3rd-and-3 at Atlanta’s 10. With the Falcons out of timeouts at that point, it seemed prudent to run the football one last time. A first down would have virtually ended the game. But even if the Eagles failed, the clock would have been drained a little bit more.

The Eagles, however, dialed up a pass that running back Saquon Barkley dropped (video here). Philadelphia settled for a field goal to extend their lead to six. The resulting play also stopped the clock, which gave the Falcons more time for their game-winning TD drive moments later.

After the Eagles’ 22-21 loss, head coach Nick Sirianni was asked why his squad decided to throw the football instead of opting for to run one more time.

“They were running a certain defense and junking it up in the middle,” Sirianni explained, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk . “So we were trying to go on around the outside, and it didn’t work.

“The decision to pass it there, again like I said, when they were junking it up inside, with it then being fourth and three to go for it, I thought with them not having any timeouts, I wanted them to be down a touchdown and see if they could drive the field. And they did. Hat’s off to them.”

Had Barkley caught the uncontested pass, the decision wouldn’t have even been a talking point. But in the results-based world of sports, criticism almost always comes with failure.

But based on how disappointed Eagles supporters in attendance looked after the game , there probably wasn’t an explanation that would’ve satisfied the fan base.

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