Sneaky Error by Eagles Coach Before Late Collapse

The Eagles’ loss to the Falcons on Monday still stings for some, especially knowing how close the team was to starting 2-0, instead of giving the game away in its final moments. 

Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni made one ‘sneaky big error’ in particular that contributed to his team’s loss, and he can’t blame it on Saquon Barkley. 

After Barkley dropped a pass from Jalen Hurts that looked like an easy catch with under two minutes left in the game, Sirianni had two choices: kick a field goal or go for it on 4th-and-3 from the Atlanta 10-yard line. 

ESPN’s Seth Walder called Sirianni’s decision to be conservative and kick the field goal to go up six points a ‘sneaky big error.’ 

He showed the percentages head to head, where the Eagles had a 95 percent chance of winning the game by going for the first-down marker. Philadelphia’s odds of winning lowered to 90.2 percent by relying on special teams for points. 

‘That was a sneaky big error on 4th-and-3!’ Walder said on X. ‘You lose either way if they score a touchdown. And opponents are irrationally conservative down 3. They will go for the win now.’

In the game’s final two minutes, Kirk Cousins looked comfortable and took his team down the field for a touchdown, culminating with a 7-yard Drake London touchdown catch. 

The extra point was made to give the Eagles a 1-point deficit. On Philadelphia’s final drive of the game, Hurts threw and interception. 

While Barkley catching the ball likely would have secured the victory for the Eagles, Sirianni statistically did his team no favors. 

It is another chapter in the contentious tenure of Sirianni, with more frustrations popping up ever since losing the Super Bowl in 2023 to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Last year’s season-ending collapse, where Philadelphia lost six of its final seven games, has seemingly only been compounded by Monday’s loss.