As the final minutes of Monday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons played out, head coach Nick Sirianni and the Eagles found themselves in a situation identical to their Week 1 victory over Green Bay.
Sirianni understood exactly what he was going to do based on an analytics assessment he guided the club through before the season began. The Eagles led by six points after kicking a field goal, but they lost by one when Kirk Cousins drove the Falcons 70 yards in six plays to win 22-21.
“Will every decision I make be successful? “No,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “I’m responsible for all of it.”
The Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29 in Brazil in Week 1. With a five-point advantage into the fourth quarter, the Eagles added two field goals and hung on against Green Bay’s last-ditch effort in the final minute.
Sirianni was aware that the problem would arise again, but he studied it thoroughly, including an internal league study of previous situations and analytics analysis.
“I asked (our staff) for every time it was 1 point to 5 points the team was up,” Sirianni said of examining late-game situations around the league.
“I return and re-evaluate it (after Week 2), and I’m even more convicted, to be honest with you, because of everything that goes into it… As an offensive coach, it’s stressful to have to score a touchdown when you’re returning the ball to a team… Being down six causes a different level of tension than being down three.
“This game is always about the individuals and how they play. That is what gives you the confidence to go for it. We have gone for it more in our plus territory than anyone else.”
Sirianni noted two home victories over the Cowboys in 2022 and 2023, as well as the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers two years ago, when the club converted a fourth-and-third.
In the regular season, the Eagles are 3-for-4 on fourth down, compared to 19-of-26 in 2023 and 22-of-32 in 2022.
Sirianni stated on Monday that he consulted his trusted “chart” for advice on what to do in the late-game situation — try a field goal or go for a first down — and it suggested “kick it.”
Atlanta’s defensive strategy of applying pressure up the middle on second down inspired the Eagles to go outside on third down. The game concludes on 3rd-and-3 with the Eagles leading 18-15 from the Atlanta 10-yard line and 1:46 left on the clock. The Falcons ran out of timeouts. Instead of running the ball, quarterback Jalen Hurts attempted to pass to Saquan Barkley. He bobbled and dropped the pass, which paused the clock, and Sirianni went for the field goal.
“Be ready, be willing to pass it,” Sirianni added. “We’ve done it and won games in that manner. We’ve also stopped being overly conservative.”
