Nick Sirianni (Photo via awfulannouncing/Twitter)
Saquon Barkley had at least a first down, maybe even a touchdown, that would’ve given the Eagles an undefeated record, but instead, Nick Sirianni is being blasted for losing a game that the team should’ve won.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 1-1 after losing 22-21 to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football at the Linc in Week 2.
The Eagles held a lead late in the fourth quarter, but head coach Nick Sirianni wanted to ensure the game was out of reach, so he called a play that involved throwing the ball.
It was a good play, but Saquon dropped it. The Eagles elected to kick a field goal, which made the score 21-15.
The 1:39 left on the clock was more than what Kirk Cousins and the Falcons needed to come back and win.
After the game, Sirianni explained his game-losing decision to pass it to Barkley instead of running it, which would have taken more time off the clock against a team that had zero timeouts.
“They were running a certain defense and junking it up in the middle, so we were trying to go on around the outside, and it didn’t work,” Sirianni said.
Nick Sirianni added that he considered the Falcons not having any timeouts before making the call.
“In that scenario, I was thinking they might not have any timeouts there, but obviously they did with the incomplete pass. That would have come down to maybe a minute, and so we wanted to go up six points and it didn’t work,” Sirianni added. “The decision to pass it there, like I said when they were junking it up inside with it 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. Hats off to them.”
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni on the decision to throw a pass on 3rd-and-3 and then kick a field goal ahead of the Falcons’ go-ahead drive. 🏈🎙️#NFL pic.twitter.com/tzm92jDmOq
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 17, 2024
Fans called for the head coach to be fired:
Nick Sirianni has to go… point blank… not kicking a field goal and throwing the ball when you had a chance to ice the game… unacceptable… fuck all this risky shit.., play smart football you dumb fuck
— Gambo (@Gambo302) September 17, 2024
“Nick Sirianni has been fired after 4 seasons” pic.twitter.com/NhF0Jv8KHm
— 🦅 (@HurtsForSix) September 17, 2024
Fire nick sirianni into the fucking sun. 2 years in a row and doesn’t learn
— Ging (@CEGing) September 17, 2024
Fire Nick Sirriani. I don’t fucking care. That’s a firable offense. You can’t have this team being so fucking cocky and cute and blowing games like this. He’s a LOSER.
— Philly Sports Sufferer (@mccrystal_alex) September 17, 2024
Should the @Eagles fire Nick Sirianni? pic.twitter.com/1DvxrCVORs
— Kevin Hall (@kevinh1012) September 17, 2024
Things Are Only Going To Get Tougher For Nick Sirianni And The Eagles
The last thing the Eagles needed was to lose a game they absolutely needed to win.
Nick Sirianni’s decision to pass the ball instead of running will cost them down the line following the news that the team will be without star WR AJ Brown for weeks.
Following Monday’s loss, the Eagles have a tough matchup against a New Orleans Saints team that has blown out its first two opponents to start the year.
