The Philadelphia Eagles had victory within their grasp. All they had to do was run the ball. The Eagles fans could feel the 2-0 start to the season.
And then Nick Sirianni dialed up a pass play. Saquon Barkley couldn't catch the ball. The Atlanta Falcons were given an unexpected second life, and the Eagles quickly saw everything crumble as the Falcons, in a blink of an eye, pulled off an improbable comeback for the 22-21 win on Monday Night Football.
The Eagles were up 18-15 and deep inside the red zone with 1:46 remaining, and their opponent was out of timeouts. Sirianni inexplicably called a rollout pass. Barkley was open in the flat but was unable to corral the pass, and the clock stopped. It all happened quickly as the Eagles gave Atlanta hope, with the clock hitting a pause and having to settle for the field goal.
Saquon Barkley's 3rd down drop with 1:39 remaining prevented the Eagles from taking a knee and icing the game.
Hate to see it. pic.twitter.com/Y8U0OTlERF
— C (@CSmittyNY) September 17, 2024
Kirk Cousins was then faced against a very conservative defense who, after four plays and less than a minute on the clock, allowed the Falcons to move from their own 30-yard line to the red zone. Drake London eventually caught the game-winning score. Hurts then tossed an interception shortly later, and the Falcons pulled off the unlikely come-from-behind win.
To no surprise, Eagles fans were stunned and searching for answers.
"Nick Sirianni's arrogance to pass in that situation is the reason this team lost," one X user wrote. "They deserved to lose. A completely unacceptable decision, it was bad in the moment, and we see why you just don't do that."
We just invented a new way to lose a game. Never seen it before in my lifetime. I can't stand Sirianni. Run the ball and the game is over. This is pathetic.
— Connor Griffin (@RealCGriff) September 17, 2024
Another X user added, "Decisions like that is why Sirianni is getting fired after this year even if he wins the awful NFC East."
Nick Sirianni gonna be pressing t-shirts on the wildwood boardwalk next summer
— Nick (@NickZararis) September 17, 2024
Whether it was offensive coordinator Kellen Moore or Sirianni who had the final say on that call, the play itself actually worked. If Barkley makes a catch that he can do 99 out of 100 times, no one is batting an eye.
That being said, this isn't a case where Eagles fans are concerned with the what-ifs. Prior to that call, Atlanta had looked feeble on offense, so leaving them with as little time as possible was the correct choice.
Eagles are going to lose. There should be 8 seconds left instead of 48. What an insane call to pass there.
— Tony Starks ? (@portman7387) September 17, 2024
"The Eagles lost tonight's game because Kellen Moore and Nick Sirianni wanted to look like geniuses more than they wanted to win the football game," another disgruntled Eagles fan wrote on X. "Run the damn ball on third down. Get a couple yards, tush push game over -OR- no gain/loss, FG, ATL ball with 40-50 secs."
The Eagles fall to 1-1 while the Falcons avoid the dreaded 0-2 start.
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