Nick Sirianni didn’t try to dress it up after the Eagles let a win slip away against the Rams.
With Philadelphia up 20-10 and 7:31 left on Sunday, the Eagles faced fourth-and-goal at the Los Angeles 2-yard line. Sirianni chose to keep the offense on the field instead of sending Jake Elliott out for a short field goal and a 13-point cushion. The gamble missed, and the Rams made it hurt.
Los Angeles answered with a 98-yard touchdown drive and went on to complete a 24-20 comeback win.
Afterward, Sirianni owned the call without hesitation.
“You go for it, and you get it, great. You go for it, and you don't get it, that's on the head coach,” Sirianni said after the loss.
The logic behind the decision was clear enough. A touchdown would have pushed Philadelphia to a three-score lead, and near the goal line, that kind of aggressiveness can make sense.
But the context mattered, too. The Eagles offense had not exactly been humming.
Philadelphia finished with just 172 total yards, went 0-for-12 on third down and didn’t score in the second half. This wasn’t a team slicing through the Rams and looking for one more chance to bury them. It was an offense having trouble moving the ball at all.
That’s why the field goal loomed so large. If Elliott had knocked it through, the Eagles would have led 23-10. The Rams still would have needed two touchdowns, and the clock would have started working against them even more.
Instead, the missed chance opened the door.
Coaches get judged differently depending on how these decisions play out. If the Eagles had punched it in, Sirianni likely would have been praised for staying aggressive and trying to finish the game. But after the collapse, the choice looks even bigger.
Philadelphia had the game in hand, then watched Los Angeles go 98 yards, flip a comfortable lead into a one-score contest and finish the comeback.
Sirianni didn’t point to execution or hide behind numbers. He put the decision on himself.
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