Nick Sirianni had a chance to lean into the one thing the Eagles do better than just about anyone else in football, and instead he backed away from it.
Trailing 20-7 early in the third quarter Monday night at Soldier Field, Philadelphia faced 4th-and-1 at its own 49-yard line. The offense was already stuck in neutral, but the situation still screamed aggression: decent field position, two-score game, and a chance to keep the pressure on.
Instead, the Eagles tried to draw the Bears offside, took a delay of game and punted.
They never got a better opening, and the night ended in a 27-7 loss that handed Philadelphia its first defeat of the season.
Sirianni didn’t hide from the criticism afterward.
“Yeah, you know, as I look back at that, I probably should have gone for it there,” he said. “Didn't like that decision.
The thought process was really right there. We were down two scores.
I didn't want to give them a short field, but again, it was a long (4th-and-)1. It was all of one.
It was one and plus.
“But again, right there, you had a good situation to be able to get it. But defense did get a stop. They got us the ball right back.”
That explanation didn’t do much to soften the call, especially with the Eagles’ track record in these spots. Since opening day 2021, they are 56-for-81 on 4th-and-1, a 69.1 percent success rate that leads the NFL by a wide margin. The Rams, who visit the Linc on Sunday, are next at 58.8 percent.
This was the kind of moment built for Philadelphia’s short-yardage package, and Lane Johnson pointed straight to the team’s usual edge in those situations.
“You look at us throughout the past few years, we've done a good job on the snoopies and quarterback sneaks,” Johnson said.
The decision looked even stranger because Sirianni turned around on the next drive and went for it on 4th-and-5. That play ended with Jalen Hurts throwing an interception.
“I like the decision to go for it on the 4th-and-5,” Sirianni said. “In hindsight I feel like I should have went for it on the 4th-and-1 ½.”
Hurts, for his part, didn’t flinch at the coach’s choice or the second-guessing that followed.
“Competitively, I'm always going to go for it,” Hurts said. “I always trust the coach to make the right decision in these situations.
Just singing his praises in that this past week (how he handles) those situations. So there's no difference with that.
We win some, we lose some. It's always something that we can learn from.”
The bigger issue is simple: when the Eagles need a yard, Hurts is usually the safest bet in the league. He has converted 38 of 40 times on 4th-and-1 when carrying the ball, a 95 percent rate. League-wide, that play has been converted 73 percent of the time since 2021.
The only two misses in Hurts’ pro career on 4th-and-1 came on a fumbled snap recovered by Miles Sanders against the Packers in 2022 and a no gain against the Lions last year.
That’s why this one landed so hard. The Eagles had the exact kind of down-and-distance they’re built to own, and they chose not to use it.
In Other News...
Eagles Loss Exposed A Bigger Problem Than One Bad Night
The Eagles 27-7 loss to the Bears on Monday Night Football looked bad on the surface, and the details only made it harder to dismiss. Philadelphia gave away the ball three times, drew 10 penalties and spent much of the night chasing Chicagos passing game, with the Bears finding steady answers through the air. For a team trying to stay on track, it was the kind of performance that turns one rough result into a much bigger conversation.
A few individual efforts still stood out, with DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley providing some of the few bright spots on an otherwise frustrating night. But the struggles of players such as Marcus Epps and Andy Dalton only added to the sense that this was more than an off game, especially for a defense that could not settle in against Case Keenums rhythm. The loss left the Eagles looking for answers in a hurry, because the issues exposed here went well beyond one bad evening. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Gave Eagles Fans A Major Scare On One Brutal Hit
Jalen Hurts gave Eagles fans a jolt on Monday night when he took a heavy hit from Bears linebacker DMarco Jackson and went down near the sideline during the game in Chicago. The moment briefly shifted the focus away from the scoreboard and onto Philadelphias quarterback, with Hurts heading to the medical tent for a concussion evaluation before the Eagles could fully exhale.
Hurts was eventually cleared and returned to the game, easing the immediate concern for a team that could ill afford to lose its starter in a prime-time matchup. Chicago had already grabbed an early lead on Case Keenums touchdown pass, so the sequence only added to an uneasy start for Philadelphia, which had to keep playing while its most important player was being checked out. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Siriannis Sideline Outburst Started With One Alarming Eagles Moment
The moment that set off Nick Siriannis sideline reaction came in the middle of a rough night for the Eagles on Monday Night Football, when Jalen Hurts took a hit that sent him into a concussion evaluation. Cameras caught Sirianni yelling at Bears linebacker DMarco Jackson in the aftermath, a flashpoint that stood out even more in a lopsided 27-7 loss for Philadelphia.
Sirianni later apologized for his language and said he regretted the way he handled himself, a notable admission from a coach whose sideline intensity has long been part of the package. For the Eagles, the bigger concern remains the health of Hurts and the larger fallout from a game that went sideways quickly, but the sideline scene added another layer to an already frustrating night. [Read more 🡒]