We’ll stick in the NFC East for one more point, as end-of-game scenarios seem to be a particular issue for the division constituents.
After the Eagles drove for the go-ahead field goal with eight seconds left in what appeared to be a pivotal victory over a good Jaguars squad, Nick Sirianni chose to kick it in the field of play. The decision opened the door for a last-second Jacksonville victory in London.
Sirianni likely had the Week 3 Cowboys-Ravens ending in his brain at the time, wherein Dallas kicked to the end zone, which allowed Baltimore to run a play and get into field goal range in 7 seconds for a stunning game-winner. The difference here was that Jacksonville didn’t have a timeout. That detail is massive.
Without a timeout, even starting at the 35-yard line, Jacksonville would have had to throw at a presumably well-guarded boundary to stop the clock. Not impossible, but harder than the helter-skelter kick returns can create. That Philly allowed a big return that was called back to start the game, and was missing a key special teams player in Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who earlier was ejected for fighting, should also have played a role in Sirianni’s thinking.
The coach shouldered the blame after the loss. Yes, Sirriani should be able to trust his special teams players to make a tackle, but the decision to kick wasn’t the only one that cost Philly.
Throwing after they got into Jake Elliott‘s field-goal range allowed Jacksonville to save time. An incomplete pass on first down stopped the clock, then Makai Lemon went out of bounds on second down stopped the clock with 17 seconds remaining. Both decisions allowed the Jags to save their final timeout and kept Philly from completely draining the final ticks before a potential game-winner.
The loss was a symptom of what ails the Eagles right now. In a game in which the defense played well, the offense once again went in the tank in the second half. They generated just five first downs and had four three-and-outs in seven possessions after the break.
That’s not winning football regardless of where the kickoff landed.
Sidebar: Had the outcome been different, we’d have spent this time questioning Liam Coen, who also had a head-scratcher of a day with a trove of questionable play-calls and decisions. It pays to win.