Philadelphia fans waking up Tuesday morning are hoping it was all a bad dream.
That the Eagles, who had a 99.3% chance to win the "Monday Night Football" game against the Falcons with 1:56 left, prevailed in the prime-time matchup.
That running back Saquon Barkley brought in the catch on third down to move the chains, icing the game.
That the defense stopped Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta offense from marching down the field with ease, tying the contest on a touchdown before Younghoe Koo's extra point gave them an improbable lead.
But alas, the reality is that the Eagles sit at 1-1 on the 2024 season rather than 2-0 after blowing a late lead against the Falcons at home, leaving more questions than answers about the football club. Philadelphia left Lincoln Financial Field stunned Monday night, dropping a 22-21 decision to Atlanta in a game Philadelphia had all but wrapped up with under two minutes to go.
MORE FALCONS-EAGLES:
How Eagles lost | Kirk Cousins stats | Bijan Robinson stats | Peyton Manning reaction to Saquon Barkley drop
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked about the critical third-down play with under two minutes to go where he decided to pass rather than run the ball. The decision gave the Falcons enough time on the clock to go back the other direction and score, leading to the win.
Sirianni defended his decision during his postgame press conference. Here's what he had to say.
Nick Sirianni press conference
The biggest talking point coming out of the defeat was Sirianni's decision to pass on a crucial third down late in the contest rather than run the ball.
With the Eagles facing third-and-3 from the Falcons' 10-yard line with 1:46 remaining, all the team needed was a first down to essentially clinch a win. Either that, or Philadelphia could run the ball, allowing 40 seconds to run off the clock since Atlanta was out of timeouts.
Instead, Sirianni called a pass play that nearly worked had Barkley not dropped the throw from quarterback Jalen Hurts, stopping the clock and forcing the Eagles to settle for a field goal that put them up six. It gave the Falcons a slim chance to mount a comeback, and that's exactly what happened.
Sirianni explained the decision to pass rather than run on the play, stating that the Falcons were giving them a specific look on defense that he felt was going to combat a run inside.
"They were running a certain defense — junking it up in the middle," Sirianni said. "So we were trying to go around the outside, and it didn't work."
"They were running a certain defense — junking it up in the middle. So we were trying to go around the outside, and it didn't work."
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 17, 2024
- Eagles coach Nick Sirianni on the decision to pass on 3rd & 3 pic.twitter.com/Zif9XMuBrs
He also said he was comfortable challenging the Falcons to go the length of the field with so little time on the clock, but the dropped ball essentially acted as an additional timeout for Atlanta.
"In that scenario, I was thinking they might not have any timeouts there, but obviously they did with the incomplete pass," Sirianni said. "That would have come down to maybe a minute, and so we wanted to go up six points and it didn't work. The decision to pass it there, like I said when they were junking it up inside with it being fourth-and-3 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."
While Sirianni may be getting the brunt of the blame, he's not the only one. No one would be discussing the decision if Barkley is able to bring a catch that went right off his fingertips, just like no one would be discussing the decision if Vic Fangio's defense wasn't cut through like Swiss cheese by Cousins and the Falcons offense on the go-ahead touchdown.
Eagles cornerback Darius Slay also took on part of the fault for the loss. He was covering Falcons wide receiver Drake London on the go-ahead touchdown, losing him on a juke to the perimeter.
That’s on me Philly!! I owe yall one. DAMN!!!!!
— Darius Slay (@bigplay24slay) September 17, 2024
The entire game-winning drive from Kirk Cousins and the @AtlantaFalcons. #ATLvsPHI pic.twitter.com/7ms5Esas7b
— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2024
The Eagles have a short turnaround to shake off the loss and reset their focus, which now shifts to a 2-0 Saints team that has dropped at least 40 points in back-to-back games to start the season.
Nick Sirianni salary
Sirianni's contract is not publicly reported, but when he initially signed with the team, it was reported that he inked a five-year deal that paid him between $6 million and $7 million per year.
How old is Nick Sirianni?
Born on June 15, 1981, Sirianni is 43 years old. He is the 12th-youngest current head coach in the league.
