Nick Sirianni says he lost Eagles the game vs. Jaguars

Sirianni didn't hide from it after the 19-17 loss. He went to the podium and put the whole thing on himself.

Mike Garafolo

@MikeGarafolo

“I didn’t make the right decision. I lost us that game.” — Nick Sirianni to the media and also the #Eagles players. Said that’s what he told them regarding the last kickoff.

Here's how it went down. Jake Elliott hit a 48-yard field goal with 8 seconds left at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the Eagles led 17-16. All they had to do was get through 1 kickoff and maybe 1 desperation play. Instead of booting it into the end zone for a touchback, they kicked it to Ameer Abdullah. He went 53 yards before Jonathan Jones dragged him down in bounds with 1 second left, and Little drilled a 57-yarder as time expired.

Jeff McLane flagged the late-game management as soon as the game ended, and he didn't stop at the kickoff. He also went after the 8 seconds Philly left on the clock in the first place.

Jeff McLane

@Jeff_McLane

That said, Nick Sirianni did have some dubious decisions late, by allowing there to be eight seconds left on the clock after Jake Elliott's FG and not having him kickoff into the end zone. Sorry, had to return to critical beat reporter.

Jeff McLane@Jeff_McLane

A nut buster. Gonna sting and there were some forgettable moments, but the #Eagles played their hearts out. Zero to be ashamed of.

That second point is the more interesting argument. Sirianni owned the kickoff completely, but when McLane pressed him on the sequence before the kick, Sirianni had an actual answer. He didn't want to lose yards on what was already a 48-yard try.

Jeff McLane

@Jeff_McLane

Asked Nick Sirianni about his decision making BEFORE the kickoff, notably leaving time on the clock before Jake Elliott’s FG attempt. I suggested having Jalen Hurts hold the ball as the clock ticked down to 3 seconds before kneeling. He said he didn’t want to add a few yards to a 48-yard try.

Jeff McLane@Jeff_McLane

“I lost us the game.” t.co/zPrF1KboNo

That's a fair defense. A few yards matter on a long kick, even for Elliott. The kickoff has no defense, though. With 8 seconds left and a 1-point lead, giving a veteran returner a clean runback is the one thing you can't do. The Yahoo writeup basically said it: kick it out of bounds and the Eagles probably win. Credit to Sirianni for not spinning it, but saying 'I lost us the game' doesn't put the game back in the win column.

And the timing is brutal. It's the Eagles' 3rd straight loss, they're 2-3, and the offense managed 3 points in the 2nd half after leading 14-10 at the break. The running game put up just 22 yards after starting RB Will Shipley left hurt early. A coach taking the blame plays well in the locker room for about a week. If the losing streak gets to 4, the questions about Sirianni's late-game calls are only going to get louder in Philly.