USA Today
Doug Pederson's fake field goal call was the right one
There were plenty of twists and turns in the Eagles’ 38-20 loss in Minnesota on Sunday.
The biggest and bumpiest one of them all was the decision by head coach Doug Pederson to try a fake field goal near the end of the first half.
Upon further review:
THE SET UP
The Eagles trailed 24-10 when safety Andrew Sendejo came back to haunt his former teammates by intercepting a Kirk Cousins pass and returning it 15 yards to the Vikings 48-yard line with 62 seconds left in the second quarter. It was the Eagles’ seventh interception of the season and the seventh of Sendejo’s career so it made sense that the Eagles would do everything they could do try to get seven points.
The drive, however, stalled at the 21 after a third-and-four throw into the end zone clanked off the hands of Mack Hollins.
Pederson sent in his field goal unit with 24 seconds and no timeouts left.
THE FAKE
Instead of snapping the ball to holder and punter Cameron Johnston, long snapper Rick Lovato hiked it directly to kicker Jake Elliott.
Elliott was supposed to find tight end Dallas Goedert running an out pattern and throw the ball to him. Goedert was the then supposed to get out of bounds. Instead, Elliott double clutched.
Either Goedert wasn’t open or Elliott didn’t feel like he could get the ball to him.
So Elliott, who had never attempted a pass in the NFL, drifted to his left to try to keep the play alive. He ended up throwing an interception to Everson Griffen.
ANALYSIS
Many will disagree with the fake call.
Taking three points there would have narrowed the Eagles’ deficit to 24-13 heading into halftime and the score would have been 24-23 instead of 24-20 after Elliott made a 40-yard field goal with 6:19 to play in the third quarter.
In the end, those points matter little as the Eagles lost by 18.
Me? I would have taken the points, but I am conservative. Pederson isn’t wired that way.
Pederson has been an aggressive play caller and has shown a willingness to go for a first down on many a fourth down throughout his four years with the Eagles.
He went for a fourth-and-two earlier in the second quarter at midfield. A throw from Carson Wentz to Alshon Jeffery went high and the Vikings took over on downs. On the first play after that, Kirk Cousins found a wide-open Stefon Diggs for a 51-yard touchdown and 24-3 lead.
Maybe a punt in that situation to try to pin Minnesota deep and try to keep the game at 17-3, would have been better.
The way the defense was playing, that lead was bound to grow no matter what Pederson decided there.
RIGHT OR WRONG
Again, many will think it was wrong to go for a fake field goal in that situation.
I am not one.
Yes, I would’ve liked the points, but you can’t agree with Pederson’s aggressive style when a play works then rip him when that aggressive style comes up short.
To keep the drive alive by hitting for a touchdown on the fake or, at the very least, keeping the drive alive to earn another couple throws at the end zone, would have made it 24-24 when Wentz hit Jeffery for a touchdown on the Eagles’ first possession of the second half, instead of 24-17.
Pederson had to know his defense was in over its head and to expect them to keep the Vikings from scoring again after they reached 24 points was unrealistic and likely played into his decision to try the fake.
Was it the wrong decision?
I don’t believe it was.
If anything, you could find fault with the play design. With time ticking down, Pederson should have had something that was a touchdown throw or nothing, and if that was sealed off then have an outlet receiver Elliott could throw the ball to and hope that the outlet would gain the necessary four yards for a first and get out of bounds.
It was a risky decision, one of dozens that Pederson has made since being hired.
This one didn’t work. Others have.
So you live with the ones that do, and accept the ones that don’t.
