Inside The Eagles Collapse: How Nick Sirianni Instigated The 4th Quarter Disaster

The Philadelphia Eagles had a 10-point lead over the Los Angeles Rams with 7:31 to play.

Nick Sirianni was facing a fourth-and-goal at the Rams' 2-yard line. His offense had 81 yards in the second half to this point, coming off three striaght possessions involving a three-and-out and a turnover on downs.

The Eagles didn't have Saquon Barkley, Lane Johnson, Dallas Goedert, Landon Dickerson, and DeVonta Smith -- five of their starters from Week 1 not on offense. The center (Drew Kendall) didn't start in Week 1 and the left guard (Cam Jurgens) never played left guard before Week 2 of this season.

Sirianni mad ethe decision to make it a three-score game. Build a 20-10 lead to 27-10, and put the Rams in a "true backed up" situation. Those were his words.

There was nothing wrong with Sirianni's decision in the moment. Going for it is perfectly acceptable.

The circumstances called for the conservative decision.

Take the points. Take the 13-point lead with 7:31 left. Force the Rams to score two touchdowns, which they would had needed regardless if the Eagles kicked a 20-yard field goal.

The decision made by Sirianni was fine. He wa sgoing for the win, the three-score lead. A touchdown makes it 27-10 and makes the Rams have to score two touchdowns and kick a field goal. There's no guarantee if they even get three possessions in the final 7:31.

If the Eagles weren't down their WR1, TE1, RB1, RT1, and LG1, it make plenty of sense to trust the analytics and go for it. The analytics don't put that into the equation.

The Eagles didn't have their best talent on the field

Sirianni won't use injuries as an excuse. No coach will, as they'll play with the hand they're dealt.

Coaches trust their personnel, but they have to be observant of what's in the room. The Eagles lost Barkley in the game -- and Johnson before it. They were already down Dickerson, Smith, and Goedert heading into Sunday.

The Eagles lined up Makai Lemon on the outside, Darius Cooper in the slot and E.J. Jenkins in the slot. Tank Bigsby was the running back and Markel Bell was the right tackle.

Lemon rarely plays outside. Jenkins hardly plays at all.

Bigsby is the RB2 and Bell wa splaying in his first career game -- and had his struggles. How did Sirianni think this was going to work?

The Eagles couldn't run the ball in on three plays. The offensive line struggled to block all afternoon. Dontayvion Wicks -- who was lined up on the right side -- was shut down the entire second half. The pass game was shut down the entire second half, as Jalen Hurts had 5 passing yards at that point.

For some reason, Sirianni was oblivious to what he had surrounding him. Or he flat out ignored it.

The personnel available was the signal to kick. Go up 13 and take the shot with a defense taht had two takeaways and looked like a top-5 defense for the first 52:30 of the game.

The Eagles went for it, and didn't conver. Even though the Rams were backed up at their own 2-yard line, they had life.

The Rams scored two TDs anyway...

There was no guarantee the Rams would have scored two touchdowns if they were down 13. Knowing you need two touchdowns compared to a touchdown and a field goal is a completely different mindset.

The Rams have professional football players, but professionals are human too. Players do press when they need two touchdowns with limited time left, chasing the big play as the clock ticks down.

Once the Rams got the first touchdown, they needed a field goal and the mindset changed. If the Rams were down 13, they needed two touchdowns in two possessions. They score the first touchdown -- they still need to score the second.

The game changed once the Rams got into field goal range with 1:37 left. If the Rams still needed a touchdown, they're forcing their way into the end zone -- and the Eagles defense is playing different towards keeping them out.

Even if the Rams get the second touchdown, the Eagles only need a field goal -- even with all the offensive struggles. A play can change the complexion in the final minute, and Jake Elliott was 2-for-2 on 50+ yard field goals this season.

There are so many variables at play being up 13 as opposed to 10, just like being up 17 as opposed to 13. The field goal seemed like a safer bet than converting a 4th-and-goal.

The verdict

Sirianni's decision was understandable. He just didn't think it the whole way through in the short amount of time he had.

That's why he's the head coach. He made a decision that has a lot of layers, whether he went for it or kicked.

Given what Sirianni had in front of him? He should have kicked.

This offense just isn't good enough, whether they had those players available or not. Given the Eagles were missing five starters, the decision to kick should have been an easy one.

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