Nick Sirianni defends 4th-down decision from Super Bowl
Oct 24, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni reacts in the second half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Eagles 33-22. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Trailing 28-27 with 10:33 remaining in Super Bowl LVII, the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Nick Sirianni opted to punt on a fourth-and-3 from their own 32-yard line.
That decision raised an immediate eyebrow as Sirianni had established himself as one of the more aggressive coaches in the league. He had routinely gone for it in similar situations but with everything on the line, he took a more conservative route.
In most cases, that decision would have become an afterthought. The Kansas City Chiefs have an extremely potent offense and had the Eagles failed to convert, it would have left their defense in an unenviable position. But as it turned out, that’s exactly what happened anyway.
Kadarius Toney fielded the punt and broke several ankles en route to a 65-yard return, which was the longest in Super Bowl history. It set the Chiefs up at the 5-yard line and they punched it in for a touchdown just two plays later.
Although the Eagles would respond with a touchdown of their own, they eventually lost the game on a late field goal.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but even in reflection, Sirianni was content with the decision he made despite his team having converted on 22 fourth downs throughout the regular season.
“I think you get 32 out of 32 NFL coaches punting there. There are no regrets,” Sirianni said, via Pro Football Talk.
There’s no way to know whether all 32 head coaches would have punted in that situation, but it wasn’t an outlandish call by any stretch of the imagination. Had his punt coverage team made the tackle when they had four guys around Toney, this wouldn’t even be a topic of discussion. But that’s the nature of the NFL — sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t.
Sirianni’s decision to punt isn’t what lost them the game, so there’s no sense in him commiserating over it.
