Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was criticized over a decision he made late in his team’s game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
The Eagles were leading 22-16 with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. They had 4th-and-8 at the Carolina 36-yard line, which most would consider field-goal range. Sirianni did not think so.
Rather than having Jake Elliott attempt a 55-yard field goal to potentially put the Eagles up two scores, Sirianni took a delay of game and punted.
The decision worked out, as Philadelphia’s defense came up with a stop to preserve the victory. Had the Panthers put together a game-winning touchdown drive, fans would have been furious with Sirianni.
While some will say Sirianni was too conservative, the rationale behind his decision was obvious. Elliott has attempted five field goals this season from 50 yards or further. He missed all of them, including a 52-yard attempt in the third quarter on Sunday. Elliott has made 78.3 percent of his kicks this year, which is the second-lowest mark of his career.
Sirianni obviously did not trust Elliott to make the kick. He felt his defense had a better chance of stopping Bryce Young and Carolina’s offense, and Sirianni did not want to risk giving the Panthers great field position. But if the Eagles can’t trust their kicker to make a 55-yard field goal, they could have bigger problems going forward.
Sirianni has already gotten away with one crazy late-game decision this year, but the one he made on Sunday was much more justified.
