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The Philadelphia Eagles nearly gave the Green Bay Packers a golden opportunity to tie their game Monday night. Coach Nick Sirianni defended offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s play call and explained why going for the first down on fourth-and-6 was the decision on Philadelphia’s final offensive drive in its 10-7 win at Lambeau Field. The Eagles (7-2) won their third straight and improved to 6-1 against NFC opposition this season. Their defense saved the day by limiting the high-octane Packers to 261 total yards and just the seven points — and forced Brandon McManus‘ missed 64-yard field goal on the final play of the game. The Eagles will host the Detroit Lions (7-3) on Sunday Night Football. Nick Sirianni: ‘We Just Didn’t Get’ The First Down On Fourth and 6 If the Eagles had surrendered the game-tying field goal, Sirianni would have had some serious explaining to do. Up three at the Green Bay 35-yard line with 33 seconds left, after the Packers exhausted all their timeouts, the Eagles offense could have taken an extra second off the clock and received five free yards on a delay of game then could have punted the ball deeper into Packers territory. Even a touchback would have forced Green Bay to go an additional 15 yards from where they were with no timeouts and about 25 seconds. Yet, Sirianni decided to go for the clincher, allowing quarterback Jalen Hurts to throw a deep shot toward A.J. Brown that fell incomplete. “I’ve got a lot of faith in our offense,” Sirianni said. “It didn’t work out on this one. We just didn’t get it, but the decision, I stand put on that decision. “We would’ve ended the game if we had got that, and I have a lot of faith in our guys to do that.” The Packers took over and gained 18 yards on a Jordan Love completion to Bo Melton, which set up a long field-goal attempt — in cold, windy conditions. But McManus badly hooked the kick wide left. Nick Sirianni Didn’t Feel Comfortable Kicking A Field Goal Apparently, punting never entered Sirianni’s mind, even after calling a timeout to preserve the five yards. The debate in his head was whether the Eagles would go for the fourth-and-6 or if they could kick a 53-yard field goal. Kicker Jake Elliott was 1 for 1 on Monday night, with a 39-yarder in the third quarter to his credit — going with the wind at his back. He is 3 for 4 on kicks of 50-plus yards this year, yet Sirianni shared why he didn’t want to tempt fate — especially since the Eagles have a late-game blocked field goal return for a touchdown in their Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Rams. “I would’ve liked to be a little closer to kick a field goal,” Sirianni said. “It was into the wind on that one. I knew the kick would have had to be a little bit lower trajectory of a kick on that particular one.” Despite how it could have gone sideways based on the questionable decision-making, Sirianni credited the players for the decision working out. “As much as we talk about physical toughness, we talk a lot about mental toughness as well,” Sirianni said. “Being able to stay in the moment at all times. That is so critical in our sport, or sports in general, all that matters is the next play.”
