The elements were bad in Philadelphia, but the coaching might have been worse. On Sunday, the Eagles played sloppy, self-destructive football and still won.
The slick, snowy conditions were only one factor of Philly’s 28-22 divisional-round win over the Los Angeles Rams. Late in the third quarter, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took a sack and injured his knee. That drive concluded with a Jake Elliott field goal to give his team a 16-13 lead, and after a Rams three-and-out, Philly’s offense started on its own four-yard line. On the second play of the drive, Hurts dropped back and was caught in the end zone by defensive tackle Neville Gallimore for a safety. Whether it was a play call by head coach Nick Sirianni or offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, it was astonishingly stupid to have a quarterback with an injured knee drop back in the snow and function as end-zone bait, especially on second down and especially when the best running back in the NFL is available.
Before his knee injury, Hurts ripped off a 44-yard touchdown run in the first quarter; a couple of drives later, Saquon Barkley went 62 yards for a score. Philly’s run game was working in the snow, and caught the Rams defense flatfooted more than a few times. Barkley finished the game with 26 carries for 205 yards, along with a 78-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that should have iced the game but didn’t. Down 28-15, Rams QB Matthew Stafford orchestrated a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in 1:48 of game time to cut the deficit to six. That aforementioned safety, as well as two missed extra points by Elliott, kept Los Angeles within reach.
The Eagles got the ball with 2:48 remaining and were at least wise enough to call a run play to Barkley on first down. But for some reason, either Sirianni or Moore—they can share blame if they want—once again called for Hurts to drop back on second down, and once again he was sacked, this time by Kobie Turner. The Rams had to burn all their timeouts, but still had 2:23 remaining to try and win the game. They almost did it! An unreal 37-yard catch by Puka Nacua got them to the Eagles’ 21, and the offense reached the 13 before Jalen Carter sacked Stafford on third down, and the QB’s desperate fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds to preserve Philadelphia’s six-point win.
Despite the late scare, the Eagles survived and earned a spot in the NFC title game next Sunday. They’ll face the Washington Commanders as well as Nick Sirianni’s decision-making abilities.
