An ‘absolute embarrassment,’ an ‘idiotic decision,’ and what else they’re saying about the Eagles loss in London
Nick Sirianni’s kickoff decision late in game against the Jaguars has been a big topic of discussion on social media.
With eight seconds remaining, the Eagles took a one-point lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then, the Jaguars managed a 53-yard kickoff return and kicked a 57-yard game-winning field goal on the next play to win 19-17 — disappointing all the Birds fans who made the trip to London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Following the loss, most of the discourse surrounding the team has centered around the team’s offensive struggles and Nick Sirianni’s decision-making on the game’s final kickoff.
Here’s everything they’re saying about the Birds, following their third consecutive loss:
» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni defends his late-game clock management and offers updates on Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith
Sirianni’s ‘idiotic decision’
On the final kickoff, instead of making the decision to kick the ball through the end zone, Sirianni decided to kick the ball to Jacksonville’s Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah put Cam Little in position to score a 57-yard game-winning field goal as time expired.
“Nick Sirianni made an absolutely idiotic decision to not kick the ball out the back of the end zone and you got to make a tackle,” said former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho on The Speakeasy podcast. “Here’s why it starts and ends with Sirianni. The very first play of the game, before Hurts took a snap, before Jalen Carter got a sack, the Philadelphia special teams already showed itself that day in London when Jacksonville already took a kick return about 80 [yards]. The very first play of the game. As a result, Nick Sirianni, you got to know that.
“Yes, the kickoff team should have made the tackle. But Nick Sirianni has to understand the hand that he was dealt, not the hand he wishes he had. He does not have pocket aces, he doesn’t. Nick Sirianni is sitting there with a couple of threes.”
This is now the second week in a row where Sirianni’s decision making has been questioned, following his Week 4 decision to not kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the Los Angeles Rams’ 2-yard line.
“Well we know it’s fully on you Nick,” Chris Canty said on ESPN’s unSportsmanlike. “And this is the second week in a row where your players have to overcome bad coaching. And quite frankly, they weren’t able to do it. … As great as Nick Sirianni’s coaching record was since he’s taken over the team, it doesn’t absolve him from criticism or blame for what’s happened over the last two weeks — but certainly what happened across the pitch in London yesterday. That was an absolute embarrassment.”
And for the second week in a row, former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner had plenty to say about the Eagles coach.
“You go and you make a bonehead decision to not only kick the ball off but kick the ball straight to a guy, and give him a straight line run,” Seth Joyner said. “I feel so bad for these players because they played their hearts out. And again, the head coach is the reason for this loss. And I’m going to chime it all week long because guess what? He deserves to be held accountable for this.”
‘The only way where they can go is up’
The Eagles were missing key players in London, including DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley. Earlier in the week, the team lost Lane Johnson to retirement, and traded Cam Jurgens to the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite the loss, former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles has faith that the Eagles could be a “super dangerous” team once they figure everything out.
“You don’t want to let this loss or the previous loss affect the next game,” said Foles on The SZN podcast. “Because all it takes is that one game, or one play to change the entire season. So, the Eagles are on the cusp of that. They can’t play worse, offensively. They are playing really bad offensively.
“And this might be a soundbite that someone takes, but they’re losing the context. The only way where they can go is up. And that’s really good because they’re almost beating teams that are going to be in the playoffs while playing really bad. So, once they figure this thing out they’re going to be super dangerous.”
The Bella twins, Nikki and Brie, also have optimism for their team.
“No matter what at the end of the day Go Birds,” they wrote on X. “To see a stadium from across the pond be so electrifying for the Philadelphia Eagles was incredible. You truly felt the emotions through the screen. The boys have been through a lot especially this past week and they showed up for England. So proud to be a Philly fan. Fly Eagles Fly.”
Carolina Hurricanes troll the team
With Sunday’s loss, the Birds are now 0-2 in October. The Phillies’ season ended on Oct. 1 in Game 3 of their wild-card series with the Atlanta Braves. And the Flyers are now 0-6 this month, after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes at home on Sunday night, setting a franchise record for most losses to start a season.
» READ MORE: Eagles open as favorites against the Panthers; Super Bowl odds continue to plummet after loss
After beating the Flyers, the Hurricanes trolled the Philly sports teams.
“We’ve won more games in Philly in the last nine days than the Flyers, Eagles, and Phillies combined this month,” the team’s admin wrote on X.
