Eagles HC explains decision not to speak with players after ‘MNF’ loss

The Philadelphia Eagles were upset at home on Monday Night Football in Week 2 by the Atlanta Falcons; Philadelphia squandered a 6-point lead in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost 22-21.

With 1:46 left in the game, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense were awarded plenty of time to march down the field and ultimately score a touchdown with 34 seconds left on the clock.

Following the disappointing loss, reports indicated that Eagles coaches, including head coach Nick Sirianni, did not speak to the team in the locker room following the disappointing loss.

On Wednesday morning, Sirianni appeared on the WIP Morning Show and explained the reasoning behind his silence towards the team, saying he was preparing to speak but Jalen Hurts took the spotlight instead.

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‘Jalen is an awesome leader. He spoke from his heart. I thought his message was right on, dead on,’ Sirianni said. ‘When a player is saying what I would say, there is no reason for me to speak afterward. That was perfect.’

He added that Hurts was ‘spot on’ and his ‘passion was awesome,’ addressing his teammates. Sirianni said they’re all on the same page heading into their Week 3 preparation against the New Orleans Saints.

‘Like I said, when your leaders are preaching the same message that I am and that I believe in, and we’re all on the same page, that’s huge,’ he added. ‘Quite frankly, I talk a lot. … And so, I loved it and I know that helped kicked us in the butt a little bit and just kind of snap into the reality of it, it’s one game and let’s move on, and let’s get better from this spot.’

The Eagles had an opportunity to seal the game late. At the two-minute warning, Philadelphia had the ball deep in Atlanta’s territory, but instead of running the ball and keeping the clock running on third down, Hurts dropped back to pass and hit Saquon Barkley in the flat to the right.

Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the pass slipped through Barkley’s fingers, and the Eagles had to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down, giving Atlanta the opportunity to take the lead, which they did.

It was an excruciating loss in primetime for the Eagles, and the decision by head coach Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to throw on third down was heavily scrutinized.

The Eagles move on to New Orleans to take on the Saints in Week 3.