The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a disappointing 19-17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the international game in London on Sunday, pushing their win-loss record to 2-3. The team was already struggling with injuries that put several key pieces of their offense on the bench, and some of the late-game decisions Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made with such a compromised roster during a crucial game have earned him criticism.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
When former NFL running back Damien Harris joined CBS Sports HQ on October 11 to discuss the Eagles game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Harris heavily criticized Sirianni for decisions that pushed the team further towards a loss.
“You come out of this game feeling great about yourself if you’re Nick Sirianni and the Eagles if you win,” the CBS Sports analyst said. “But the fact that he put them in a position to lose this game despite Jalen Hurts’ best efforts to win this game, it was nothing short of coaching malpractice.”
Harris pointed out that the biggest error Sirianni made was opting to kick the ball inbounds rather than forcing a touchback on the final kickoff with just eight seconds left on the clock.
The Eagles entered the game with running back Saquon Barkley, wide receivers DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown, and center Drew Kendall sidelined by injuries. Harris pointed out that quarterback Jalen Hurts still managed to move the injury-riddled team into a late-game drive that set up a 48-yard field goal by Jake Elliott, giving the Eagles a 17-16 lead.
With only eight seconds remaining, the Eagles were close to closing out the game. However, the kickoff stayed inbounds, and Jaguars RB Ameer Abdullah returned it 53 yards, leaving just one second on the clock. Cam Little then made the most of that opportunity, sending the ball through the uprights to seal the result.
Sirianni himself is also aware of how badly he messed up. After the game, he took responsibility for the Eagles’ loss, admitting to errors in his late-game decisions.
“I didn’t make the right decision, and I lost us that game,” Sirianni said. “The guys fought so hard, and then I didn’t make the decision that I should have made at the end of the game, and I cost us that game, and I put that fully on me.”
Sirianni faced more questions about the kickoff during his postgame media session, but he stood by his admission that he had made the wrong choice.
“There’s really nothing else to say. I didn’t make the decision – the right decision in that situation,” he said. “They returned it to where they returned it, and then they made a kick. You know, credit to them on that. Again, bad job by me.”
In the game, Hurts completed 21 of 40 passes for 220 yards and one touchdown in the game. His best plays came in the second quarter: first, he connected with Dontayvion Wicks for an 18-yard gain, which moved them into the red zone, setting Will Shipley up for a rushing touchdown. He then launched a deep ball to wide receiver Darius Cooper for the 62-yard touchdown in the same quarter.
“You’re down so many offensive starters, so many weapons, your backs are against the absolute wall, and you’re finding ways to beat one of the arguably one of the best teams in the National Football League internationally in a game in London,” Harris said regarding the Eagles’ situation in the game prior to that last devastating mistake. “This is an opportunity for the Eagles to find some momentum while missing a bunch of key pieces.”
However, regardless of whether he admitted to it or not, it made little difference after the Eagles had already lost their third game this season. Harris called Sirianni’s final decision an instance of coaching negligence, and it wasn’t the only mistake the coach made during the Sunday game. It would have been prudent for the coach to direct the team to run out the clock when he noticed that the Eagles’ compromised offense was still holding up.
This isn’t the first time Sirianni has come under fire for his decisions either. He showed similar lapses in judgment during the Eagles’ Week 3 and Week 4 matchups as well. During the Week 3 game against the Bears, he opted for a delay-of-game penalty and a punt on a crucial fourth-and-short instead of going for a touchdown drive. The very next week, the coach elected to pass on a 4th-and-2 from the 2-yard line while holding a 10-point lead, which allowed the Rams to make a late-game comeback.
The latest mess-up has further raised concerns about the Eagles’ 2026 season run under Sirianni’s guidance, with many fans and analysts calling for his removal from the head coach position.