Throwing the ball down the field on first and 10 on their own 45 with 13 seconds left by the Eagles. Two timeouts may have set up a long field-goal try by a kicker who can make them.
So why pass long? Wednesday reporters questioned Eagles coach Nick Sirianni that. His response was intriguing.
At times there we've seen you can get a pass interference there," stated Sirianni. It was what it was on that play, but if you get a pass interference penalty and a team gives you a one-on-one shot for something similar to what occurred on the other side of the ball, they got a chance with some other stuff, and we've seen it. We had a one-on-one opportunity against the Rams; you can get a pass interference and kick it
It's one of the few occasions (if not the first) that a coach has emphasized the unfathomable probability of a flag as part of the positive strategy for pass interference calls.
So, we have some of the best receivers in the NFL outside," Sirianni. "So you'll do that sometimes. We believed we had a chance then. It didn't work out then. Two-minute drills have worked for us before. Unfortunately, that didn't work, so we understand the criticism, but A.J. can get a pass interference and come down with the football one-on-one.
Although it didn't work out, we're comfortable with what was called and what we performed, and we'll be better next time." Not one-on-one. Safety Julian Love double-covered and intercepted the pass.
Sirianni was asked if Brown was the main read. Sirianni ignored that. Whether quarterback Jalen Hurts was told to throw deep or chose to depend on the pre-snap read is intriguing.
Regardless, the Eagles' play was unlikely to succeed. Better to gain 15-25 yards and force overtiming.