Nick Sirianni has said he has "no regrets" in how he handled the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LVII, despite suffering a late loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Philadelphia Eagles led for the first three quarters in the Super Bowl before a stunning comeback saw Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs steal the Lombardi Trophy from their grasp. The game was decided by a late Harrison Butker field goal, which saw the Chiefs take the lead with just eight seconds remaining on the play clock.
The Chiefs won 38-35, but the Eagles gave them the ball back when Sirianni decided not to go for it on fourth down - despite only needing three yards to move the chains. The Eagles became known for their aggressive play style all season, but Sirianni insists he has "no regrets" on how they managed the game.
The Eagles didn't do much wrong at Super Bowl LVII, but it just wasn't their day as Mahomes spoiled the party in trademark style. Quarterback Jalen Hurts scored three rushing touchdowns for the Eagles, and even threw for over 300 passing yards on the night.
The Chiefs even missed an early field goal, but two incidents in the fourth quarter handed them the advantage as the Eagles buckled under the pressure. A late penalty flag by cornerback James Bradberry essentially handed the Chiefs the win, as the Eagles then had eight seconds with the ball rather than two minutes.
But before that, the Eagles were faced with a huge decision at their own 32. They needed three yards to move the chains, but Sirianni opted to punt instead, and the game-winning drive shortly followed for the Chiefs.
"I think you get 32 out of 32 head coaches punting right there every time. There are no regrets," Sirianni said when being quizzed on his decision. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but if they had made up the yards, the Super Bowl may have ended with a different outcome.
Of course, if they had failed on fourth down then the Chiefs would've been just 32 yards from the endzone. But big play calls can also reap huge rewards, and there may be a part of Sirianni that's thinking 'what if' to his original decision.
The Eagles put up a tremendous fight, and by no means left State Farm Stadium with any shame. It was a brilliant game to cap off a wonderful season, and it's likely that we could see the Eagles face the Chiefs on the big stage again in the near future.
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