The Eagles showed that they’re far from a bad team and actually scared the Chiefs for four quarters, but the inability to score touchdowns in the red zone resulted in a 42-30 loss on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.
Afterward, Philadelphia players and coaches were uninterested in moral victories, choosing to focus on the missed opportunity.
Here’s what the Eagles had to say after the Week 4 loss.
Nick Sirianni on going for it on 4th down
Sep 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sirianni took some heat for mismanaging a critical red-zone opportunity. Here are his thoughts:
We went all the way down there, we had a really good drive. We ran out of time on the play clock on the one. I didn’t get the call in quick enough. So, once we got to that, I thought it was important that we got points on the board at that particular time. I thought it would be too much of a momentum swing if they stopped us on fourth-and-three, so I decided to kick a field goal.
Nick Sirianni on Eagles lack of red zone execution
Aug 19, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni looks during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia lost by 12, and that’s the exact number of points scored by kicker Jake Elliott after the Eagles botched 3 red zone chances.
I think we were 5-6 before this game today. We had the one in San Francisco where we weren’t good enough on. Today three of six. When you’re playing a team like that, you have to convert there.
It’s everything. It’s the plays I’m calling. It’s the lack of execution. I’ll always have it start with me. When the plays don’t work, that’s on me. I have to call better plays. I have to put our guys in better positions to win.
Everyone is going to look at themselves on all those plays too and say, ‘I could have done that better on this play. I could have done this better on this play.’ It’s the greatest team sport there is. It starts with me. The plays that didn’t work, that’s on me. I have to come up with a better scheme and put the guys in position to make a play.
Jalen Hurts on whether it was his best game ever
Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) passes the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Head coach Nick Sirianni called Hurts’ performance against the Chiefs the best performance he’s ever seen. Hurts was asked about it.
“Look, we lost. We lost. We lost the game. Have to do more, have to do better. And this is what I will say. You have every opportunity to learn, every opportunity, everything that you do, you learn from it. And we are clearly not there as a football team because we lost. But, we are this close, we are this close. And that is something that I believe. Something I believe. We have to continue to grow, continue to learn, continue to be one percent better every day. Continue to clock in and buy into that and believe in that. That’s what it’s going to take. We are not a finished product. No player on this team is a finished product. But it’s about believing in that and continuing to grow. And learn from everything that you do. We played a good football team out there today. A team that many say is generationally one of the best. Great quarterback, great players, all that. We have great players, too. We have to put it together and we will. We are not a finished product.”
Kenneth Gainwell on his usage rate
Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell (14) reacts in front of Kansas City Chiefs safety L’Jarius Sneed (38) after a first down reception during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Gainwell outperformed Miles Sanders on Sunday and was asked about being used in key situations.
“It’s my preparation during the week. It’s just going in and getting ready for whenever my name is called, and being ready once I get out there. When they put me in, I’m doing what I have to do. I just have to keep working.”
DeVonta Smith on his first 100-yard game
Oct 3, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes a catch in front of Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Mike Hughes (21) and linebacker Ben Niemann (56) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
DeVonta Smith got back on the board in a huge way on Sunday, posting his first 100-yard performance as a professional. The ‘Slim Reaper’ was more focused on improving.
“We are a good team. We still have things we have to clean up. We are still right there. The mistakes we made, the things we have to do. It is all credit to the team getting better each week. The little things we leave out there, we need to correct. We are a good team.”
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