In the NFL, teams are always looking for an edge to defeat their opponents. With the rise of analytics, teams are adjusting the way that they call games. Head coaches are relying more and more on numbers and information mixed with gut feelings. The coaches and teams that can find the perfect balance of the two are going to be the ones that find the most success when it comes to wins and losses. One of the teams that have adapted most successfully is the Philadelphia Eagles.
Nick Sirianni quickly turned things around in his first season as the team’s head coach as the Eagles were a surprise Wild Card team in the 2021 season. This year, he has helped elevate the franchise to another level as Philadelphia currently owns the best record in the NFL at 12-1 and is well on their way to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
This franchise has come a long way in the two seasons that Sirianni has been at the helm. The 2020 season ended embarrassingly as it looked as if the Eagles lost the regular season finale to the Washington Commanders, on national television on Sunday Night Football, on purpose to improve draft position.
Even players on the team were unsure of what was going on, creating an ugly scene. They have rebounded well since then and Sirianni is a big reason why. He has embraced analytics, meshing them with his football acumen to create a very successful program in Philadelphia.
One area in which the Eagles excel is on fourth downs. Philadelphia has attempted 25 fourth-down tries this season, which is sixth in the NFL. They have converted a huge percentage of those attempts, finding success on a league-high 19 times.
Attempts have become more common around the league, but no one is finding the success that the Eagles are. Having a strong roster certainly helps and converting those plays can change the entire complexion of a game. Look no further than the Eagles’ most recent game against the New York Giants.
Leading 7-0, the Eagles faced a 4th-and-7 from the Giants’ 41-yard line. In most situations, that will lead to a punt as converting a field goal from that distance at MetLife Stadium is low. Instead, Sirianni dialed up a pass play that resulted in Jalen Hurts hitting DeVonta Smith for a 41-yard touchdown.
That play cemented momentum in the Eagles’ favor, essentially putting away an overmatched Giants team before halftime. The aggression on fourth downs is something that started in 2017 when Doug Pederson was head coach, as this is an organizational mindset that Sirianni has taken to another level.
That team in 2017 won the Super Bowl and they are hoping that Sirianni can lead this team of aggressive Eagles to another championship in a few short weeks.
