Eagles' Nick Sirianni takes blame for costly decision vs. Rams

The Philadelphia Eagles had a chance to make life extremely difficult for the Los Angeles Rams.

Instead, Nick Sirianni rolled the dice. It backfired spectacularly.

Philadelphia held a 20-10 lead with 7:31 remaining on Sunday and faced fourth-and-goal from the Rams' 2-yard line. Rather than send Jake Elliott onto the field for a short field goal and a 13-point advantage, Sirianni kept his offense on the field.

The Eagles failed to convert.

Los Angeles responded with a 98-yard touchdown drive, eventually completing a stunning comeback to beat Philadelphia 24-20.

Afterward, Sirianni didn't hide from the decision.

Nick Sirianni accepts blame for fourth-down gamble

“You go for it, and you get it, great. You go for it, and you don't get it, that's on the head coach,” Sirianni said after the loss.

That's about as straightforward as it gets.

Sirianni explained that Philadelphia wanted a touchdown because it would have created a three-score advantage. There is certainly logic behind being aggressive near the goal line, especially when failing leaves the opponent backed up against its own end zone.

The problem was everything Philadelphia's offense had shown to that point.

The Eagles finished with only 172 total yards and somehow went 0-for-12 on third down. They failed to score a single point in the second half.

This wasn't an offense rolling through the Rams and begging for one more opportunity to finish a drive. Philadelphia was struggling to move the football at all.

Sometimes taking the points is perfectly fine.

Had Elliott converted the field goal, Philadelphia would have led 23-10. Los Angeles still would have needed two touchdowns to take the lead, and the Eagles would have forced the Rams to chase points with the clock becoming increasingly important.

Instead, one failed play gave Los Angeles life.