The major issue with Nick Sirianni's fourth down decision vs. Green Bay

Monday night’s victory over the Packers was quite the night for process vs. results.

The results—a tough, gritty win over an NFC contender—were great.

The process—specifically on the offensive and coaching side—was far from great.

And while we love celebrating a win, I need to unpack the fourth and six decision with 33 seconds to go in the game. With the ball on the Packers 35, and the Eagles clinging to a 10-7 lead, there was only one way that game was going to get extended: Green Bay getting into manageable field goal range for a banged up kicked on a cold, blustery night. Field position mattered in a significant way. In my mind, the decision to go for the fourth down—which became a bomb from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown—was indefensible.

Sirianni’s logic was scattershot. It’s not hard to deduce what might have happened, which was all but confirmed by DeVonta Smith on ESPN after the game. Hurts and Brown probably checked to something, tried to make a play, and Sirianni covered for them. All of it was similar to what happened a few years ago in Seattle, except this time the team escaped with a win.

Regardless of what Hurts and Brown did or didn’t do, the issue is bigger than that.