Saints make Eagles look silly with backfired tush push decision

The first half of the Week 3 game between the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t go anything like anyone thought it would, with Philly limiting the Saints explosive offense to just three first-half points. However, it’s the Eagles that look silly after ending the half with zero points.

Right before halftime, Philadelphia was at New Orleans’ 15-yard line with 14 seconds left in the half. Facing a fourth-and-one, the Eagles opted to go for the first down instead of entering the half with a tie ball game. Of course, they lined up in their famous tush-push formation, but instead of running the usual quarterback sneak, the ball was handed to Saquon Barkley.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, New Orleans was all over it, stopping Barkley before the first-down line, keeping Philadelphia off the board, and making Nick Sirianni’s coaching decisions the topic of conversations for yet another week.

Eagles miss out on points after failed fourth-down attempt

Sirianni and Philadelphia has made their identity known; in short-yardage situations, they’re going to go for it. More times than not, the Eagles are successful. However, there have been quite a few moments when they should’ve just taken the points, and this was the latest example.

At the 15-yard line, that should be automatic for all NFL kickers. In what has been a defensive battle, tying the game up would’ve been big. Additionally, the trade off wasn't even that big if they would’ve converted. The Eagles would’ve had to use their final timeout after the conversion, and would’ve had around 10 seconds left in the half.

That means, at best, Philly would’ve gotten two shots into the end zone. If the Eagles were unsuccessful in those two attempts, they would’ve been right back to taking a field goal.

With a half of football left, it’s unclear how that decision will play out, but it’s clear the Eagles should’ve just taken the points.

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