Most Philadelphia Eagles fans would rather forget what head coach Nick Sirianni did in the 19-17 Week 5 London loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it keeps coming up.
Beyond the obvious clock-management blunder Sirianni doesn't believe he made, there's the final kickoff fiasco. Sirianni told kicker Jake Elliott to kick it off in the field of play and force a return. Well, the Jaguars got a 53-yard return before Eagles cornerback Jonathan Jones made the tackle with one second left. Cam Little's leg gave Philly their third straight loss and set Sirianni's seat on fire for the rest of the 2026 season.
Many have said Sirianni should have kicked it out of bounds, and even the Eagles coach admitted he regretted the decision. That said, new data suggests he might have been right, and it could be more about poor execution on the kickoff coverage.
New piece of data actually backs up Nick Sirianni made the right decision for Eagles
The Ringer's Sheil Kapadia shared data he got from TruMedia Sports on kickoffs over the last two years. Apparently, it works more in Sirianni's favor than some expected.
"Last note on Eagles kickoff: Per @TruMediaSports, there have been 3,635 kickoff returns since 2024. 4 out of 3,635 (0.11%) have gone 50+ yards in fewer than 8 seconds. That's how unlikely that outcome was."
So, this shows Sirianni was right to make that call. Kicking the ball into play was the right move—then all attention shifted to special teams coordinator Michael Clay.
On the opening drive of that game, the Jaguars took the kickoff back for a touchdown, but penalties nullified it. After the play, Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got into a scuffle and was ejected.
That means Trotter wasn't on that kickoff coverage at the end of the game. Another note: wide receiver Darius Cooper has been a great special teams gunner this season. Still, because he got the most snaps on offense while DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown were out with injuries, Cooper may have been exhausted on coverage.
Philly is left with two of their top guys on kickoff coverage, with Kelee Ringo as the only ace. That led to a long kickoff return that didn't work in the Eagles' favor.
The Eagles have struggled on kickoff coverage throughout the season, though. They are ranked 22nd in the NFL in average kickoff yards allowed per return, at 27.33.
Clay definitely has some things to clean up on that unit. It would help to have more depth, or someone else the Eagles can rely on in kickoff coverage besides Ringo, Trotter, and Cooper.
More importantly, though, it shows the Eagles have the worst luck in 2026. For that to happen four times since 2024, it's like Philly is cursed this season.
Read more: Former Eagles check-in: T.J. Edwards hurt, Rasul Douglas showing resurgence
Sirianni might be off the hook for the kickoff decision, but that doesn't change how bad the clock management was on the final offensive drive. The Eagles clearly have work to do within the coaching staff in certain situations and in how they coach special teams going forward.
Add us as a preferred source on Google