Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni (Post-Game Transcript)

From where you were in the first half to scoring 30 points in the second half, what did you learn about your team and what changes did you make on offense to get things going? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

NICK SIRIANNI: You know what, it couldn’t have been much worse of a first half. We got the run game really going in the second half. Our guys were really doing a good job of executing in that second half. That was an offensive explosion in the second half, right? It had to be because they were good, too.

Man, I think there was a notion that that game could be high scoring going into it. At halftime, it was going to be a little battle. Then it got high scoring again.

Really excited for our guys on offense that just put their head down and kept going, right? That’s mental toughness, right? I already know this team, this Philadelphia Eagles team is physically tough. You get mentally more tough throughout the year when you go through ups and downs.

Man, that was a down first half, but we have a mentally tough group as well as physically tough group that just stuck with it and kept fighting, and it turned.

 

With what happened in Kansas City, to be down again and to make this comeback, did you sense a confidence from your team no matter what the situation was, they were going to find a way? (Reporter)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, our guys know how to win. Why do our guys know how to win? Part of that’s a product of what we’ve done here the last couple years. Part of that is a product of we’ve got some guys that are still here from the 2017 Super Bowl team. Part of that is we got a lot of guys from Georgia that have won a lot. We have a lot of guys from Alabama that have won a lot.

Again, I think the most important one is that we’ve done it together, right? You can win at all these different places, but when you find ways to win together, nobody flinches, right?

I just felt like that’s what it was. We’ve been in this situation before. We got the ball at the start of the second half. It didn’t go so well. Then we got a stop. Being down just 10, there’s a lot of football left to play. Shoot, that’s why they play 60 and not 30 minutes.

 

You mentioned last week how QB Jalen Hurts made the pass to WR DeVonta Smith. Today, it was the touchdown. What does it mean to see Jalen in another big moment? (Brooks Kubena)

NICK SIRIANNI: Just clutch in clutch moments, right? There’s going to be plays he wants back from the first half. There’s going to be plays that we called that we’re going to want back from the first half.

Really made some big-time plays when they mattered the most, none more than three touchdown passes. I thought he hit DeVonta, read the defense perfectly, and hit the ball to DeVonta on the touchdown. What an unbelievable throw and catch by OZ [WR Olamide Zaccheaus] and Jalen on the touchdown on the scramble. I mean, my goodness, that was a good play.

He made a lot of really clutch plays in the second half. Then the big one obviously at the end right there. We did a good job of blocking up front. Jalen got himself through there for a touchdown in a clutch moment.

I don’t think it’s anything you learn about him because you know that he’s clutch. He’s been clutch for us, clutch for this city, clutch for this team for the past three years now. He just kept going and put his head down and worked and made some big-time plays at the end.

 

When did you find out about T Lane Johnson this morning and how did that change your game plan? (Eliot Shorr-Parks)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, this morning obviously we found out about that. [Offensive Coordinator] Brian [Johnson] and I were in here, did some different things with the game plan to account for that.

Obviously, Lane is one of the best players in the NFL. There’s no doubt in my mind that Lane Johnson is one of the best players in the world.

We have a ton of confidence in [T/G] Jack Driscoll. Jack Driscoll, I haven’t seen the tape, but I have a feeling he played an outstanding game just because of the way the game was going, the rush, all those different things. But when you lose Lane Johnson, he’s special, right? He’s different.

Yeah, we found out earlier this morning. Lane wanted to play, wanted to go tough it out. Just didn’t feel like he could in that sense. I know that hurt Lane, that he wanted to play badly in this game.

Guys stepped up in his absence. Happened with [LB] Zach Cunningham too, [LB] Christian Ellis came in and made some big-time plays.

When you’re playing a team like the Bills, it’s going to take everybody’s contribution to win. We got everyone’s contribution, right? Some different than others that had to contribute more than they might have thought coming into this game. I’m really happy for those guys that were able to do that.

 

A lot of what they got offensively was Bills QB Josh Allen on third down running avoiding pressure. What is it like watching that from the sideline? Are you screaming? Frustrated? Is there any part of you that is going, ‘I can’t believe he is doing this’? (Mike Sielski)

NICK SIRIANNI: He’s special. This is a player’s league. There are players that just make plays in clutch moments. He kept making big-time plays. He’s an outstanding player. We just ended up with the ball last, is really what ended up happening.

To watch Josh Allen live was very impressive. He’s a heck of a football player.

Of course, it’s frustrating in those scenarios. You have to give them all the credit. I mean, we had him wrapped a couple times. We had him in open-field tackle a couple times. He’s a big, strong man that can change directions, too. A lot of respect for that man.

 

How much did you have to help Jack Driscoll? (Jeff McLane)

NICK SIRIANNI: We obviously did a lot of our plan looking how we were going to help him, what we could do. Started off a little bit early in the game to do some of those things, but he settled in and played a really good game. We felt like as the game grew on, that was our plan, see how the game was going, see if we have to continue there. As the game grew on, we continued to gain more and more confidence in Jack’s ability to stop this rush.

Again, it’s hard for me to say exactly how he played without watching the tape, but seemed like he played a really good game. Again, big contribution by Jack Driscoll.

 

You mentioned not flinching prior. What is it like for you, 59-yard field goal, that weather, and you have to trot K Jake Elliott out there? (John McMullen)

NICK SIRIANNI: Nobody I’d rather have in the NFL more than Jake Elliott. Shoot, to me he’s the best kicker in the NFL. He’s so clutch. He’s so clutch, right? I guess thoughts of the Washington game were in my mind, right? We actually showed that clip yesterday. We went through the room and talked to everybody about the contribution. I couldn’t hit everybody. I hit about 25 guys about the contribution that they’re going to have to make for us to win this game.

One thing I said to Jake was, ‘We’re going to need your clutch contribution.’ Nobody else we’d rather have in the world than Jake Elliott kicking a field goal in that. He was clutch.

Because this is the greatest team sport there is, it couldn’t be done without the protection, without the snap by [LS] Rick [Lovato], the hold by [P] Braden [Mann] and the kick by Jake.

I didn’t watch it. I still didn’t watch it. I had to get Clay [Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay] and Fletch [DT Fletcher Cox] pointing at me that he made it. Man, he’s clutch. Glad he’s our kicker.

 

Are you more relieved or proud of this team because your numbers were horrible through the early part of the third quarter and then you came back from 10 twice? You’ve come back from 10 three times in the last few games. And you did what you did at the end vastly undermanned. (Marcus Hayes)

NICK SIRIANNI: That’s why they make you play 60 minutes, right? Can’t look at the numbers or anything like that. You just got to keep putting your head down and fighting. Our guys did that.

That shows the mental toughness of our guys. I’m happy. I’m happy. I’m glad that we can learn from this. I think that’s my emotion that I have, I’m extremely happy that we found a way to win this football game. I’m extremely happy that the corrections will be made after a win than after a loss, right?

There’s going to be corrections that have to be made. That’s what we do here. We make our corrections. We hold each other accountable, starting with myself, then with our leaders. That’s contagious, the accountability. That’s how you get better.

We got to get better from this. Yeah, happy is the emotion that I have right now.

 

As frustrating as it was to see Josh Allen running around and doing all the things he was doing, how comforting was it for you that in the end, you got your guys to do pretty much the same thing? (Chris Murray)

NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, Jalen made some big-time plays with his feet today on some scrambles. You can see that he’s feeling pretty good, right? He made some big-time plays. When the pass game wasn’t going well, somehow he found a way to make plays.

You could see him have that acceleration that we’re all used to seeing. We could see the ability to change direction, the power when he makes the cut. You saw all that.

Again, like I said, Jalen had a great second half. He had a great second half. Josh Allen, as frustrating as it may have been, he still made a lot of plays. It was something to watch. I got a lot of respect for him and the plays he made.