In 2017, including the playoffs, Doug Pederson and the Philadelphia Eagles went for it on fourth down 29 times, leading the league for the second consecutive season. In the Super Bowl, Pederson became a legend for life when he and Nick Foles dialed up the "Philly Special," which, of course, was a fourth down call.
The Eagles' 2017 season forced the rest of the NFL to rethink how aggressive they should be in fourth down moments. During the 2017 regular season, NFL teams averaged 15.2 fourth down attempts. In 2022, they averaged 23.0, and it's likely those numbers will continue to grow after the Eagles' calculated risks helped them get to yet another Super Bowl.
Nick Sirianni has arguably ramped up the Eagles' fourth down aggressiveness even further, going for it on fourth down 35 times during the 2022 season, playoffs included. They were successful on 25 of those attempts, or 71 percent. Let's take a look back at all 35 of them, shall we?
1) Eagles at Lions, 4th and 5 from the DET 40: Jalen Hurts incomplete pass to A.J. Brown. Turnover on downs.
This was the Eagles' first drive of the season, and it ended in a turnover on downs. The Lions went 3-and-out on their ensuing possession.
Oh, and let's keep a running tally of the points the Eagles added or lost as a result of going for it on fourth down.
Points added tally: 0
Points lost tally: 0
2) Eagles at Lions, 4th and Goal from the DET 1: Jalen Hurts scrambles right end for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
Easy.
We'll assume that they would have made the field goal had they attempted one, so it's four points gained. Got it? Cool.
Points added tally: 4
Points lost tally: 0
3) Eagles at Lions, 4th and 1 from the DET 40: Jalen Hurts up the middle for 1 yard.
Hanging onto to a three-point lead with 3:51 left to play in the game, the Eagles successfully burned the rest of the clock with an all-run drive:
- Sanders for 3
- Sanders for 5
- Sanders for 24
- Scott for 1
- Scott for 8
- Scott for 0
- Hurts for 1 (on fourth down)
Game, blouses. This was the first of many QB sneaks the Eagles converted on fourth down in 2022.
"I have so much confidence that our guys will get it done and really the confidence starts in those first three guys right there. It's Jason Kelce, it's Isaac [Seumalo], and it's Landon [Dickerson] and them pushing the way right there," Sirianni said of the Eagles' quarterback sneaks this season.
"Then it's the quarterback getting through it, and then there are a lot of different elements to it. So, we have confidence in the play. We've scored a bunch of touchdowns on it. We have a lot of third-and-short yardage conversions on it, so that's where the execution breeds our confidence and why we like to call it."
I should note that if you see a 4th and 1 from here on out and the explanation of the play is "Hurts up the middle," it was almost certainly a sneak.
Points added tally: 4
Points lost tally: 0
4) Eagles at Commanders, 4th and 1 from the WAS 8: Zach Pascal right end for no gain. Turnover on downs.
The Eagles already had a 10-point lead and were trying to go up by three scores. They left a likely three points on the board by not converting. The Commanders went four-and-out on their ensuing drive.
Points added tally: 4
Points lost tally: 3
5) Eagles at Commanders, 4th and Goal from the WAS 2: Jalen Hurts to DeVonta Smith, for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
On 3rd and Goal from the 1 with only 20 seconds to go and no timeouts remaining, Sirianni called a run play that got stuffed by the Commanders, and the clock was running. Hurts calmly but quickly got the offense to the line and called a play on his own that wasn't even in the game plan. He then threw a 50-50 ball to Smith, who "Moss'd" Kendall Fuller for a TD.
The Eagles took a 24-0 lead at halftime, and that was pretty much the ballgame.
Points added tally: 8
Points lost tally: 3
6) Eagles at Commanders, 4th and 4 from the WAS 39: Hurts 10-yard pass to Brown.
This was a late-game conversion with a big lead. The Eagles were clearly going to win this game regardless of whether they converted this fourth down or not, but they didn't have to put their defense back out on the field for some meaningless snaps.
Points added tally: 8
Points lost tally: 3
7) Eagles vs. Jaguars, 4th and 1 at PHI 30: Hurts up the middle for 3 yards.
Sirianni made a ballsy fourth down call here from his own 30, which the Eagles converted, but Hurts threw a pick-six three plays later.
"He kinda coaches like he's playing 'Madden,'" Milton WIlliams said of Sirianni. "Like he's gonna go for it on fourth down no matter where he's at. But he's just confident in the offensive line, and rightfully so."
Points added tally: 8
Points lost tally: 3
8) Eagles vs Jaguars, 4th and 3 from the JAX 40: Hurts throws incomplete to Brown. Turnover on downs.
The Jaguars turned it over on their ensuing drive.
Points added tally: 8
Points lost tally: 3
9) Eagles vs. Jaguars, 4th and Goal from the JAX 3: Hurts scrambles up the middle, TOUCHDOWN.
It was still early in the second quarter, but the Eagles were down 14 points and had to have this score. Hurts wasn't going to be denied, even taking a hard helmet to helmet shot in the process.
"We love that," Jordan Mailata said of Sirianni's confidence in his offense to pick up fourth down conversions. "If he's going to go for it, if he's laying his nuts on the line, we have to lay our bodies on the line."
Points added tally: 12
Points lost tally: 3
10) Eagles vs. Jaguars, 4th and 1 from the JAX 12: Hurts up the middle for 2 yards.
The Eagles scored a TD two plays later.
Points added tally: 16
Points lost tally: 3
11) Eagles vs. Jaguars, 4th and 3 from the JAX 21: Hurts incomplete pass to Brown. Turnover on downs.
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This was an interesting call. The Eagles were up 8 with 1:54 to play, and either a field goal or a converted first down would have iced the game. However, if you'll recall, this was the rainy, super windy game and Sirianni simply felt that the Eagles had a better chance of picking up three yards than kicking the field goal. Because it wasn't a move to score a touchdown instead of a field goal, I'm not going to add to the "points lost" tally here.
It should be noted that it's not just the offense that feeds off of aggressive fourth down calls. It fuels the defense as well.
"We love it," said T.J. Edwards. "We know he has the confidence in us that if they don't convert on fourth down that we'll go out there and get a stop and get them the ball back."
Against the Jaguars, the Eagles' D was able to get that stop and get to 4-0.
Points added tally: 16
Points lost tally: 3
12) Eagles at Cardinals, 4th and 1 from the ARI 3: Hurts up the middle for 2 yards.
The Eagles scored on the next play.
Points added tally: 20
Points lost tally: 3
13) Eagles vs. Cowboys, 4th and 3 from the DAL 38: Hurts pass to Brown for 11 yards.
The Eagles would run six more plays before facing yet another 4th down...
BONUS: 4th and 4 from the DAL 10: Dante Fowler, neutral zone infraction, first down!
That does not count as a 4th down conversion in the stat sheet because technically it goes into the play-by-play archive as "no play."
Still, the Eagles would score a touchdown on the next play.
It's hard to decide here how many points to add to the tally, because if the Eagles had attempted a field goal on 4th and 3 from the DAL 38, that would have been a 56-yard field goal, which is a low percentage kick. For the purpose of this exercise, let's just assume Elliott would have made it, thus only adding 4 extra points.
Points added tally: 24
Points lost tally: 3
14) Eagles vs. Steelers, 4th and 2 from the PIT 44: Hurts pass to Dallas Goedert for 5 yards.
The Eagles scored two plays later.
Points added tally: 31
Points lost tally: 3
15) Eagles at Texans, 4th and Goal from the HOU 2: Miles Sanders 2-yard run, TOUCHDOWN.
That capped an 18-play, 91-yard drive, and the Eagles tied it up at 7.
There were times during the season when the Eagles would get on hot streaks converting fourth downs.
"Sometimes I don't put my helmet on because I know they're going to make it," said the ever-confident Darius Slay.
"I'm not going to lie, I get my helmet every third down," said the more placid James Bradberry.
Points added tally: 35
Points lost tally: 3
16) Eagles at Texans, 4th and 1 from the PHI 34: Hurts up the middle for 1 yard.
The Eagles were up 12 with under two minutes to go. They then knelt the final two plays and watched the Astros win Game 5 of the World Series over the Phillies in the locker room. 😞
Points added tally: 35
Points lost tally: 3
17) Eagles at Colts, 4th and 10 from the IND 47: Hurts sacked for -8 yards. Turnover on downs.
The Eagles were down 13-3 early in the third quarter when Sirianni made this aggressive call. The Colts went four-and-out on their ensuing drive, so it did not turn into a disaster, but the Colts did at least flip the field with a punt that had the Eagles starting their next drive at their own 5.
Points added tally: 35
Points lost tally: 3
18) Eagles at Colts, 4th and 2 from the IND 9: Hurts up the middle for 3 yards.
The Eagles were down by 6 with 2:00 left to play, so every coach in the league would have gone for it. And as you'll recall, they finished off the drive with a touchdown.
Points added tally: 39
Points lost tally: 3
19) Eagles vs. Packers: 4th and 1 from the PHI 37: Hurts fumbles, recovered by Sanders for no gain. Turnover on downs.
This was a ballsy call from their own 37 with a six-point lead in the first quarter by Sirianni that went badly. The Packers scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive. It's hard to determine how many points to add to the "points lost" tally, because for all we know the Packers might've scored on the ensuing drive after a punt anyway. I think a fair number of points to add to that tally is 5 instead of the full 7. Good? Good. Moving on.
Points added tally: 39
Points lost tally: 8
20) Eagles vs. Packers: 4th and 1 from the GB 39: Hurts runs over right guard for 4 yards.
The Eagles would score a touchdown three plays later. A field goal attempt here would have been 57 yards. Since we assumed a made field goal on the hypothetical 56-yarder above, we'll assume a miss here, thus adding 7 points to the "points added" tally instead of 4. Does that make sense? Whatever, moving on...
Points added tally: 46
Points lost tally: 8
21) Eagles vs. Packers: 4th and 2 from the GB 35: Hurts runs over left guard for 2 yards.
The Eagles would drive down to the Packers' 13 yard line and kick a field goal. They certainly made the field goal easier for Jake Elliott by gaining an additional 22 yards, and I know it's silly to not add points to the tally here, but eh, it's an imperfect exercise.
Points added tally: 46
Points lost tally: 8
22) Eagles vs. Titans: 4th and 1 from the TEN 49: Hurts pass to Smith for 34 yards. End of half.
There was only 3 seconds left in the first half. Merely some stat padding here.
Points added tally: 46
Points lost tally: 8
23) Eagles vs. Titans: 4th and 1 from the TEN 15: Hurts up the middle for 2 yards.
The Eagles would line up to kick a field goal four plays later, only to have Justin Simmons jump offsides, leading to a 4th and 1 from the TEN 4...
24) Eagles vs. Titans: 4th and 1 from the TEN 4: Hurts up the middle for 1 yard.
The Eagles would score a touchdown on the next play.
Points added tally: 50
Points lost tally: 8
25) Eagles at Giants: 4th and 7 from the NYG 41: Hurts throws to Smith for 41 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Oh, and hey, freshly minted Philly villain Julian Love was beaten on the play.
Points added tally: 57
Points lost tally: 8
26) Eagles at Bears, 4th and 6 at the CHI 33: Hurts incomplete pass to Brown. Turnover on downs.
This was a brutally cold, windy game, and kicking conditions were rough. It's hard to ding Sirianni for lost points here. The Bears did not score on their ensuing drive.
Points added tally: 57
Points lost tally: 8
27) Eagles at Bears, 4th and 3 from the CHI 34: Hurts scrambles right for 3 yards.
Elliott would miss a 38-yard field goal seven plays later.
Points added tally: 57
Points lost tally: 8
28) Eagles at Cowboys, 4th and Goal from the DAL 1: Gardner Minshew up the middle for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
The Eagles lined up three pushers behind Minshew on this particular QB sneak, lol.
Points added tally: 61
Points lost tally: 8
29) Eagles at Cowboys, 4th and 3 at the DAL 14: Minshew pass to Smith for 14 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
The Eagles took a 27-17 lead, but couldn't hold on.
Points added tally: 65
Points lost tally: 8
30) Eagles at Cowboys, 4th and 10 from the DAL 19: Minshew incomplete pass to Brown. Turnover on downs.
Minshew threw up a desperation pass to try to win the game, but it fell to the turf. Down 6, obviously a field goal was not an option.
Points added tally: 65
Points lost tally: 8
31) Eagles vs. Saints, 4th and 1 from the 50: Minshew up the middle for no gain. Turnover on downs.
Minshew is not the QB sneaker that Hurts is.
Points added tally: 65
Points lost tally: 8
32) Eagles vs. Saints, 4th and 22 from the PHI 41: Minshew pass to Smith for 11 yards. Turnover on downs.
The Eagles were down two scores with 3:43 left to play, so, what the hell, may as well go for it.
Points added tally: 65
Points lost tally: 8
33) Eagles vs. 49ers, 4th and 3 from the SF 35: Hurts pass to Smith for 29 yards
Niners fans are still mad.
Credit Smith for hustling the Eagles' offense to the line of scrimmage to run the next play, knowing that he may not have made the catch. Hat tip to Kyle Shanahan for not challenging.
Points added tally: 69
Points lost tally: 8
34) Eagles vs. 49ers, 4th and 1 from the PHI 34: Hurts up the middle for 2 yards.
With the game tied at 7-7, Sirianni went for it from his own 34. This was perhaps Sirianni's biggest call of the season, and as usual on 4th and 1, it was a trusty QB sneak. After converting, the Eagles would run 14 more plays and score a touchdown, going up 14-7.
"I thought it set the tone for the rest of the game," said Lane Johnson. "That play, just for the past few years, has been our most dominant play."
Points added tally: 76
Points lost tally: 8
35) Eagles vs. 49ers, 4th and 2 from the SF 23: Kenny Gainwell runs for 6 yards.
The Eagles would kneel it twice and head to the Super Bowl.
Points added tally: 76
Points lost tally: 8
By the way, Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs only went for it on fourth down 12 times in 2022. Only one team had fewer fourth down attempts.
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