The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off a devastating Super Bowl 57 loss.
With a 24-14 lead at halftime, the Eagles faltered in the second half and ended up losing 38-35.
Their inability to stop the Kansas City Chiefs offense was a big reason why.
The Chiefs have four drives in the second half and scored on all four of them.
Patrick Mahomes only threw one incompletion in the half and had two touchdown passes.
The one play that many people are talking about is the defensive holding call that essentially ended the game.
Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was called for a hold on Juju Smith-Schuster that gave the Chiefs an automatic first down.
Despite many fans in uproar over the call, the Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni is not making any excuses.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni addresses the fourth quarter holding call after their loss in #SuperBowl 57:
“I know it always appears to be one call…but that’s not what it is.” pic.twitter.com/QuTHkCwjqB
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) February 13, 2023
Sirianni is right, the call could be debated, but that is not why the Eagles lost.
Giving up 31 points to the Chiefs on only eight drives was more of a reason why.
Also, the only turnover of the game was by Jalen Hurts who gifted the Chiefs a defensive touchdown.
It is worth mentioning that Bradberry even knew he committed to hold on the play.
#Eagles CB James Bradberry admits he did wrong on that controversial penalty. “It was a holding. I tugged on the jersey.”pic.twitter.com/hnQgYxuVPt
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 13, 2023
So if the player admitted to the hold, there should be no debate about the call.
Even though it was an unfortunate way to end a great game, it was a call that had to be made.
Ultimately, the Eagles had plenty of other chances to take control of the game but were unable to do so.
The talk should be more about how the Eagles could not get a stop all second half, except for the holding call.
NEXT:
NFL Analyst Applauds James Bradberry For His Accountability
