Eagles HC Responds to Rumors Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown Called 4th-Down Play vs. Packers

The Philadelphia Eagles made a dicey decision to go for it on fourth down while leading in the final minute against the Green Bay Packers on Monday.

They were unable to convert, giving the Packers the ball back. Afterwards, some questioned whether quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver A.J. Brown made the call to go for it, but head coach Nick Sirianni defended the call and said he was aware of what was going on.

"I knew exactly what the play was that we were calling and that was run in that moment," he said.

The Eagles led 10-7 in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and forced a Packers fumble to get the ball back on Green Bay's 39-yard line with just a minute and a half left. Philadelphia's offense couldn't do much with its first three downs, leaving a decision to be made on fourth down.

Had the Eagles kicked the field goal, the Packers would have trailed by just six points with half a minute to play. Converting the fourth down would have allowed Philadelphia to run the clock out, but Hurts' pass to Brown was incomplete.

Green Bay tried to capitalize on the turnover on downs and managed to get to the Eagles' 46-yard line, but the 64-yard field goal from Brandon McManus was no good, and Philadelphia hung on to win.

▶️ Full Eagles-Packers Recap

04:28

If the Packers managed to tie or take the lead after the turnover on downs, the decision to go for it likely would have haunted Sirianni and his squad. Ultimately, the defense got the stop it needed, and the Eagles improved to 7-2.

It's worth noting that Brown's target on fourth down was just his third of the game. Sirianni once again addressed Brown's lack of targets, which has become a bit of a theme this year.

"I'm close to being done answering these questions with this," Sirianni told reporters. "He's working hard and he is a big part of this game plan and will be a big part of the game plan going forward. And, he's working like crazy when he's here and I'm excited to have him."

Brown is coming off his third consecutive season with 1,000 or more receiving yards, but has just 408 yards and three touchdowns this year.