Eagles

Matt Patricia Talks About Last Play of Seattle Game, and Something that Made Him “Nervous” Beforehand

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Dec 22nd, 2023 · 9:48 AM EST

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Matt Patricia is calling the defensive plays from the Eagles’ sideline now, so that means he does the midweek press conference. I found interesting this series of questions about the final drive from Monday night’s loss:

Q. From a self-correction standpoint, what do you want back on that last drive?(Josh Tolentino)

MATT PATRICIA: Yeah, I mean, obviously I would take it all back. That drive starts with me, and I’ve got to do a better job to get them in position to get us off the field and obviously help us win.

I think our guys played really, really hard. I was really proud of the way they went out and give praise to them for what they did. Tried to play aggressive. Tried to play physical up front. Covered really well. Obviously, the two-minute drive wasn’t good enough. That’s me.

I got to get some things in there, calls in there, whatever it may be, to help them a little bit more so they can go out — and obviously give them credit, too. They made a great play, too. They’re a good football team.

But I’ve just got to do a better job.

Q. Why did you like the call on the game-winning touchdown?(Jeff McLane)

MATT PATRICIA: In hindsight, I don’t really like it very much right now. It didn’t work out.

Q. At the time.(Jeff McLane)

MATT PATRICIA: I think during the course of that drive, probably a couple plays in there and calls and coverages, things that were mixed in that you look at and you’re like, ‘okay, this was good.’

Then maybe a play, two before that there was a call that maybe on that last play would’ve been better, but the play before that I saw something that made me nervous about calling it again. Maybe there was another space or another opportunity for them in there to make a big play, so moved away from that call.

Went to another call to try to give help other places. Obviously wish I hadn’t. Wish I had another call in that situation to be able to help in those areas and really in the situation on the field where we were. A lot of it too, trying to gauge the clock and see where were at from the time and how much time was going by. That changes some things as you go and what they can do. It limits as the time goes down and have to start elongating.

They still had some time. They had the right play on for that situation.

In that third answer, he notes “something that made me nervous about calling it again,” in reference to a call that was made before the game-losing touchdown. On that final sequence, James Bradberry got cooked 1v1 on a design where safety Sydney Brown went down to cover the running back coming out of the back field.

Looking through the all-22 film, first things first, they called that same coverage on the DK Metcalf sideline catch, but Drew Lock actually beat the Eagles to the side that had safety help:

Same design, though. Safety comes down to handle the running back, and there’s a 1v1 on that side of the field while the other safety rotates back to the hash. Sydney Brown almost got over there to jar the ball loose, but it was a really nice play by the Seahawks.

The play before the touchdown was the throw for Tyler Lockett where Seattle was asking for a pass interference call on Eli Ricks. If Drew Lock made this throw, there was a ton of space for Lockett to run with both safeties back:

I think that’s what Patricia is talking about. That’s the play he suggests made him “nervous.” Seattle hitting something big over the middle with both safeties back.

The play prior to this one was an incomplete pass in which  it looked like Lock and Lockett weren’t on the same page. But I went back and watched the entirety of the last drive again, and they sat in their three safety big dime look, with Nick Morrow the lone linebacker, a four-man rush, and a back six of Sydney Brown, Kevin Byard, Reed Blankenship, James Bradberry, Eli Ricks, and Bradley Roby. Five times they just kept both safeties back, and four times Brown or Blankenship rotated down and vacated their spot. The pass rush looked gassed and they couldn’t get home with Lockett getting rid of the ball so quickly anyway.

My guess is that Patricia is talking about the soft middle on the Lockett play. He alternated between two base looks, from what I can tell. Maybe we can get one of the film sharks in here to see if there’s something different going on.