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Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni defended getting two points late against the Washington Commanders with about 4:30 left in Saturday’s game.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran the ball in for the conversion to put Philadelphia up 19 points. Philadelphia went on to win 29-18. The move sparked a huge brawl that resulted in Commanders defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw and Quan Martin and Eagles offensive lineman Tyler Steen being ejected from the game.
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Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) argues with Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) after a game in the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium on Dec. 20, 2025. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)
Sirianni said he didn’t race up — the decision was more about being comfortable being up 19 points instead of 18.
“We wanted to make sure we went up that way, just in case. That’s what our math told us in that particular case,” Sirianni said. “It’s a divisional game. It’s always back and forth. … This is the team we played in the NFC championship game last year. I know how badly they wanted to beat us.
“I know how badly we wanted to beat them. We always have to keep our cool in moments like this. But it’s NFC East football. … They’ve got tough guys. We’ve got tough guys.”
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni speaks to the media during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, in Landover, Maryland. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
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Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was not satisfied, noting that the two teams will meet again on January 4th.
“If that’s how they want to come down, all good,” Quinn said. “We’ll play them again in two weeks.”
Commander wide receiver Terry McLaurin said he understood why Sirianni decided to go for two.
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“Eagles vs. Commanders, man. That’s how it goes. … There’s a lot of history, obviously. They beat us. They’re not going to throw in the towel. They’re not going to take it easy on us. They had to go for 2 to bury us. As a team, it’s not like you’re going to tell them, ‘don’t go for 2.’ We’ve got to stop them,” McLaurin said. “I don’t really take any bad blood from what they did, but you don’t want to see the game get out of hand and guys possibly get hurt. It comes with this rivalry between us and them. I don’t think it’s ever going to change, to be honest.”
