NFC East: Nick Sirianni out-dumbed by two coaches; Cowboys cratering; Carson & Commanders look good

Nick Sirianni finished 2021 with a reputation for goofiness (Flower Power, Rock-Paper-Scissors) and slew of bad decisions in his wake (Vegas), but he now owes a debt to two peers. Dan Campbell and Nathaniel Hackett are front-runners for the Dumbest Coaching Exhibitions after their strategies assured losses for their teams in Week 1.

Against the Eagles, Campbell called a timeout after his team sacked Jalen Hurts, leaving the Eagles with second-and-14 from their 32-yard line with 54 seconds to play in the first half and with no appetite for further football. The Lions had just executed a 75-yard touchdown drive, and the Birds had just two timeouts left; they clearly were willing to let the clock expire. Instead, Campbell gave them a free stoppage, the Eagles regrouped, drove to the Lions’ 5, and cashed in a field goal that gave them a 10-point lead.

The Birds made it 17 after intermission, but the Lions answered. Campbell, trailing by just 10, then tried an onside kick with about 20 minutes left in the game. Predictably, it failed. The Eagles drove 49 yards for what would be their final, winning touchdown.

Sirianni made the same mistake last season in Las Vegas in Game 7. Trailing by 10 at the start of the second half, Sirianni tried an onside kick. The Raiders recovered and turned that 10-point lead into 17. Game over. The next week, Sirianni relinquished the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.

» READ MORE: Eagles film: Scheme, not Jordan Davis, had more to do with run defense struggles vs. Lions

Sirianni also had fourth-down issues last season, too. In that game in Vegas, he gave the Raiders a second chance at third down by accepting a penalty — after they’d sent their punt team onto the field, assuming the Raiders would go for it. Derek Carr returned to the field and immediately completed a 43-yard bomb. In Game 3, he’d punted twice in Cowboys territory on fourth-and-5, trailing, on the road.

Those decisions didn’t attract the sort of attention Hackett got on Monday Night Football. With the Broncos trailing by a point with just under a minute to play, and with all three timeouts, Hackett faced fourth-and-5 from the Seahawks’ 46-yard line. Instead of going for it with Russell Wilson, the new, $242 million future Hall of Fame quarterback, Hackett let the clock run down to 20 seconds, then tried a 64-yard field goal. It would have tied for the second-longest in NFL history. It was, predictably, no good; NFL kickers were 2-for-40 all-time from 64 yards or farther.

Peyton and Eli Manning and guest Shannon Sharpe were apoplectic on their ESPN simulcast; Peyton and Sharpe are former Broncos.

Twitter exploded with an outrage not seen since Seahawks coach Pete Carroll ignored running back Marshawn Lynch at the goal line in Super Bowl XLIX. The Mannings and Sharpe are pretty, er, sharp, but back then even Terrell Owens knew Carroll blew it:

“That play will haunt Pete for the rest of his career!” And here we are, seven years later.

Like Sirianni did in 2021, and like Carroll did after the Super Bowl, Hackett defended his decision after the game. Unlike that pair of logic deniers, when Tuesday morning came, Hackett, at least, relented:

“Looking back, we definitely should have gone for it.”

He didn’t — to Sirianni’s benefit, and, presumably, to Sirianni’s relief.

Even with painful offseason personnel losses, Dallas was favored to defend its NFC East title, partially because it had the weakest strength of schedule in the NFL. The Cowboys would face the Buccaneers, Bengals, Giants, Commanders, Eagles, Lions, and Bears before their bye, and that looked like a 5-2 start at worst.

» READ MORE: Eagles Super Bowl odds among latest futures to drop after Week 1

Then Dak Prescott broke his thumb Sunday. He’ll probably be compromised, if not out, until that bye week. which is bad news, considering that backup Cooper Rush is ... well, he’s Cooper Rush. Now 0-1, the Cowboys are looking at a lonesome trail ahead.

The Bengals lost, too, but they just went to the Super Bowl. The Commanders’ offense looked stronger than expected in their season-opening win (more on that later). The Eagles scored 38 points in beating the Lions, whose offense actually outscored them, 35-31. The Bears won, too. Suddenly, 5-2 for the Cowboys looks more like 2-5, or worse.

Unless Dak heals quickly and plays out of his mind, the Cowboys’ season probably will be over by the time they face the Packers and Vikings in Games 9 and 10, especially the way the Vikings’ new defense — led by former Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks — beat up the Pack on Sunday.

That’s a shame.

Say what you want about the Washington football franchise — really, go ahead, between their nickname drama and their owner, the Commanders are entirely unlikable — but beware. They can play this year.

New quarterback Carson Wentz threw four touchdown passes in the opener against Jacksonville. OK, it was Jacksonville, but Wentz hadn’t thrown four TD passes since 2017, and he faced Jacksonville last season, when he was sabotaging the Colts’ playoff chances. Penn State rookie Jahan Dotson caught two of those TDs, underrated No. 1 wideout Terry McLaurin snagged a 49-yarder, Curtis Samuel (eight catches) looks like he’s got his mojo back, and Wentz suddenly isn’t afraid to check down to his running backs.

» READ MORE: Commanders’ Carson Wentz gets the best of former coach Doug Pederson with a four-TD comeback win

The Commanders also sacked Trevor Lawrence five times, and that was without Chase Young, who will miss at least the first four weeks of the season (including the first Eagles game) with a lingering ACL injury. Young was the No. 2 overall pick in 2020 who logged 7½ sacks as a rookie.

By the time Young returns, Wentz and his receivers could be in first place.

Saquon Barkley’s 164 rushing yards in a win against the Titans overshadowed a strong defensive performance and an excellent debut from Brian Daboll, the class of the 2022 rookie coaching class. The NFC East should be infinitely more competitive this year than last.