Dallas Goedert defends Nick Sirianni’s play-calling, praises Saquon Barkley and the ‘best sports city’

On Sunday in New Orleans, Dallas Goedert stepped up when the Eagles needed it most. With a shorthanded receiving corps, Goedert finished with a career-high 10 catches for 170 yards in the Eagles’ 15-12 win over the New Orleans Saints.

Goedert did more in the first half of the Saints game than he did in the previous two games combined — when he finished with a combined seven receptions for 69 yards. The tight end dominated in the passing game, including a pivotal 61-yard gain in the final minute to set up the game-winning touchdown by Saquon Barkley.

Coming off his best performance, Goedert joined The Pat McAfee Show to talk about everything Eagles — from his dominant performance Sunday to his time in Philly to, yes, coach Nick Sirianni’s play-calling …

» READ MORE: Micah Parsons calls out C.J. Gardner-Johnson for criticism of Saints: ‘I don’t know who he thinks he is’

With DeVonta Smith suffering a concussion early in the fourth quarter and A.J. Brown already sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Eagles needed someone to step up. Goedert did just that.

“I knew I was going to be a big part of [the game] with the injuries we had,” the veteran tight end said. “They got me going early and often, which I really liked. I hit a really high speed — too bad it was at the end of the game or it would have been higher.”

After failed fourth-down calls and questionable decisions to pass instead of run, Sirianni’s play-calling has been a focus over the past two games.

Goedert says it’s nothing fans should be worried about.

“He’s incredible,” Goedert said. “He wants the most and gets the most out of all the players. It’s always tough to be a coach in Philadelphia. Even when you win, they want your head and don’t think you’re doing the right thing.

“But we have all the faith in Sirianni and he has all the faith in us. Which is really cool and that’s why he goes for it on fourth down so much, because he trusts his players and we trust him. We need to execute as players and make sure we are able to get the job done.”

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni doesn’t elaborate much on his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 against the Saints

Goedert wasn’t the only one to step up on Sunday against the Saints. Barkley finished with 17 carries for 147 yards and two touchdowns.

“Vibes are much higher now,” Goedert said. “Last year, we kind of spiraled out of control. We spent the offseason getting things fixed up. Obviously, we got Saquon. Now we’re waiting for A.J. [Brown] to get back so our offense can get clicking the way it always is. … But bringing Saquon in, he’s a tremendous leader. He does a great job at instilling confidence in other people.”

With the Birds’ win over the Saints, Hurts tied Nick Foles in career game-winning drives with the Eagles (nine). Despite two early turnovers in the first half, Hurts finished with 311 passing yards and 25 rushing yards.

“Jalen’s the man,” Goedert told McAfee. “All he wants to do is win. When you have a quarterback like that, you just follow suit and get in line and do whatever he does. You know at the end of the game he’s going to do whatever it takes to win.

“If he needs to put on the cape and go be Superman, he’ll do that. Or if one of us gets open, he does a good job at getting us the ball so we can make plays.”

» READ MORE: Eagles power rankings: Birds on the rise again after knocking off the Saints

Goedert is in his seventh season with the Eagles after being drafted out of South Dakota State in the second round in 2018. The city of Philadelphia has grown on him.

“I’m taking it all in,” Goedert said. “It’s the best sports city in all of sports. They accepted me really fast and it’s a blast to be here. The fans are passionate. When you have a good game, they love you. When you have a bad game, they let you know about it. But they do a great job at holding you accountable and making you want to go out there and win for it.”