‘That’s me’: Jonathan Gannon falls on the sword for Eagles’ failure on third-and-30

Jonathan Gannon channeled his inner Andy Reid during his weekly news conference inside the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday morning.

First question: What was the call on the third-and-30 Saturday in the loss to Dallas, and what was the breakdown?

“That’s me,” the Eagles’ defensive coordinator said. “I’ve got to do a better job of coaching what I want out of that call. I’m not going to get into specifics of the call, but I like the call. Looking back at it, we’ve got to do a better job of putting our guys in a position to make that play and get off the field.

“You can’t give up a third-and 30. That was a play in that game that I felt was a little bit of a tipping point when we let them convert and they scored that drive.”

» READ MORE: What we learned from Eagles-Cowboys: Jonathan Gannon’s record vs. top quarterbacks remains suspect

On the play in question, T.Y. Hilton of the Cowboys beat Eagles cornerback Josiah Scott for a 52-yard gain on a pass from Dak Prescott.

Gannon, of course, wasn’t going to throw a player under the bus. He didn’t think the Cover 2 call was a bad one, even though many have questioned the look. Scott got beaten, and if he didn’t, the Eagles probably would have won. Scott said the call was being communicated just before the snap, and he was late to react.

Gannon took the hit for that, too.

“Any time you give up explosive passes and situational conversions on third down like we did, it always falls on me,” Gannon said.

Ultimately, the play may end up meaning very little in the grand scheme of things. The Eagles are still likely to clinch the top seed in the NFC, but the play is extra concerning considering that Avonte Maddox’s toe injury will likely keep him out for the rest of the regular season. Sunday would be the seventh game Maddox has missed, and the Eagles will probably need to rely on Scott to fill in on slot coverage.

Luckily for the Eagles, the next two games — Sunday vs. New Orleans and Week 18 vs. the Giants — do not come against elite passing attacks.

» READ MORE: Eagles lick their wounds while still in position to clinch the NFC East division title and No. 1 seed

C.J. Gardner-Johnson seems to be nearing a return after missing the last four games with a lacerated kidney. The cornerback-turned-safety is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, although coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that just because he’s eligible doesn’t mean he will play Sunday against his former team.

The Eagles could use him ASAP. Gardner-Johnson has played 16% of his defensive snaps in the slot this season and has extensive experience playing there from his time with the Saints. Gannon wouldn’t say whether Gardner-Johnson would go to the slot when he returns.

“That’s one of the reasons we like versatile players,” he said.

Scott has played well at times filling in for Maddox. But the Cowboys exploited the talent mismatch when they moved CeeDee Lamb around the field and into the slot. Having Gardner-Johnson, who is tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions, back makes for fewer mismatches.

Hours before offensive coordinator Shane Steichen took his turn at the podium, Sirianni was on WIP-FM getting grilled by Angelo Cataldi for not getting the ball to Dallas Goedert more.

“How do you ignore a guy that’s been such an integral part of your offense for 28 minutes?” the host asked.

“This isn’t Madden football, where you can just say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna throw it to this guy.’ The defense dictates where the ball goes at times,” Sirianni replied.

Steichen said the Eagles had a lot more plays schemed up for Goedert on Saturday — contrary to what it may have looked like on television at your Christmas Eve gathering. Goedert has among the best catch rates for all pass catchers in the NFL, but the Eagles had trouble finding him. When Gardner Minshew did throw Goedert’s way, the tight end was productive: Goedert caught all three of his targeted passes for 67 yards.

Goedert, Steichen said, was the first read on several plays, including a pivotal third-down conversion in the fourth quarter on the Eagles’ go-ahead drive when Minshew scrambled and found DeVonta Smith for a 19-yard gain. Smith was the fourth read on that play, Steichen said.

“Coverage sometimes dictates where the ball goes,” Steichen said.

The Eagles scored 27 points on offense, turned the ball over four times, and still had a chance to win at the end of the game.

Asked for his biggest takeaways from Saturday, Steichen pointed to the turnovers. Dallas made a few good plays, Steichen said, but the Eagles hurt themselves too many times.

The first of two fumbles, during a handoff exchange between Minshew and Boston Scott, Steichen called a “fluke play.”

Miles Sanders’ late fumble, which made it difficult for the Eagles to get back into the game, was the running back’s second lost fumble in as many weeks.

“It’s the same thing we talk about,” Steichen said. “It’s just wrist above the elbow, eagle claw, elbow lock when you’re going through traffic. He’ll bounce back and he’ll have a good game this week.”