Eagles 26, Cowboys 17
Q. Now that you actually beat Dallas for the first time, does it feel any different?
NICK SIRIANNI: No. No. You know, again, our greatest motivation, right, our greatest motivation is each other. So that's why you guys ask me about bulletin board material, all those things. We got each other's back.
I said it last week, like teams are either coming together or they're not. That's really the way it is. And this team is coming together, and they fight each week, and the motivation of not letting your teammate down, coach to player, player to coach, player to player, coach to coach, is like -- that's love.
That's the love that you have for your teammates. There is no greater motivation than that. This is a close team and we're going to work on getting closer and keep working on getting better.
Q. Beating Dallas, though, come on, let's be honest. You're going to be honest, right?
NICK SIRIANNI: Always, Howard.
Q. (Indiscernible)beating Dallas?
NICK SIRIANNI: Hey, you know, this is a great -- there is no doubt this is one of the best rivalries. This feels like Auburn-Alabama. This feels like Michigan-Ohio State. That's what this feels like.
And so of course you want to win the games against the teams in this division because -- I mean, this is what so cool about this division. These are the hated rivalries, right? They're hated rivalries that guys are still playing into, right?
Sometimes I hear Michael Irvin talking about the rivalry he has with Philadelphia you. I think that's so cool. I hear Eagles players in the past talking about how important this game is with Westbrook and McNabb and those guys, and Vick, so I think that's really cool. There is no doubt that's cool.
Now, they all count the same. All of them count for one win. Didn't count for two wins. That was still one win. So our next biggest game is the next one. But it's sweet. Yeah, it's sweet because this is a cool division to be in.
Q. The 15-play drive in the fourth quarter, what was significance of that and why so run heavy in that situation?
NICK SIRIANNI: Well, you know, come out and you're in a lull. This happens in training camp. You'll hear me say this in training camp sometimes. We're in a lull, and this going to happen in the season.
All it takes is somebody to make a play to get us out of this lull. I've had these conversations with these guys in training camp before. Well, right, you lean or your best guys in that situation. AJ made a big play on a route, short route and broke the tackle and went for a big play that I set us up for the score.
But what was really sweet about it is we got to lean on five guys. We got to lean on the offensive line in that scenario. It's kind of what happened last week in Arizona. That long drive; we leaned on that offensive line.
It's nice that we're able to make some plays in the passing game and in the run game and be balanced, but that right there, we leaned on the guys we knew could make a play and they consistently made a play up front.
Miles did a great job running it. Kenny did a great job running it in that one. I think Boston had a good run in that drive as well.
You lean on what your strength is in that scenario to get you out of ruts. I've been taught that from the very beginning. You're in a rut, get it to your playmakers.
Our playmakers in that scenario was our offensive line.
Q. You were yelling in the hallway as you walked in, how about those Eagles. What do you think the national audience thinks about the team tonight?
NICK SIRIANNI: You know, what's cool about playing Sunday nice, what I learned also about playing Monday night or just playing in Philadelphia in general, that there is a loud national buzz about the Eagles, and that's pretty sweet.
You dream about -- when you're in high school you dream about playing in front of a stadium as crowded as it could be so everyone can see you on display, and same thing in college.
And then what's so cool about Philadelphia is it's such a great sports town that it matters here, and it matters nationally here, and it's great to be able to put that on display.
You know, our guys made big plays, and it's just -- it was great to be able to play -- I know a lot of my friends in coaching watched it, a lot of my family members watched it. My brother in Jamestown, New York is probably still up stressed and has to go teach 11th and 12th grade social studies tomorrow but still probably watching.
But it's pretty cool when you're able to play in front of a national audience in Philadelphia. Great job, fans. It was rocking in there. It was rocking from play number one, and that sets the stage, that sets the tone. It just carried overall week from Game 4 -- was it Game 4? From Game 3, Game 4 in Philadelphia, with the Phillies, the Flyers getting two big wins this week, and into the game.
So, so appreciative of our fans.
Q. You talk about those lulls, ruts. What's it like for you on the sideline when you feel that coming? Is it something that you know you need to take it over and say...
NICK SIRIANNI: We know we got to play a complete game. Got to play a complete game, and what's exciting about being 6-0 and not having played a complete game yet in my opinion -- and the players will tell you the same -- is that there is only room to get better, right? That's our goal.
So if I felt it coming, if I felt it coming I would do something -- try to do something about it. I think every time we get ready to go for a drive I look at the offense, I look at Jalen and AJ and Devonta and I look Dallas, look at that offensive line and Miles Sanders and I'm like, we got a chance to go score right here no matter what the situation.
That's a heck of a defense right there. Parsons, Lawrence, Diggs, those are primetime. They're really good players. They made it hard for us, but every time I have confidence going out there just because of who we got in that huddle.
Q. You have those option plays where you kind of got Micah Parsons in space. What did you like about that look and what worked there?
NICK SIRIANNI: Hey, sometimes it's like, you can't block them, read them. I've said that before. And our guys did a good job blocking them in the run game, there is no doubt.
How many sacks did he have today? So they did a good job in the pass as well. I felt like they put some pressure on us at times, which is going to happen with a good rushing team. We're reading them at times and we knew he had a groin that he was recovering from as well.
But he makes it hard. He makes it really hard. That's a really, really outstanding player, so...
Q. Get the ball back with 25 seconds left in the first half. 25 second left in the first half.
NICK SIRIANNI: Yeah, Lane came out. I don't regret that decision. Lane came out. We ran it the first down, see what happened, and didn't get anything with that, and decided to go in the locker room from there.
Q. The last 13-play drive, what did you think of your quarterback's performance in that situation? He made some extra jukes. What did you think of his overall leadership?
NICK SIRIANNI: Big time leadership. This guy is not fazed by things. Has got a great demeanor that you see in great quarterbacks that there is so many big games in the NFL. This is a huge game, right? Sunday Night Football, division rival, both at the top of the division, and he's unfazed by things.
What's I love about him. He just goes and plays the next play, and made a big play on third and four I think when we didn't have anybody open and made a play with his legs. He controlled the offense. He used the clock. Was in complete -- I've said this before: He was in complete control and communicating with what our message was to the offensive line or the running backs in that scenario.
It was quarterback 101 right there by Jalen.
Q. When Lane left out, did you feel like you guys had to significantly change the protection to compensate?
NICK SIRIANNI: Of course we're going to -- that's our job as coaches, is to make sure that we're accounted for in there. Again, we're playing one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, if not the best pass rusher in the NFL. Next to our guys, right? I'll take Sweat and Haason and BG over anybody.
Of course we're alert for it, but Jack Driscoll gave us some really good minutes and we were confident in that. So we talked about it a little bit, but we had a lot of confidence right there that we were going to be able to hold up, because Jack has done that in the past.
Q. Things got pretty heated. NBC zoomed in on you and when they called timeout you weren't happy with it.
NICK SIRIANNI: Oh, no. Not about the timeout. I was just mad about -- I'm always going to stick up for our guys. I get animated. He should have called timeout right there, right, to keep the game going.
I was mad about the extracurricular activity. Hey I'm always going to stick up for our guys. You saw me, you may have saw me the Jets game this season and they hit Jalen late out of bounds and I reacted very similar. I'm sure we weren't angels in that confrontation there. I'm sure we had something to do with that a little bit as well.
And there was a little scuffle right there, and I'm just going to stick up for our guys. That's just who I am. I love these guys. This is my family. I got a great family at home, greats parents, great wife, great kids, great brothers, but this is my other family.
And so just like when my brothers team was 0-2 to start off and somebody was making fun of my brother when I was in 6th grade when he was a senior and I stuck up for him in that scenario, I'm going to stick up for my guys in this scenario.
I know they know I got their back. I know they got my back, and that's what a team us. I love being part of a team. It's so special. I'm 41 years old and still part of a team. That's unbelievable and that's a great feeling.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports