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PHILADELPHIA — Jonathan Gannon just wanted to get the ball last. He thought the best way to do that was to give the opponent a short field.
The Cardinals head coach decided to turn a football game into a chess match when he chose to execute an onside kick in a 28-28 game with 5:26 left against his former team. Arizona just tied Sunday’s showdown with the Eagles for the second time in the second half, with Philly about to get the ball back.
Gannon called a timeout, one of the three he had in his back pocket. Calling a timeout after a converted extra point was awkward, showcasing signs the first-year head coach had something up his sleeve.
Matt Prater didn’t kick the ball deep, as the Cardinals defense wasn’t going to start on the Eagles’ 25-yard line. Arizona opted to start in its own territory, as Prater executed an onside kick — giving Philadelphia excellent field position to take the lead (at the very least). Eli Ricks easily recovered the onside kick, which Gannon just shrugged off.
Gannon didn’t care about the result. He just wanted an opportunity to have the ball again.
“It worked. That’s what we talked about. That’s what I’m talking about,” Gannon said after the game. “The reason for that is you don’t want to get bled out. That team is too good.
“I trust the defense to get a stop right there and make them kick a field goal, which is what they did, but with five minutes left, what they’ve [Eagles] shown is they’re not going to give you the ball back.”
The plan worked even better than Gannon thought, even after his team was offsides on the free kick to give Philadelphia five extra yards. The Eagles actually started on the Cardinals’ 39-yard line as Jalen Hurts hit A.J. Brown on an 18-yard pass on the second play of the drive to get Philadelphia to the Arizona 20.
The Eagles were going to score. They were in the red zone with 4:18 left. The Cardinals were…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/anatomy-of-an-onside-kick-how-jonathan-gannon-outsmarted-nick-sirianni-ex-team-in-cardinals-win-over-eagles/
Author : Jeff Kerr
Publish date : 2024-01-02 18:27:47
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