The Detroit Lions, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles must each be wondering how 1-0 starts slipped from their respective grasps in Week 1 of the 2015 NFL season.
The three teams suffered through varying forms of collapse, but the end result was still the same: Entering Week 2, Detroit, New York and Philadelphia are all 0-1.
Save for a blowout, there’s no quicker way to stain the optimism of a new season than ripping a loss from jaws of victory.
The Lions provided the biggest collapse, at least in terms of points. Up 21-3 and in cruise control midway through the second quarter in San Diego, Detroit allowed the Chargers to score the game’s next 30 points. A touchdown with just over a minute to go was too little, too late, and San Diego escaped with an improbable 33-28 win.
“We just got to continue to stay aggressive and continue to keep our foot on the pedal when we have a lead,” tight end Eric Ebron said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions to start the second half. After the second pick, the Chargers scored touchdowns on three straight drives to take a 33-21 lead with 2:33 left.
The 18-point comeback was the largest ever for San Diego at home.
The Giants suffered through a similar long-burning letdown, but New York’s also had heartbreak waiting at the buzzer.
The Giants led Dallas by scores of 16-6, 23-13 and 26-20 in the second half. But some bungled decisions late in the fourth quarter opened the door for Tony Romo, and the Cowboys’ king of the comeback delivered—driving Dallas 72 yards in under 90 seconds and throwing an 11-yard touchdown to Jason Witten to win the game with just seven seconds left.
Romo probably shouldn’t have even had the opportunity.
Eli Manning’s third-down completion to Odell Beckham, Jr. provided the Giants a new set of downs at the Dallas 4-yard line. Inside the two-minute warning and with the Cowboys possessing only two timeouts, the Giants could have either scored the dagger touchdown or siphoned off most of the remaining clock. New York did neither.
The Giants were first stuffed on back-to-back running plays. Manning confirmed to ESPN Monday that he unwisely instructed running back Rashad Jennings not to score. On third down, New York called a pass—and Manning unwisely stopped the clock by throwing the ball away. The resulting field goal—another questionable decision—gave the Giants a six-point lead with 1:34 left.
Flush with time and the objective clear, Romo took the ball and promptly marched the Cowboys down the field for seven points.
“The decision to throw the ball on third down was not a good decision,” head coach Tom Coughlin said, via ESPN. “It should have been a run, whether we scored or not.”
Had the Giants run on third down, two scenarios were most likely. Either Jennings would have scored, giving New York a two-score lead, or roughly half a minute would have been burned off the clock before attempting the field goal. In the first scenario, the Giants win comfortably. In the second, Romo likely doesn’t have enough time to march the Cowboys the length of the field.
The Giants also could have went for it on fourth down. Again, both likely outcomes were more favorable. New York could have scored, or trapped Dallas on its goal line with the incentive to score seven points (in a three-point game instead of six) drastically reduced.
Hindsight is always 20/20. Just ask Chip Kelly and the Eagles.
Philadelphia likely had the easiest-to-handle collapse. Down 20-3 to the Falcons at half time, the Eagles soared back into the game, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter before taking a 24-23 lead on Ryan Mathews’ 1-yard score with just over eight minutes to play.
The Falcons responded, kicking a field goal to jump back ahead, 26-24.
Everything went wrong for Philadelphia from there. Kelly made a late decision to kick a field goal on fourth-and-1 on the next possession, and kicker Cody Parkey missed wide right. After making a stop and getting the ball back for one last try, Sam Bradford’s third-down pass went through the hands of Jordan Matthews and into the waiting arms of Ricardo Allen to end the game.
Many questioned why Kelly would kick the field goal.
“That’s coach’s call,” Bradford said, via Corey Seidman of CSN Philadelphia. “Obviously he felt good about the kick right there. They had just stuffed us on 3rd-and-1. That’s the bigger issue: If we convert on 3rd-and-1, we’re not even talking about 4th-and-1.”
Then again, Falcons coach Dan Quinn called for the same kick—but his kicker converted. An NFL coach has to have confidence in a professional kicker making a straight-on attempt from under 45 yards. Parkey just missed.
Week 1 had a chance to end much differently for the Lions, Giants and Eagles. Instead of the comfort of a 1-0 start, the three clubs must now rebound from the sting of what could have been.