Philadelphia Eagles: Why Doug Pederson Shouldn’t Have Gone For Two

You don’t have the personnel for a two-point conversion.

Two-point conversions are about one-on-one match-ups. You don’t have enough time/space for a route concept, wherein a rookie QB goes through progressions. You don’t have room for running plays with reads. There’s one key, one decision, and a whole lot of grit in those two yards.

In the only successful, game-winning two-point conversion which I can remember this year, Raiders HC Jack Del Rio (who is a far more proven coach than Pederson), went for two with a much better quarterback than Wentz, a much better offensive line than the patchwork quilt the Eagles put on the field this week, and a much better cabinet of offensive weapons than Jordan Matthews and the 3 Stooges. And he got it.

And while we all marveled at Del Rio’s stones, Doug Pederson’s boldness fades in the brazen disregard for coaching embodied by his foolhardy, knee-jerk decision. What one-on-one match-up winner do the Eagles have? The sheer concept of WR Dorial Green-Beckham‘s height? Nelson Agholor’s elite route running?

They went for Jordan Matthews’ hands (did I just write that?) and strength in the slot. The ball was deflected by the Ravens’ premier defensive line. Dead in the air.

I expected a Ryan Matthews run, like the successful two-point conversion in the first half. Then I remember who was calling the plays: head coach Doug Pederson, notably allergic to whatever has been working.