Three players were ejected after a skirmish broke out late in the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders.
The brawl occurred after Saquon Barkley punched in a two-point conversion that put the Eagles up 29-10. Several players from both teams began scrapping after the play, and Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw took a swing at an Eagles player.
Shortly thereafter, Eagles right guard Tyler Steen took a couple of swings at Commanders safety Quan Martin as a cascade of flags rained down on the field.
Below is a look at the skirmish in full:
The fight resulted in Kinlaw, Martin and Steen receiving offsetting personal foul penalties. All three were also ejected from the game with 4:26 remaining in regulation.
It wasn’t immediately clear what precipitated the brawl. However, it’s worth noting the Eagles went ahead by three scores after Tank Bigsby scored a touchdown that put the team up 27-10 yet still decided to attempt the two-point conversion.
Nick Sirianni explained his decision to go for two during his postgame news conference.
‘We were up 17,’ Sirianni said, per The Athletic. ‘To go up 18, we did the math and said hey, we wanted to be able to make sure we were up 19. We thought it was a little bit better. That way they could only tie you with a field goal … two touchdowns and two, two-point conversions.’
‘We were already up three scores,’ he added. ‘We wanted to make sure we went up that way, just in case. That was what our math told us in that particular case and that’s what we did, and we went and executed.’
Commanders coach Dan Quinn was also asked about Sirianni’s decision. He didn’t seem too bothered by it.
‘That’s their choice man,’ Quinn said. ‘I want to look at the tape and see what happened before our ejections or poise or any of those things. Our guys are absolutely gonna stick up for themselves and for their teammates, so I’ll have a better sense as we get through it.’
‘If that’s how they want to get down, all good,’ Quinn later added. ‘We play them again in two weeks.’
Veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner echoed a similar sentiment when asked about the play after the game.
‘It is what it is, bro. I don’t care,’ Wagner told reporters in the locker room. ‘Is it disrespectful? Maybe. But we’ve still got to stop them. That’s how I look at it. We’ve got to stop them. And we’ll see them in a couple weeks.’
