NFL fans had a laugh after Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni got into some lighthearted antics in a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
With the Eagles up 13-9 with two seconds before the half, the Browns decided to trot out kicker Andre Szmyt to try and make it a one-point game.
Szmyt lined up and went through his paces to prepare for the kick – only for Sirianni to call timeout to ‘ice the kicker’.
Despite the fact that preseason games are essentially meaningless endeavors, Sirianni injected some humor with his move.
Cameras cut to him and saw him grinning across the field to Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski was seen shaking his head at his counterpart – while Sirianni continued to lob jokes to him.
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski (L) and Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni (R) shared a laugh after Sirianni iced the kicker in a preseason game on Saturday
The coaches saw the humor in the moment, but the Browns came out on top 22-13
Szmyt did eventually knock through a kick to make it 13-12 at the end of the first half.
Meanwhile, fans were left in stitches while declaring that football season had officially begun.
‘so glad football is back,’ wrote one user on X, formerly Twitter.
‘Sirianni making the most out of the preseason by working on in-season strategy. Gotta love it! This is what I love about the preseason,’ wrote Broncos radio host Nick Ferguson.
The Browns were able to move to 2-0 on the preseason after beating Philly 22-13.
Sirianni and his Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl victory over the Kansas City Chiefs – ending their opponent’s hopes of a historic ‘threepeat’.
They will now hope to join the Chiefs and the New England Patriots by becoming another team to win back-to-back titles in the 21st century.
Philadelphia opens their season – and the NFL’s season – at home against the Dallas Cowboys.
