The Philadelphia Eagles simply embarrassed the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, saving their best for last. Trailing by 14, the Steelers punted while in Eagles territory with over 10 minutes to play. HC Mike Tomlin obviously thought he would see the ball again—even multiple times—but it didn’t happen that way. Instead, the Eagles closed out the game, traversing 88 yards in 21 plays.
I don’t know what the record is for the longest closeout drive in NFL history, but that’s certainly the longest I can remember. Against a top-10 Steelers defense, the Eagles simply refused to relinquish control. In fact, they actually gained 99 yards, losing 11 via penalty. The whole sequence was certainly something that sticks in the memory.
“That final 10-and-a-half minutes, I just can’t get that out of my mind”, Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan, reflecting on how the Steelers looked overpowered by the Eagles. “I mean, you’re at the three-yard line. You have a chance, with 10 minutes left, a three-and-out, short field, score, and you let [them] do that with a $150 million defense? That’s one thing that I just can’t get over”.
Even before that final drive, the Eagles had already controlled the ball for nearly half an hour. Only three of their nine drives lasted for under three minutes, and they only failed to pick up a first down twice. The Steelers allowed 45-plus yards on six occasions out of nine, and it might have been more if not for a fumble.
According to Pro Football Reference, assuming all of my parameters are correct, this marked the first time against the Steelers that a team closed out a game with a 10-minute-plus drive since at least 2001. That is as far back as the data goes, but it includes the entire Mike Tomlin era.
In fact, it is only the second time a team has even closed out a game with a seven-plus minute drive against the Steelers in that same span. In 2020, the Buffalo Bills pulled off a 7:11, 13-plus drive to end the game. The Seahawks, Browns, and Patriots have executed shorter closeout drives of at least five minutes, as well.
On the reverse side, the Steelers have eight closeout drives of five-plus minutes since 2001. They have four under Mike Tomlin, most recently a 5:28 drive against the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Their longest closeout drive lasted 7:06 over 11 plays, beating the Oakland Raiders in 2003.
According to Pro Football Reference, there have been five closeout drives of 10-plus minutes since 2001. Only two have been longer than the Eagles’ against the Steelers, 15-plus years ago. In 2009, the Seattle Seahawks played keep away from the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final 11:53. One year earlier, the New York Jets did the same to the St. Louis Rams for 11:09. But I doubt that makes Mike Tomlin or the Steelers feel any better.
