The Philadelphia Eagles absolutely choked, blowing a 20-10 fourth quarter lead to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, dropping them to a shaky 2-2 record after a brutal 24-20 loss at Lincoln Financial Field. This wasn’t just a tough loss, it was a total meltdown that leaves you scratching your head wondering what just happened.
Fourth Quarter Fiasco and a Head-Scratching Call
Philadelphia was undermanned heading into this game, and then they got even more banged up. Despite that, they built a solid 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter. You’re thinking, “Okay, wrap this one up.” But then Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, faced with a chance to make it a three-possession game at 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, decided to go for it. Look, the decision to be aggressive is defensible. You want to punch it in, put the game away. But Jalen Hurts’ pass to Darius Cooper, who otherwise had a hell of a game with two touchdown catches, was off target and incomplete. That was it. The Rams immediately capitalized, going on two touchdown drives to snatch the lead and win the game. While it’s easy to point fingers, putting this entire loss on the defense isn’t fair, they pulled their weight for a lot of the day.
Offensive Anemia and First Quarter Blunders
No, the real culprit here was the Eagles’ offense. They only mustered a pathetic 172 total yards. And get this: they didn’t convert a single third down. Not one! They were 0/12 on third down attempts. Seriously, how do you expect to win a game in the NFL when you can’t convert a single third down? Give them some credit for fighting today, especially after getting absolutely blown out by the Chicago Bears on Monday night. But you absolutely have to blame them for not being able to get the job done when it mattered most. This team should be 3-1, not staring down a .500 record.
The first quarter was a preview of the struggles to come. The Rams won the coin toss and deferred. Will Shipley got lit up on the opening kickoff, setting the tone. Later, facing 3rd-and-6, Jalen Hurts held onto the ball, had time, but didn’t pull the trigger and eventually was forced into a throwaway. You even heard him on the FOX broadcast telling Elijah Moore to “Get off the fucking ball” as he tried to alert his receiver to motion. Thankfully, the defense provided a spark. Kelee Ringo made a strong special teams tackle on punt coverage, putting the Rams deep. Then, Matthew Stafford’s second pass attempt was picked off by a diving Andrew Mukuba after some good pressure from Jonathan Greenard. Mukuba returned it 24 yards, setting the Eagles up at the Rams’ 28. But even that drive had a setback: Saquon Barkley ran for six yards, then got injured running out of bounds. Just a frustrating day all around.
Next up for the Eagles is a road trip to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are sitting pretty at 3-1. They better figure out that offense, and fast, or this season could unravel even quicker than this fourth quarter did.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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