The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a shocking 24-20 collapse at home against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 4 on Sunday, turning what looked like a sure win into a five-alarm fire for the back-to-back NFC East division champions. This wasn’t just any loss, folks, this one was absolutely brutal, highlighting an uncomfortable truth for the Eagles faithful.
How Did This Even Happen?
With less than eight minutes to play, the Eagles were up 20-10 and had the ball on the two-yard line. They were literally a couple of yards from putting the game out of reach with a touchdown. Next Gen Stats even had the Rams’ win probability at a minuscule 3.2% at that moment. Seriously, 3.2%! But then, Jalen Hurts got stuffed on their famed “Tush Push” play. On fourth-and-goal, he threw incomplete, forcing a turnover on downs. That was the moment everything went sideways. From that point on, on their final two drives, the Eagles’ offense mustered a combined 14 yards. While Philly sputtered, Los Angeles mounted two consecutive, 10-play touchdown drives, capped by rushing touchdowns from running back Kyren Williams. Just like that, the lead was gone.
The Numbers Are Getting Hard to Ignore
This wasn’t just a bad loss; it was a historic one. Per CBS Sports Research, this marks the first time the Eagles have lost with Jalen Hurts at quarterback when up by double-digit points in a game’s final five minutes. Think about that for a second. They were previously a perfect 41-0 in such situations, including the playoffs! The last time they even lost in regulation when leading by at least 10 in the final five minutes was all the way back in a 2018 game against the Carolina Panthers, with Carson Wentz starting at quarterback. That’s how rare and gut-wrenching this defeat was for them.
Who’s to Blame For This Disaster?
So, what killed the Eagles’ offense in Week 4? A couple of things, really. Injuries played a huge part, with running back Saquon Barkley, the player Philadelphia built its offense around, exiting the game with a hamstring injury. And that wasn’t all. Even before kickoff, the Eagles knew they’d be without top wide receiver DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert, offensive guard Landon Dickerson, and right tackle Lane Johnson. With so many key players sidelined, head coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Sean Mannion simply couldn’t build a game plan that gave Hurts and the rest of the offense easy answers in high-leverage situations, especially on third down. And boy, did those third downs kill them. The Eagles went 0-for-12 on third down attempts, which is Philadelphia’s most third-down attempts in a game without a conversion in 35 seasons. It’s also the most by any team this decade. Yikes! Sirianni himself admitted it after the game, saying, “Oh-for on third down, it hurts your drives. It hurts your being able to do the things you want to do on offense. It can put you in a pressing situation at times. … That to me is where we had our biggest issues here today was there.” That’s the honest truth right there. This kind of collapse, especially after holding such a dominant position, has to sting for the entire Eagles organization.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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