The Los Angeles Rams waved goodbye, laughing hysterically at the raucous midnight green denizens that filled Lincoln Financial Field on an overcast, raw Sunday. The Eagles held two 10-point leads over the desperate, mistake-prone Rams, and somehow, someway, blew it.
The Eagles dropped to 2-2, though appear in far more trouble than their record indicates.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni can no longer get away with the chances he once took, squandering two fourth downs during critical junctures, and quite
literally handing the game over to the Rams. Where once Sirianni’s bold fourth-down decisions made him look like he was a sideline swashbuckler, now, the choices appear flat out inane.
It seems apparent the Sean Mannion experiment is not working. Jalen Hurts was sacked four times for minus-25 yards and barely had time to look down field behind a porous offensive line, and the defense, which has carried the Eagles for much of the game on Sunday, has not played up to their overall capabilities. Learning how tackle would help.
The Eagles were working out of a triage unit on Sunday, with DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, Marcus Epps, Fred Johnson and Dallas Goedert out before the game, and Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Jonathan Greenard and Quinyon Mitchell leaving during the game.
When the Eagles fly over the Atlantic to play the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, they may arrive in London with a red cross emblazed on the plane.
The Eagles lost to a Rams team that committed eight penalties for 100 yards, outgained the Eagles 415 yards of total offense to 172, which included being pummeled by the Rams to the tune of 260 yards of total offense and 16 first downs in the second half to the Eagles’ 72 yards of offense and four first downs.
Sirianni began his rookie season in 2021 at 2-5, before putting together the pieces and running the ball behind a stalwart offensive line. He and the Eagles may be heading in that same direction with Jacksonville, Carolina and Dallas up next.
The difference this time is Sirianni is the captain of a listing ship, plagued my injuries, an offense that does not work under a first-year coordinator, and a cracking defense that can no longer bail them out.
The Rams had to win on Sunday. So, too, did the Eagles, if not for anything but to prove they still belong among the NFL’s elite. Since the Eagles started last season 4-4, they have now gone 9-8, and 9-9 if you include the Wild Card round playoff loss to San Francisco.
This proves they are not any longer.
The question that needs to be asked, hypothetically, is if Sirianni were to be fired tomorrow, what NFL teams would line up to grab him? Here it says not many—if any at all.
He was able to get out of the way and win with superior talent. That talent has now thinned and is hurting. His decisions seem to be getting more in the way (like the two times he opted to for it on fourth down against the Rams) than clearing the way for the Eagles.
There was a lot of good—for three quarters, some bad and another ugly mess in the Eagles’ 24-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Good
Jalen Hurts completing 10 of 18 passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, completing passes to five different receivers. He went 2-for-9 the rest of the game for 10 yards—yep, that’s right, 10 yards passing in the second half.
Makai Lemon coming through in the first half with three catches for 27 yards.
Darius Cooper’s two catches for two touchdowns, two weeks after he caught the first touchdown of his career. On Cooper’s first score, he leaped over and literally grabbed the ball out of safety Quentin Lake’s hands for his second career TD. Later in the second quarter, Hurts found Cooper like he did on his first TD in the last seconds against Tennessee, wide open in the middle of the end zone.
The Eagles getting 10 points on the first two turnovers the Eagles created this season. Andrew Mukuba’s interception on the Rams’ first drive led to a field goal, and Cooper DeSean’s pick near the end of the first half let to a touchdown and a 20-10 lead at intermission.
Tank Bigsby’s 19-run to open the fourth quarter, and get the Eagles’ their first first down since Trent McDuffie was flagged for interference against Dontayvion in the last minute of the first half.
Britain Covey’s tightrope 41-yard, second-quarter punt return to the Rams’ 17, which set up Cooper’s first TD.
Cooper DeSean’s interception to set up Cooper’s second touchdown near the end of the first half.
Safety Andrew Mukuba coming up with the Eagles’ first turnover this season, an interception at the Rams’ 49-yard line on the Rams’ first possession. The Eagles entered the game minus-5 in turnover differential. This time, Mukuba, whose play as been sporadic at best in the first three games, set up Jake Elliott’s 29-yard field goal—the first time the Eagles scored in the first quarter this season.
Linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. filling in nicely for the injured Zack Baun with game-highs 15 tackles and 10 solos, solidifying the middle of the field, along with further proving he deserves to be an NFL starter for someone.
The Eagles scored for the first time in the first quarter this season. Up until Jake Elliott’s 29-yard field goal with 8:38 left to play in the first quarter, the Eagles had been outscored 17-0 in the first quarter. They at least scored for the first time this season in the first quarter and now have been 20-3.
Rookie third-round draft pick Markel Bell doing a great job in place of Lane Johnson at right tackle.
The Bad
The Eagles started the game with a three-and-out and lost Saquon Barkley for the game with a pulled right hamstring on the first play of the Eagles’ second drive.
Losing Quinyon Mitchell for the second half, leaving the Eagles with Jon Jones at one corner.
Tank Bigsby leaving the game with a leg injury with 3:48 to play.
The Ugly
Blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. The Eagles led by 10 twice, 13-3 with 5:44 left in the first half, and 20-10 entering the fourth quarter.
Williams scoring the winning touchdown with 1:10 to play running through Trotter, who overall played well, DeJean, who also played well, Jalyx Hunt and safety Michael Carter II. Tackling has been an issue with the Eagles this season (see: Tennessee’s Tyjae Spears ripping down the sideline for a 27-yard run—on a fourth-quarter third-and-22 play).
The Eagles going 0-for-12 on third-down conversions. It was an all-time worse for the Eagles at home, since they went 0-for-10 on third-down conversions in Week 7 in 2001 against the Baltimore Ravens. The Eagles did not have a passing first down in the second half.
Backup corner Jon Jones nailing Kyren Williams out of bounds for a personal foul with just over 5 minutes to play, which brought the Rams to the Eagles’ 13. It led to Los Angeles scoring a 1-yard Williams’ touchdown and bringing the Rams to within 20-17 with 3:59 to play. It finished a 99-yard, 10-play drive that put the Rams within a field goal of tying the game.
Linebacker Jihaad Campbell can’t cover anyone it seems. Completion after completion on Monday and again on Sunday seemed to have Campbell in the vicinity, although always a few yards behind. According to a couple of Bears’ sources who were on the field against Campbell on Monday night, they felt Campbell was a great athlete with a great future ahead of him though was also someone right now who “doesn’t know what he’s doing” in coverage.
The Eagles blowing two fourth downs, the first with 1:07 left in the third at their 38 when Hurts was stopped on a Tush Push and the confounding choice by Sirianni to go for it with 7:26 to play at the Rams’ two.
The Eagles third quarter offense. Of the 14 third-quarter drives the Eagles have had this season, they have gone three-and-out (including the fourth-and-one in the last minute of the third quarter against the Rams) on 11 of them. They have been outscored a combined 17-6 in the quarter, and have gained 114 yards and three first downs. Against Washington and Chicago, they went three-and-out on their first three drives, and three of four total. Against Tennessee, the Eagles went three-and-out on two of three drives. Against Los Angeles, the trend continued going three-and-out on each of their three drives for 19 yards in the third quarter.
The Eagles going three-and-out for the fourth-straight time this season on their first possession of the second half. The Eagles starting the game 0-for-12 on third-down conversions. It was the first time the Eagles were 0-for-10 on third-down conversions since Week 7 in 2001 against the Baltimore Ravens.
