The Eagles found a new way to lose on Sunday, and this one will stick with them for a while.
In London, Philadelphia had the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars sitting there in the closing seconds. Nick Sirianni’s team only needed to avoid disaster - just send Jake Elliott out to kick through the end zone for a touchback - but the Eagles instead watched Jacksonville rip off a long return and finish the job with a last-second field goal.
It was the latest gut punch in a miserable stretch. A week earlier, the Eagles had already taken a crushing loss to the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Now they’re headed back to Philadelphia with back-to-back defeats in games where ESPN’s win probability had them at nearly 100 percent to win.
The collapse in London pushed the frustration to another level because it came after Philadelphia had already watched a fourth quarter slip away against the Rams. In Week 4, Jalen Carter and the defense gave up 14 points in the final period. Against Jacksonville, it was nine more late points that turned the night on its head.
The biggest concern, though, is what the Eagles are doing on offense when the game gets tight. Jalen Hurts and company have not scored a fourth-quarter touchdown since Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, and that drought is hanging over everything right now.
All offseason, the conversation centered on how Hurts would look without A.J. Brown and with new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion running the show. Instead, the passing game still looks broken, and the problems have only gotten worse with Devonta Smith out injured.
Now the Eagles move on to Week 6 against the Carolina Panthers, carrying a three-game losing streak and plenty of pressure with them. Sirianni has real explaining to do, and the fan base is not likely to make things easy on him.
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Bills Defense Faces An Uncomfortable Week 5 Test Against The Rams
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Ed Olivers absence leaves the Bills thinner inside, and the uncertainty around Christian Benford and Dee Alford only adds to the sense that this is a vulnerable stretch for Buffalo. For the Rams, it is the kind of opening that can shape a game early if they stay committed to pounding the interior and forcing the Bills to prove they can hold up there before the situation gets out of hand. [Read more 🡒]