The Philadelphia Eagles have lost a football game. This is the first time the Eagles have lost a game since December 2024 and the first time they’ve lost a game that Jalen Hurts started in over a year. It’s a feeling both foreign and familiar, like visiting your childhood home or watching reruns of In the House.
We Philly fans are old pals with disappointment. Our collective sports trauma has conditioned us to bow at the feet of Murphy’s Law. There’s no way things could stay this good for this long. Winning feels incredible, but in Philly, it comes with the sneaking suspicion that the other shoe is about to drop. And this Sunday, the loafer finally hit the floor.
The Eagles blew a 14-point lead in the 4th-quarter against the Denver Broncos, a team with one of the league’s best defenses and a quarterback who looks like the villain from an ‘80s teen movie (Revenge of the Nerds 6: It’s Bo Time). The offense was wildly inconsistent yet again. It’s almost like Kevin Patullo decided to go across the street to Citizens Bank Park and take on the Phillies 9-9-9 challenge at halftime.
The Eagles gave up 18 unanswered points to Denver in the final frame. Between their last touchdown at the start of the 3rd quarter and their failed last-minute drive, the Eagles ran a total of 14 plays for 3 yards, which included three straight 3-and-outs. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley had just 1 carry in the entire second half. It’s the same old story as last week against the Bucs, when the offense again suffered from three straight 3-and-outs at the end of the game and Jalen Hurts failed to complete a single pass in the second half.
This loss has been on the horizon for weeks. We felt it coming. It was a prophecy foretold by a slowly sinking offense. Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo fluctuates between looking like a real playcaller and looking like he lost the controller. He’s in his bag one minute and loses the bag completely the next. The Eagles’ offense lacks any sort of cohesive identity, and Patullo seems to lack a feel for the flow of the game and how to get his stars involved.
Even though the boos are raining down on this team, the sky isn’t falling. The Birds are still the most talented team in the league with one of the league’s best defenses. In four days, they’ll have a chance to absolve themselves by playing a bad Giants team that just lost to a very bad, no-good Saints team. But change is badly required. If the Eagles hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they need to Eat Pray Love themselves into an offensive identity before a tough November and December schedule, where they’ll be tested by some of the best teams in the league. They are a team in need of answers fast. Let’s hope they find them.
Let’s get to the game recap.
GAME RECAP
Both offenses started slow in this one, with the Broncos and Eagles’ offenses going 3-and-out on their first drives. On the Broncos’ second drive, Cooper DeJean blitzed Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and seemingly forced a fumble. But the call was unfortunately overturned. The Eagles’ defense managed to hold the Broncos to a field goal after a key stop on 3rd and 12.
On their second drive, the Eagles’ offense started to settle in. Saquon Barkley took a pitch for a beautiful 17-yard run. Devonta Smith and AJ Brown both got involved early. Disaster struck when Landon Dickerson suffered an ankle injury and was replaced by Brett Toth, weakening the offensive line. The Broncos ended up stopping the Eagles in the redzone, which was the first time this season the Eagles haven’t scored a touchdown in the redzone. Jake Elliot tied the game at 3.
The Eagles’ defense continued to shut down the Broncos’ offense, including a big 3rd down sack by Za’Darius Smith for a 13-yard loss, which was only the 6th sack of the season for the Birds. The Eagles’ offense came back out onto the field and started dealing. Hurts hit Devonta Smith for a huge 57-yard pass on a key 3rd down conversion. The Eagles finished off a beautiful 90-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to take the lead 10-3. Hurts looked settled and confident, even though the aggressive Broncos defense continued to collapse the pocket around him. The Eagles fed their skill position stars. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith went into the half with 4 receptions apiece. The defense continued to dismantle Nix and the offense with some nice open-field tackles from DeJean, tight coverage from Kelee Ringo and Quinyon Mitchell, and pressure from the defensive line.
The Eagles came out hot in the second half. Hurts hit Devonta Smith for a 21-yard gain as the Eagles drove the field, taking advantage of man-to-man coverage and dialing up RPOs to neutralize pressure from the Broncos’ front. Hurts finished the drive with a 47-yard TD pass to Saquon Barkley on a beautiful wheel route against Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton to bring the Birds up 17-3.
And then, the Eagles’ offense went completely cold. The Broncos’ offense started gaining some momentum, but the Eagles’ defense managed to hold them without a point in the third quarter. On the Eagles’ third drive of the half, Hurts had AJ Brown wide open for a deep shot that would’ve been a walk-in touchdown, but they couldn’t connect because Brown slowed down on his route.
This was the first time all season the Broncos had trailed heading into the 4th quarter. In their franchise history, the Broncos were 1-112 when trailing by 14+ points in the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, history is made in the City of Brotherly Love.
The Broncos’ rushing attack started seeing success with JK Dobbins running straight into the teeth of the Eagles’ defense. Early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos scored their first touchdown of the day on a JK Dobbins run to bring it to a one-score game at 17-10. The Eagles’ offense was still stuck in neutral. After going 3-and-out again, Bo Nix drove the Broncos down the field to score another touchdown on a pass to Broncos tight end Evan Engram. Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton decided to go for a 2-point conversion to take the lead, which the team converted with a catch by Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin, to take the lead at 18-17.
The Eagles had time on their side, but their offense was stuck in the mud. Jalen Hurts hit Devonta Smith on a beautiful pass down the sideline on 3rd down that was negated due to an illegal shift penalty by Saquon Barkley, forcing the Eagles to punt. The defense, clearly exhausted, allowed the Broncos to drive down the field thanks in part to a few big catches by Broncos star wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who had been quiet up to this point. The Broncos ended their drive with a field goal to bring the game to 21-17 with 1:11 left.
The Eagles had a chance to drive down the field for a go-ahead touchdown, but a big sack on Jalen Hurts took the clock down to around 30 seconds. Hurts managed to hit Jahan Dotson for a 29-yard catch. On the next play, the refs missed an obvious pass interference on Dallas Goedert that would’ve given the Eagles the ball inside the 10. Instead, the Eagles resorted to a Hail Mary that failed to connect with Devonta Smith.
TRENDING UP
Kelee Ringo CB2: The position battle for the second cornerback position between Adoree Jackson and Kelee Ringo has been like watching two toddlers arm wrestle. But this was the first game where Kelee Ringo really looked like he belonged. Ringo played tight coverage and made a few open-field tackles. At this point, it’s Kelee’s role to lose.
First Half Offense: This is the second week in a row where the Eagles’ offense looked like it was on the cusp of a breakthrough in the first half. They were gaining momentum against a heralded Broncos defense and getting the ball to their star receivers. Unfortunately for them, games also have second halves!
Devonta Smith: The Slim Reaper finished the game with 8 catches for 114 yards, making him the first Eagles’ wide receiver to go over 100 yards this season. He’s so reliable and is seemingly always there to deliver a big play when the Eagles need it. The issue has been getting him those opportunities.
Zack Baun: Despite the key penalty in the fourth quarter (which was questionable to say the least), Zack Baun has been nails for this Eagles defense. At one point, he seemingly singlehandedly stopped a Broncos offensive drive with a blitz on Bo Nix that forced an intentional grounding penalty and a great tackle on wide receiver Marvin Mims to force a punt. This defense is the engine that fuels the Eagles’ victories, and Baun is the engine of that…um…engine…almost like a super engine (I’m out of metaphors).
TRENDING DOWN (HOW MUCH TIME YA GOT?)
Kevin Patullo: Patullo has been the main target of angst for Philly fans early in the season. The first-time offensive coordinator has his work cut out for him to deliver a mega-talented team to the promised land for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, to this point, Patullo seems woefully unprepared for that challenge. The frustrating thing about Patullo (and Nick Sirianni) is a severe lack of feel for the game. The Sirianni-led Eagles have been blessed with playcallers in the past who had a sense of the flow of the game and could get the ball to one of Philly’s many stars to meet the moment. That feel is developed through years of experience and a level of comfort Patullo does not possess. He has highs where he flashes as a playcaller. But Patullo is slow to adjust and understands zone coverage seemingly at a 3rd grade level. He’s playing with a stacked deck and at times, struggles to deal. I think, given the time, Patullo can develop into a fine offensive coordinator. He’s shown the capability to have the goods. But is a super-loaded team with a win-now window in a position to give him the time he needs to develop? We’ll see.
Lady Luck: This loss has been coming for weeks. The Eagles came into this game 4-0 in part due to a strong showing from defense and specialty teams. But they also owe some of those victories to dancing with Lady Luck. Unfortunately, she was on some well-deserved paid time off this weekend. And while Vic Fangio’s defense continues to do its part, the offense has yet to put together a complete game.
Weekends: The Philadelphia Union did their part by winning the Supporters’ Shield this Saturday (given to the MLS team with the best regular season record). Aside from that, the Phillies and the Eagles joined forces to make us miserable.
Saquon Barkley and The Running Game: Saquon Barkley aka the reigning Offensive Player of the Year aka the guy voted by NFL players as THE BEST PLAYER IN FOOTBALL had just 6 carries in this entire game. Early on, Barkley had a promising 17-yard run on a pitch from Jalen Hurts. But after that, opportunities for Barkley were few and far between. There’s no denying that the Eagles’ running game has struggled this season. The efficiency has been there, but the explosive plays have not. Last season, this was a team that relied on its running game as the foundation of the offense. And while that was always going to change, I don’t think any of us expected the pendulum to swing back this far. Injuries to the offensive line and a tough slate of defenses play a key role, but schematically, the Eagles need to find a way to get Barkley the ball to loosen up the offense.
Playing a Normal Game: While the Eagles are the most talented team in the league, they have not been the most dominant. They have yet to play a complete game on offense. They walk on a tightrope. They play at the extremes. They are full spooky season Eagles, very Jekyll and Hyde. It’s giving me a stomach ulcer.
Timely Penalties: The Eagles totaled 9 penalties for 55 yards in this one. The Broncos had more, but that didn’t seem to matter for them. The Eagles’ penalties in this game at timely moments completely shutdown any offensive momentum. They need to be more disciplined in the future.
HOT TAKES
The Eagles Lack An Offensive Identity. In 2022, on the road to Sirianni’s first Super Bowl appearance, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen built an explosive offense that created advantages for the Eagles’ slew of talented pass catchers through a diverse array of RPOs. Whatever an individual game required, Steichen would find a defense’s weakness and hit it over and over again. In 2024, on the road to Sirianni’s second Super Bowl appearance and first victory, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore used the discipline of the Eagles’ run-first attack to create explosive plays on the ground. Moore used the running game to open up opportunities for the Eagles’ AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert, who could elevate the offense when it was required.
The 2025 Eagles are a cosmic stew of slop. They can’t decide what they want to be, so they don’t lean into anything, like a college grad living in their parents’ basement. Sirianni is at his best when he is working with an experienced offensive coordinator who can keep Sirianni’s worst offensive impulses at bay. But last time we saw Sirianni with an inexperienced coordinator (sorry Brian Johnson), it didn’t go well. The Patullo offense at times feels like the Sirianni offense, and the Sirianni offense is not effective. If this team is going to go anywhere, they need a “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” pilgrimage to find the next phase of their offensive identity.
Are Referees Getting Worse? We have technology that can detect first downs. We have cameras in endzone pylons. We have microchips in footballs. Yet referees still can’t detect a clear and obvious pass interference call and need long discussions about obvious intentional groundings? Officiating has been an issue in the NFL for the past few years, and it’s only gotten worse. Yet the NFL doesn’t feel an urge to fix the issue. The Eagles cost themselves this game, but the officiating definitely helped nudge the car over the cliff.
THINGS ONLY I CARE ABOUT
Sean Payton Looks Like a Pumpkin. Listen, I feel for Denver Broncos fans. Orange isn’t everyone’s color, it’s hard to pull off. I couldn’t help but notice that Denver’s head coach went full jack-o-lantern for this one. He looked like a giant clementine. He looked like the Syracuse mascot. Someone contact Sean and tell him it doesn’t have to be like this.
How Many Cop Shows Does CBS Have? CBS found the secret sauce to making entertaining shows and apparently it’s, uh, law enforcement. It felt like I saw at least 500 commercials for different versions of NCIS. How many law enforcement-adjacent shows does CBS have? I’m glad you asked! This fall, they’re airing FBI, NCIS, NCIS Origins, NCIS Sydney, Tracker, Boston Blue, CIA, and Sheriff Country. I can’t wait for 2026 when they premiere Parking Authority, a show about a dedicated group of parking officers who write tickets and investigate 2-hour parking violations.
Darren Rizzi Chewing Gum. CBS showed a shot of Denver special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi chewing gum after a big play from his unit. No one chews gum like Darren Rizzi. Rizzi seeks to punish the gum. He chews with an intensity that can best be described as chaotic. He could chew through a brick. The man’s jaw has the force of a car crusher. Whatever happened between him and that gum is personal.
