Eagles had it won in London but now they are 2-3 and spiraling
The Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jaguars at Tottenham on Sunday, and I’m still trying to figure out how.
They’re now 2-3, they’ve lost three straight, and every one of those losses has been more painful than the last. This one takes the cake because the game was literally over.
The Eagles kicked a field goal to go up 17-16 with eight seconds left, and all they had to do was boot the ball through the end zone and let the defense swat down one Hail Mary.
Instead, they kicked it short, the Jaguars broke a big return, and Cam Little walked off a winner. That’s not a loss. That’s a gift-wrapped present for Jacksonville.
I genuinely don’t know how this team bounces back. Nick Sirianni has made his name on getting the Eagles through tough stretches. He doesn’t call plays and he doesn’t touch the defense, but he’s always been able to keep a locker room together and make his guys believe they can get through anything.
Good luck selling belief after this one.
Sirianni Lost This Game, and He Knows It:
Nick Sirianni stood up after the game and owned it completely. He told his players the loss was on him, said “I lost this game for the team,” and took full responsibility for not having Jake Elliott kick it out of the end zone.
He’s right and that’s the problem.
This is now two straight weeks where Sirianni’s decisions have directly cost the Eagles a football game. First it was the fourth-down calls against the Rams, and now it’s a kickoff decision any high school coach gets right. When you’re a head coach who doesn’t call plays, the one thing you absolutely have to nail is game management. Sirianni keeps fumbling it, and taking the blame afterward doesn’t put a win back in the standings.
The Defense Did Its Job:
The worst part about this loss is that the defense earned a win. They gave up 16 points, made three huge goal-line stands, got after Trevor Lawrence, held up against the run and kept handing the ball back to the offense all afternoon.
Jalen Carter was a wrecking ball in the first half with two sacks, two forced fumbles and three tackles for loss. Naturally, both fumbles bounced right back to Jacksonville, because that’s how this season is going.
Zack Baun came back from the concussion and was all over the field with 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits. Quinyon Mitchell picked off his first career regular-season pass.
That’s a defense that did more than enough.
The Second Half Is a Crime Scene:
The Eagles have now gone 18 straight second-half drives without a touchdown. The last one was Jalen Hurts’ game-winner to Darius Cooper against the Titans, and it feels like a decade ago.
Look at the last three weeks after halftime. Against the Bears, the Eagles had five drives for 52 yards, three first downs and zero points. Against the Rams, six drives for 67 yards and four first downs.
Against the Jaguars, seven drives for 86 yards and five first downs, with the only points coming on that last field goal.
That’s 205 yards, 12 first downs and three points on 18 drives. You could put a high school offense out there after halftime and get similar results.
On the season, the Eagles are averaging 99.4 second-half yards a game. They’re 10 of 38 on third down after halftime. They’ve scored 23 second-half points all year, and 20 came in the first two weeks. They still don’t have a third-quarter touchdown coming out of the locker room, and they haven’t cracked 100 second-half yards since Week 2.
Every week we hear the same thing. They’re going to fix it. It’s a priority. They know what’s wrong. It hasn’t changed once, and I’m done believing it until I see it.
1.2 Yards Per Carry Is Embarrassing:
The Eagles ran for 1.2 yards per carry. I know the excuses. Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby were out, Will Shipley went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter, the offensive line was thrown together in four days and the Jaguars are one of the best run defenses in football. I don’t care. Every guy who touched the ball is an NFL player, and every guy blocking for them is too.
That’s the worst yards-per-carry game for the Eagles since 2015, when they ran 17 times for seven yards against Dallas. It’s their second-worst in 30 years and fourth-worst since 1964.
Their longest run all day was six yards from Dameon Pierce, and in the second half they ran eight times for six yards. When you can’t gain a single yard on the ground, the whole offense is playing with one hand tied behind its back.
Stop Blaming Hurts for the Wicks Play:
Hurts is not getting much help. No run game, a patchwork offensive line, shaky play calling and half his weapons in street clothes. Nobody is setting the world on fire in that situation, and he’s still out there making plays.
The one everybody is going to point to came on third-and-13 late in the third quarter, and I’m not letting it get pinned on Hurts. Dontayvion Wicks had the defense beat like a drum on a blown coverage down the left sideline.
All he had to do was run straight, find the ball and catch it. Instead, he threw in a stutter-step for no reason, while Hurts was standing in there with two or three guys in his face getting the throw off anyway.
The ball hit Wicks right in the hands. It wasn’t perfect but it didn’t have to be perfect. That’s a touchdown, it’s 21-10, and the Eagles are probably cruising. That one’s on Wicks, plain and simple.
The completion percentage isn’t where it should be at 57.8%, below his 64.2% career mark, but look at what he’s throwing to and what he’s throwing behind.
He has eight touchdowns and three interceptions, and he’s building real chemistry with Darius Cooper and Makai Lemon while DeVonta Smith is out. I expect greatness from Jalen Hurts, and once this team gets healthy, I fully expect to see it again. The problems with this offense aren’t coming from the quarterback.
Riq Woolen Isn’t Earning It:
Woolen has been a disappointment. He’s been up and down in coverage, he isn’t tackling well and he’s giving up too many plays. Coming into Sunday, quarterbacks were 12 of 20 for 160 yards throwing at him, a 102.1 passer rating that ranked 57th out of 88 corners with at least 10 targets. He was giving up 8.0 yards per target, 54th in the league.
Then he got beat for a 27-yard touchdown by Parker Washington. Yes, it was a perfect throw and an absurd one-handed catch. Woolen was also right there in position and just looked soft.
This guy has been a Pro Bowler, led the league in interceptions and won a Super Bowl. The Eagles brought him here to be a difference-maker, and so far he’s been anything but.
Makai Lemon Is Finally Showing Up:
There’s one real bright spot on offense. Lemon is starting to look like a legit NFL receiver. After four catches for nine yards in his first two games, I’ll admit I was wondering if the 20th overall pick was headed for a lost rookie year.
The Eagles stuck with him, and it’s paying off. He had six catches for 56 yards across the Bears and Rams games, then set career highs Sunday with four catches for 36 yards, including a clutch 18-yard grab on third-and-10 in the third quarter.
He isn’t putting up first-round numbers yet, but he’s tough, he blocks his tail off, he knows how to get open and he’s getting better every week. That’s worth something in a season where not much else is.
Trotter Jr. Got Robbed:
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. got tossed for fighting with Bryan Thomas Jr. on the opening kickoff, which instantly brought back memories of his old man.
In the 2005 opener in Atlanta, Jeremiah Trotter Sr. and Falcons corner Kevin Mathis were ejected for fighting about 40 minutes before kickoff, and the Eagles lost 14-10 with undrafted Mike Labinjo making his first career start in his place.
Trotter Sr. probably earned that one. Trotter Jr. didn’t do anything to deserve getting thrown out. Vic Fangio talked last week about expanding his role on defense, and now we have to wait another week to see it.
Trotter would’ve been on the coverage team for that final kick return. Maybe it doesn’t change anything, but it sure couldn’t have hurt.
The Injury Report Keeps Growing:
Shipley wasn’t the only one who went down. Defensive back Michael Carter II (abdomen) and outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt (ankle/knee) were both downgraded to out. Here’s the frustrating part.
The Jaguars hadn’t given up a first-half touchdown all season, and the Eagles hung two on them in the second quarter. This team can still move the ball when it has people. It just never has enough people.
Help Is Coming…Then What?
Landon Dickerson is eligible to come off injured reserve this week and could play against the Panthers, although the Eagles haven’t committed to activating him. DeVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley could both be back too.
If Dickerson gets back to his Pro Bowl form, Smith looks like a top-10 receiver again and Barkley finds anything close to his 2024 Offensive Player of the Year level, this offense should finally look like itself.
If all of them come back and the second half is still a wasteland, then it’s time to panic. Until then, the Eagles are 2-3, losing in every way imaginable, and running out of time to figure it out.
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