The Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) lost their second straight game as they fell to the Los Angeles Rams (2-2), 24-20, at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
The victory was the Rams’ first over Philadelphia in six years, and McVay’s first win over Nick Sirianni’s Eagles.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Philly’s ‘Big 3’ and their outstanding performances on Sunday:
-Darius Cooper had three catches for 33 yards and two touchdowns (18 and 10 yards).
Cooper is the first undrafted Eagle to produce at least two receiving touchdowns in a game since 2020.
Three of Cooper’s first four receptions this season resulted in touchdowns.
-Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who got the start for the injured Zach Baun (concussion), recorded a career-high and game-high 15 tackles.
-Nolan Smith had two tackles, a sack, and a TFL for the Eagles.
Honorable Mention:
-Andrew Makuba recorded the team’s first takeaway this season as he intercepted a Matthew Stafford pass in the first quarter.
-Cooper DeJean recorded his first interception of the season just before halftime, setting up an Eagles touchdown.
Bottom Line:
Even with all the injuries coming into the game (DeVonta Smith, Baun, Lane Johnson), and the injuries that occurred during the game (Saquon Barkley, Tank Bigsby, Quinyon Mitchell, Jonathan Greenard), this game was very winnable for the Eagles.
Philadelphia led 20-10 in the fourth and had an opportunity to put the game away. They had 3rd-and-goal from the two, and Jalen Hurts bobbled the snap and got back to the line of scrimmage. Instead of kicking a field goal, which could have extended the lead to 23-10, they decided to go for it on fourth down, where they were stopped. Ultimately, the Rams would go 98 yards to make the score 20-17.
No issue with Sirianni going for it in that spot. If you score a touchdown and make the extra point, the Eagles would be up three scores, and the game is essentially over.
“In that situation right there, try to make it a three score game,” Sirianni said. “It was a two score game, up 10. We would’ve gone up 13, but I wanted to make it a three score game right there. Fourth-and-two from the two, you leave them in a true backed up scenario. I’m very well aware of how the fourth down decisions go as the head coach. You go for it and you get it, great. You go for it and you don’t get it, that’s on the head coach. We didn’t get it, so that’s on me.”
Plus, the defense held the Rams in check all game long, until it mattered most in the fourth quarter, when they allowed Los Angeles to score two touchdowns.
However, the defense did enough to win, holding a high-powered Rams offense to 10 points through three quarters and forcing two turnovers.
The offense, on the other hand, did not. Hurts completed only 12-of-27 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was 0/12 on third down, and they had five three-and-outs. Additionally, they were 1/4 on fourth down, and for the second week in a row, the offense did not score in the second half.
Extended absences for Barkley, Mitchell, Smith, Johnson, and others would make it harder for Philadelphia to rebound.
You can blame Sirianni, first-year OC Sean Mannion, DC Vic Fangio, or Hurts, but at the end of the day, the Eagles should have won this game.
What’s Next:
Eagles travel to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One More Thing…
Hurts on the team going 0/12 on third down:
“Poor execution. I don’t think there’s any other way to put it.”
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